Illusions has struck a landmark deal with specialist destination management company Across Australia that will debut online tailor-made packaging in the Antipodean market.

The travel technology firm will make Across Australia the first DMC in Australia to make niche inbound travel services bookable on the web to a raft of global travel partners.

Illusions’ out-of-the-box solution will provide Across Australia’s business-to-business partners with instant access to the specialist’s ‘a la carte’ offering - travel products and services that can be uniquely packaged to create one-off experiences for discerning travellers visiting Australia and New Zealand, explained Sébastien Cros, managing director of the parent company, Groupe ACROSS.

”This partnership will combine Across Australia’s creativity with Illusions’ cutting-edge technology, providing our clients with the very best of both worlds - tailor-made packages that are instantly bookable online day and night,” said Cros.

”We need be online as soon as possible to compete with some of the big players in the market and I believe the amazing design of the Illusions technology, encompassing customer-facing and back office functionality, will give us the power to stay ahead of this competition.”

Sydney-headquartered Across Australia, which was established in 2001 and specialises in upmarket and off-the-beaten track travel, has purchased Illusions’ out-of-the-box Enterprise edition, which will automate, integrate and centralise most aspects of the DMC’s business.

This will include product management, hotel and travel services contracting, client profiles, tariff rules and notifications, client and supplier documentation, accounts receivables and accounts payables, invoicing logistics and planning modules, as well as B2B booking engines for core products including FIT and Series packages.

Cros has already spread the word about Across Australia’s new B2B booking system to current and potential clients at the recent Australian Tourism Exchange trade show and received a “tremendous response” from agents and wholesalers wowed by its connectivity and booking capabilities, he said.

”I expect business to increase by 30 per cent or 40 per cent when the system goes live in September and by 100 per cent by this time next year,” he revealed.

”We currently focus on generating business from the French market, but having showed project managers from all over the world what we can offer them through this new technology, there is potential to widen our scope in the European market and also break into the US, the Middle East and Asia.”

Cros said he was also excited about the evolution of the Illusions product, with the upcoming Version 14 set to include capabilities such as itinerary pricing that would appeal to wholesalers in particular.

In addition, Across Australia is producing destination videos it hopes B2B clients will be able to access via the Enterprise solution to use as a compelling sales tool.

The Illusions deal marks the start of a “long-term partnership” that will link the Dubai-based tech specialist and Across Australia, “for many years to come”, continued Cros.

”The Illusions team is talented, dynamic, extremely helpful and has always made me feel very comfortable, so I am extremely happy to join this family,” he said.

”Illusions will effectively become an extension of Across Australia because it is the engine that will power our entire business.”

Illusions chief executive Faisal Memon said the collaboration with Across Australia further bolstered the tech firm’s reputation for providing leading-edge solutions that catered to unique travel industry demands.

”We have been working with the travel trade for more than 15 years and during this time, our web-based technology has reached levels of sophistication that are unprecedented in the travel tech sphere, so much so that we can transform a niche company like Across Australia into a major global player,” he said.

”And today, this is not only made possible through our B2B engine that provides Across Australia’s partners with online booking capabilities 24 hours a day, no matter where in the world they are located, but through our brand new distribution portal, the Illusions World Travel eXchange, which will also make the DMC’s entire product range available to fellow Illusions customers.”

iWTX is a sister company of Illusions, allowing all of the technology company’s clients to access and sell one another’s products and pricing and sell them in real time.

”So Across Australia will be visible to a portfolio of major tour operators, travel agents and DMCs across all five continents that reads like a who’s who of the travel industry, automatically creating a new client base with purchasing clout.

”The next step to take iWTX to the travel trade at large – a phenomenal move that will create an online travel portal with the potential to become the Amazon of the travel industry, giving Illusions partners such as Across Australia, the chance to grow their businesses to exponential proportions.”