Sabre Travel Network Middle East (STNME or Sabre), a global technology company serving travel suppliers and agencies, has signed an agreement with Dahlan Tours and Travel (Dahlan) at the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The deal means Dahlan will exclusively use Sabre’s global distribution system (GDS) for its bookings.

The world’s largest travel marketplace, the Sabre GDS connects more than 350,000 travel professionals to more than400 airlines, 93,000 hotels, 25 car rental brands, 50 rail providers, 13 cruise lines and other global travel suppliers. More than 300 million people purchase airline tickets annually through this channel.

Sabre has also extended support to Dahlan by sponsoring its stand at the ATM, the MENA region’s biggest travel conference, where the agency is launching its upgraded online booking engine TravelSheikh.com. Powered by Sabre technology, TravelSheikh.com is the first online booking and travel website in the Middle East.

Daniel Naoumovitch, CEO, Sabre said: “With an increasing number of customers in the MENA region turning to the online area for their daily needs, travel too must evolve to meet their requirements. TravelSheikh.com is a product created to meet that specific need. Online travel bookings have seen phenomenal growth in the past five years, and Sabre plans to support this segment with its state-of-the-art, innovative products.”
“Dahlan is utilizing our latest Sabre Web Services connectivity platform and we congratulate them for taking this bold step towards greater visibility and increased profitability,” said Naoumovitch.

Hani Dahlan, general manager of Dahlan, said: “Sabre’s advanced technology helps us cost effectively and efficiently run our business.” “This exclusive agreement highlights the confidence we have in Sabre’s ability to help us win more business in Jordan and expand our offering to the rest of the region.
“The online booking engine as a technology is still new and infrequently used in the Middle East. By launching a new and improved TravelSheikh.com we hope to better service our customers. Having tested similar products, we came to the irrefutable conclusion that Sabre’s offerings are years ahead and customized to support our exact needs,” concluded Dahlan.