Galileo Vacations(SM) Provides Canadian Travel Agents State-of-the-art Solution
PARSIPPANY, NJ -- October 25, 2006
Galileo, a Travelport brand and leading global distribution system (GDS), today announced the launch of Galileo Vacations(SM), to the benefit of Galileo-connected travel agents throughout Canada. Galileo Vacations is a new online vacation package search and booking tool. The web-based shopping and reservation solution was developed in conjunction with IT solutions leader Softvoyage, and will simplify and shorten the process of shopping and booking independent travel contractor (ITC) and fully inclusive tour (FIT) products from leading Canadian tour operators.
Key features of Galileo Vacations include advanced search and price comparison tools, with the ability to search across multiple destinations and tour operators for full booking functionality. The tool provides Galileo-connected agencies in Canada access to major Canadian tour operators—including Transat Holidays, Air Canada Vacations, Sunquest Vacations among many others—serving Europe, the United States, the Caribbean, and other parts of the world.
“Galileo Vacations provides a leading-edge, value-added solution, and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to Canadian subscribers,” said
George Roukas, group vice president of Product Management for Galileo. “It’s another example of our mission to streamline the travel process by utilizing the best of technology to improve efficiency and deliver the most comprehensive content in an efficient, user-friendly format that best meets the needs of travel professionals.”
Agents can access Galileo Vacations from any computer with an internet connection, and without any hassles such as the requirement of a software download Best of all, there’s no fee for accessing Galileo Vacations. The user-friendly technology, combined with in-demand leisure content and cross-shopping functionality, make it the simplest and most productive way to book FIT and ITCs for Canadian point-of-sale.
“Galileo Vacations really improves my ability to book tour packages for my clients,” said
Wendy Lanphear, manager of Jubilee Travel Ltd., an agency located in Burnaby, BC. “The ease of use, and access to all the major tour operators makes it an extremely valuable tool. My agency and my clients will benefit from the increased content and efficiency.”
Moise Levy, president of Softvoyage said his company’s partnership with Galileo provides the best shopping technology available in Canada for leisure products and offers users the ease of seamless back-office integration through the automated creation of a Galileo system PNR booking.
“We are very proud of our relationship with Galileo,” Levy said “We firmly believe that together, we have created a tool that will not only ease the shopping and booking of vacation products but also saves agencies time and money”.
Galileo Vacations replaces the Company’s Leisure Link and Visibility products with a more efficient and user-friendly solution. The product’s rollout is currently underway and is expected to be completed by the end of October.
About Galileo International
Galileo International is a global technology leader. Its core business is providing electronic global distribution services for the travel industry through its computerized reservation systems, leading-edge products and innovative, Internet-based solutions. Galileo is a value-added distributor of travel inventory dedicated to supporting its travel supplier, agency and corporate customers and, through them, expanding traveler choice. Galileo, a subsidiary of Travelport Inc., is headquartered in Parsippany, NJ, and has offices worldwide. Visit www.galileo.com.
About Travelport
Travelport is one of the world’s largest travel conglomerates. It operates 20 leading brands including Galileo, a global distribution system (GDS); Orbitz, an on-line travel agent; and Gulliver’s Travel Associates, a wholesaler of travel content. With 2005 revenues of $2.4 billion, the Company has 8,000 employees and operates in 130 countries. Travelport is a private company owned by The Blackstone Group of New York and Technology Crossover Ventures of Palo Alto, California.
About Softvoyage
Founded in 1987, SoftVoyage specializes in the development of technological solutions for tour operators, travel agencies and consolidators. Softvoyage has established itself as one of the principal software solution innovators and developers dedicated to the travel industry in North America. With offices in Montreal and Toronto and sales representatives in Europe and the US, SoftVoyage ensures the highest level of support and satisfaction for its clients.
For further information from Travelport, please contact:
Manuel Goncalves
(973) 496-6369
manuel.goncalves@travelport.com
For further information from Softvoyage, please contact:
Dan Langevin
Vice-President, Sales & Marketing
(905) 825-3392
dlangevin@softvoyage.com
