Tour Operator & DMC software - Illusions Online Travel Technology

Arabian Travel News - Are you victim to the ostrich effect?
Magazine Issue: December, 2011

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Faisal Memon, Illusions Online says 2012 should be the year the industry pulls its head out of the sand over the technology revolution.

WHILE REVIEWING WEBSITES OF TOUR OPERATORS and travel agencies for ATN (Arabian Travel News), I have struggled to find a website of a traditional brick and mortar travel company which offers their customers a simple and cost-effective way to book online travel.

Many of the managers and owners of these companies have, over the past few years talked of adopting technology to speed up their online offerings but sadly none seem to have been able to walk their talk.

A new year presents opportunities to make a fresh start and look to the future. And from a travel industry perspective, 2012 could be the year travel agents and tour operators finally wake up and smell the coffee, realising they have to embrace technology to stay in the game. But the million dollar question is - will they?

Until now, most have fallen victim to the 'ostrich effect' - sticking their heads in the sand and hoping the technological revolution will pass them by. But when they do finally surface they could find they've been left behind and are well-and-truly obsolete as a bricks-and-motar agency and no means of communication with their customers.

The biggest nightmare facing agents today is the fierce competition posed by Online Travel Agencies (OTAs). Their dominant existence in the market place meets the immediate needs of information hungry consumers. Unlike retail agencies, OTAs provide real-time product information, rates and availability and are accessible 24/7. Customers don't have to wait for agents to pick up the phone or reply to an email, they can access information at the convenience of their computer, tablet or smartphone, wherever, whenever, and if they so wish, make a booking there and then, using their credit cards.

This scares agencies to the point of paralysis. But fear is only one excuse. Another is unwillingness to invest money, with some agency owners apathetic to the requirements of their travel divisions when it represents such a small slice of the pie of their business empires. Of course, there are agency managers out there who would prefer not to automate their operations. Let's face it, the thought of having black and white figures relating to revenue and profit automatically emailed to your boss on a daily basis is positively frightening for many, for reasons we won't go into here...

But for those who do take the need to invest in technology seriously, the way forward is clear. Firstly they must define their business strategy. Is the focus corporate, leisure, niche or a mixture of all three? The next step is to fully automate all operations. Technology can no more be just another piece to the puzzle; it must be central to any business strategy moving forward, as important, if not more, than sales and marketing or operations.

My hope for 2012 is that agents will take the plunge and take technology seriously.

If they combine their online presence with the still valued face-to-face service it could prove a winning formula for the future. If they don't, well I guess, the writing is on the wall.

Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

Travel Daily Asia - Illusions Online sees real potential for Southeast Asia
Magazine Issue: December, 2011

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Illusions Online, the Dubai-based provider of technology solutions for tour operators and DMCs, has announced plans to expand its business in Southeast Asia. Headed by founder and CEO, Faisal Memon, the company has already secured three key Asian contracts, and is now looking to establish a permanent base in the region to further its expansion.

Speaking to Travel Daily, Memon said that plans to launch in Asia were well underway.

"We signed a big deal with the Go Vacations group of companies in summer and we now have three clients in Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, as well as one DMC in Singapore. We're in the process of setting up an office in Kuala Lumpur and expanding our Asian team," Memon revealed. "We had planned to launch in Asia in 2012, so our schedule has been brought forward considerably," he added.

Heading up the new Malaysian office will be Jessica Wong; an experienced tour operator who will be able to offer practical expertise to Illusions' new clients. Speaking about the new Malaysian office, Ms Wong told Travel Daily:

"We plan to offer a full range of sales and support services specific to the Asia region. The eventual aim is to have sales support teams and trainers based in Asia to help with the sale and implementation of the Illusions Online system across the region."

Ms Wong also shared Memon's confidence of adding to the company's Asian client base in a significant way. "We're constantly on the road, meeting companies and showing our products, so we expect to add more clients in the not-too-distant future," she said.

Memon also provided insight into the current state of DMC businesses in Southeast Asia.

"What we've found, in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, is businesses that really want to invest in technology. From our meetings we realised that there is a huge void in this area. Travel companies are really struggling with the technology side of their business, either trying to do something in-house, or doing nothing at all. There are a few other system alternatives available in the market which are considerably cheaper but o not come close to the level of automation that we offer with our product. The question that companies should be asking is if they should be investing in cheaper systems that don't have anywhere close to the level of automation and support that Illusions provides or partner with a technology company like Illusions which has clients all over the globe and more than a decade experience of providing the ultimate automation for their businesses." Memon revealed.

"Implementing new technology is obviously a huge decision for a company. We back up our sales with a strong implementation plan. Companies can fail due to a lack of support from their IT supplier, so we're very focused on both product development and implementation. We like to see ourselves as not just another software company but a key strategic technology partner for our clients – so they can focus on what they are good at, which is running their travel business while we take care of all their technology needs," he added.

As an experienced tour operator, Ms Wong agreed that Illusions offers a product that is unique in the market.

"Really we're the only company offering this type of product. The majority of systems on the market today don't have the ability to calculate complicated hotel contracts or provide sophisticated online booking platforms for both the B2B trade partners and B2C. The Illusions Online product manages the automation of every aspect of the travel business, from hotel contracting to daily reservations and operations, accounting as well as powering their online websites."

"A lot of companies already have systems in place, but we want to show them that Illusions Online can provide better range of functionality, capability and support," she said.

As Southeast Asia's tourism industry becomes increasingly automated, it is clear that the company has a potentially huge market to tap. One can expect Illusions Online to become a very dominant player in the region in the months and years ahead.

Arabian Travel News - Web Technology Review by Faisal Memon - joob.com
Magazine Issue: November, 2011

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This month Faisal Memon, CEO, Illusions Online reviews the UAE's newest Arabic and English online leisure travel resource

User Interface & Navigation:
Joob.com is fast and easy to navigate. The dual-language English and Arabic options cater well to the targeted audience. The website has a clean user interface with a good number of filtering and sorting options.

On the down side it is not optimised for the mobile platform.

Bringing it up on my Samsung Galaxy SII smartphone didn't present a mobile-optimised site, which isn't really very user-friendly.

Search Functions:
It is excellent to see LCC options such as Air Arabia and Jazeera offered alongside scheduled carriers. You can filter your search on budget, number of stops, airlines and timings. It also allows you to sort based on price, duration, as well as the departure time from the origin airport which pretty much covers the requirement of an average user.

What the website lacks is the ability to view results by flight schedules and to easily choose the flight for outbound and inbound trips separately. So when I was searching for direct flights to London for my trip to World Travel Market, I was presented with 93 flight options with over 10 pages to wade through!

Content:
Apart from flights, hotels and travel insurance, there is no option to add transfers, tours or packages to your booking. The number of hotels offered for popular destinations is also minimal compared to websites such as Agoda and Booking.com. A search for Fujairah yielded just three hotel options compared to 19 on Booking.com. Flight price comparison stood up well for local carriers but a flight search to Singapore 1 Dec – 9 Dec for two adults, one child and one infant on SingaporeAir. com brought up a fare of AED 5,630 while Joob.com offered up a fare of AED 8,929.00 — a price diff erence of over 50%*.

Online Booking:
The booking engine is simple and straight-forward. The site accepts credit and debit cards and has implemented powerful fraud-detection systems to reduce fraudulent transactions. Joob.com seems to be applying a 3.1% transaction fee (as payment charges) when booking flights but not for every airline it seems. This charge is not mentioned when booking hotels.

SEO:
A search on google.ae for "hotels in Singapore or Australia or London" failed to bring up Joob.com at all.

Summary:
Joob.com is the newest OTA on the block in the region and stands up well for simple bookings. It is a user-friendly site with good search functions but has a long way to go in terms of content, competitive prices and handling complex itineraries. I would say Joob.com has a lot of work to do before it can really start to compete with airline websites and popular OTAs that today's modern consumer is used to. The website features a Beta Tag at the top indicating it's still in the testing phase. So I hope Joob.com can address some of these issues in its fi nal production version and prove to be a formidable player in the OTA space for the Middle East region.

*Prices correct at time of going to press.

Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

Arabian Travel News - Web Technology Review by Faisal Memon - dnataholidays.com
Magazine Issue: October, 2011

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In his new monthly column, travel technology expert Faisal Memon, CEO ofillusions Online lays out the real truth on travel websites.

User Interface & Navigation:
The Dnata Holidays homepage loads with the map of the world, but the map doesn't give you the option to select either North or South America even though these are listed within the 'Destination' dropdown search option

Searches for a number of destinations including New York, Zurich and Beirut failed to bring up any hotel options at all; and even those destinations which do list hotels offer up a very limited choice.

The site offers the navigation option by 'Experience' but destination options are limited. Experiences such as Family Fun and Spa & Wellness fail to offer up any destination options at all.

The hotel information page has good content but offers no indication of pricing. The user is required to click on 'Request a Quote' which is basically an offline form emailed out to the dnataholidays.com team.

There is a link to view cruises but it brings up information for only four cruise liners and no cruise itineraries, sailing dates or prices.

Other strange anomalies encountered while using the site, included when clicking on San Francisco - I was informed it was a city 'in the shadow of the Pyramids' and presented with a wealth of information on Cairo ...

Search Functions:
The website search functions are very limited and restricted only to destination I region and city. No additional filters are available based on facilities, budgets, star-rating, type of property or other criteria. Search results bring up a list of hotels, but no pricing.

Content:
Website content is limited only to hotels, cruises and tours. There is no option for the user to search for a complete holiday experience -including flights, hotels and ancillary services and to put their own dynamic package together. Plus the homepage displays a banner for an Eid Al Fitr offer, which is already over a month out of date!

Online Booking:
This doesn't exist. Users are presented with a 'Request for Quote' form, which is emailed out to the dnataholidays.com team.

SEO:
A search for phrases such as "holidays to Singapore or Australia or London" failed to bring up the website in the first page of search results.

Summary:
In summary, dnataholidays.com presents a poor showing for a holidays website. It has no online booking capabilities, very poor search functions, frequent errors and no SEO. With the plethora of choice that consumers have on the internet today, Dnata Holidays should take a really hard look at their website. Gone are the days when a travel agency could put together a simple website just for the sake of having a website. And if a reputed brand like Dnata Holidays - part of the Emirates Group - cannot provide customers a sophisticated website with online booking capabilities, it's just a question of time before customers start to take business elsewhere.

Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

Hotelier ME - Half of travel agencies face going bust in 3 years
Magazine Issue: August, 2011

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Half of all travel agencies in the Gulf region face going bust in the next three years, if they fail to invest in new online technologies, according to a travel technology expert.

Faisal Memon, CEO of Dubai-based travel technology company Illusions Online said the majority of travel agencies in the Gulf had "zero technology or online presence" and as a result would see a rapid loss of business over the coming few years as a growing number of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) entered the sector.

"I would say 50% of the companies here will be wiped out," said Memon.

"We have seen it happen time and time again. We have seen it happen in America, in Europe, the the UK, Asia and Australia. And in this part of the world it's just a question of time."

"If these companies can't get their act together as far technology and automation is concerned in the next three years; trust me it will be a very different 2015 for them."

According to Memon, while the traditional 'bricks and mortar' travel agencies have been sluggish about investing in online technologies – currently none of the major Gulf travel agencies offer their customers an online booking option – a rash of OTAs are gearing up to invade the sector and steal their market share.

"Every month we get a few calls from different [online] players from around the world – North America, South Africa, Australia, Europe, and they are all are talking about coming to the Middle East and setting up an OTA," said Memon.

"When that starts to happen you know those are the days when you will start seeing here what we saw in the UK and US a few years ago, which is companies shutting up shop and disappearing. You are not going to have all these companies having a shop in every nook and corner in Dubai."

"It all boils down to the adoption of technology," he added. "If these travel companies cannot provide online booking tools to the corporate customers; if they cannot provide online systems for customers; if they cannot have the automation internally within the business to empower their consultants to give the best holiday booking experience to the customer – then it's just a question of time."

Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

Hotelier ME - Alghanim Travel wins race to get online in Kuwait
Magazine Issue: June, 2011

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Kuwait-based Alghanim Travel will be the first travel agency in Kuwait to launch its own online travel booking portal complete with a payment gateway, allowing travellers the chance to book packages over the net.

A division of Alghanim Industries, the largest family owned business in Kuwait - Alghanim Travel is one of Kuwait's largest travel companies, with 112 staff over five branches and two corporate implants. The company represents American Express in Kuwait and acts as GSA for a number of airlines such as British Airways and Cathay Pacific.

Zaid Al-Khubaizi, general manager, Alghanim Travel signed a deal with Dubai-based travel technology provider Illusions Online, who will provide all the technological capability for the company, including the new website and an online booking tool for corporate customers. The website will have its soft launch in July, and should be fully functional by October.

Al-Khubaizi said the deal was a "long term investment" for the company, and predicted that 50% of the company's bookings would come from the website in the next five years.

"The online growth is very slow – especially as we are new so we are not expecting high growth in year one, but by year five we expect 50% of our bookings will be made online. Technology is not a short term solution for our business; it is a long term investment," he said.

He admitted that the project had been delayed due to challenges with finding a secure enough payment gateway for customers. "There are a lot of challenges regarding the payment gateway but we have overcome them. It's to do with the technology available in the region. That's one of the reasons why this project has been delayed."

Kuwait has the biggest market for outbound travel of any country in the GCC, and there are currently 275 travel agencies in the country - but Al-Khubaizi predicted that the online sector took off, agencies that didn't catch on were under threat of closure.

"I always put technology in both columns – threat and opportunity. Technology is a threat if we don't invest, and it's an opportunity if we invest. We have decided to invest to increase our market share," he said.

"Travel agencies will not be able to survive without technology – because technology is eliminating businesses that are naturally in the middle and we are that kind of business – in the middle of the customers and the product. That's why we have no option but to invest in this."

Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

The New Europe - Illusions: Taking travel technology to new levels
Magazine Issue: June, 2011

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Illusions is a global travel technology company providing online enterprise solutions software for tour operators and destination management companies. Implementing the latest automation technology, Illusions provides consumers with a simple, cost-effective way to book travel. The New Europe speaks to CEO Faisal Memon about innovation and strategy…

It is a tremendous feat of technology how the travel and tourism industry has evolved with the demands of the modern traveller. Bridging continents and narrowing the planet's horizons has become a recipe for commercial success as travel companies harness the wanderlust in everybody, making the reality of international travel simpler. Illusions Online has led the way in providing a multi-user platform that makes the interaction between the traveller and the world beyond seamless, beyond expectation. In a nutshell, Illusions brings into play the latest technology, enabling the automation of travel companies to bring more choice than ever to the customer's fingertips.

Illusions' products have become integral to the travel industry, because they cut through the operational nightmares and complications by providing a complete solution for an entire travel business under one roof. There are many products in the Illusions portfolio depending on the nature of the travel business; be it a tour operator, a travel agent or a DMC, Illusions have a solution for all to fit the brief that will simplistically adapt and respond to the ever-changing market conditions. "Each company is unique in its own sense," Illusions CEO Faisal Memon tells me from his office in Dubai, "so it puts extra responsibility on our shoulders to make sure we do end up providing the ultimate service and the best platform to partners in the same market."

And deliver they do, an achievement recognised two years running as the World's and the Middle East's Leading Travel Technology Provider at the World Travel Awards 2009 & 2010.

Automated vision
Like all leading entrepreneurs, Faisal Memon built his company from the bottom up, seizing new opportunities as they arose and investing with courage, believing all the time in his vision of a multi-solutions provider for the online travel industry. Illusions began life in 1997 as a general software provider before branching off into the travel and tourism space. "It all started with the first customer," Memon explains as a simple matter of fact, when I ask him how the diversification into the travel market came about,"In 1999 a wholesaler in London was looking to automate his business and provide online booking facilities for his tour operator customers around the world." Illusions delivered a complete automation platform in less than six months. Furthermore, it was one of the very first online booking systems for tour operators on the internet. So the gap in the market was apparent, all that was needed was some very bold decision making, Memon confirms this: "In those days the internet was all about surfing and email, so it was a brave decision to shift the entire focus of our company over to the web."

Operational efficiency
Illusions encapsulates industry requirements in a holistic manner by providing complete product management, including: contracting, pricing and tariff management, internet booking engines for travel agencies (B2B) and consumers (B2C), dynamic packaging, CRM, XML/Web services integration capabilities with partners and suppliers and an outstanding reporting and business intelligence framework. This enables distribution of products to the travel industry and to consumers efficiently. Therefore new products are on sale much faster than ever before. Specifically, Illusions helps to target operational efficiency, increase product choice and thus maximise a company's capacity to trade. Equipped with a dedicated research and development team Illusions always ensures that its clients are up to date with the latest business intelligence data and thereby at the forefront of their particular market.

Staying at the vanguard of technology has provided the key to Illusions' success. The company is now in the 13th version of their product, for a company that has been involved in the travel sector for 12 years that's some intensive research and development. Illusions use every stage of product development to build partnerships with customers. Throughout the software testing process, dedicated customers will put Illusions software through its paces, allowing the Illusions team to get a handle on real-time performance while the customer stays ahead of the curve by being on board with the R&D process. It's immaculate business evolution. "People talk about the cloud, we've been on the cloud for years, and it allows us to distribute our platform to the different segments within the travel industry," Memon adds.

21st Century pressure
The enduring phenomena of the internet is as new technology becomes available so people's behaviour changes. This is especially true in the travel industry where the phrase "last-minute" has become an integral part of the lexicon, and the tug of war between supply and demand is at its most intense. It is a trend that offers opportunities and challenges in equal measures and has given Illusions the platform to prosper, but only through hard work borne of the pressure from rapidly evolving technology, Memon agrees: "Gone are the days when somebody sends an email, or phones and waits for you to reply, it's either 'now' or I'm going somewhere else." This is the pressure that the tour operators and agents are under from the customer and is precisely what Illusions equips its clients to cope with. Illusions ensures that their clients are the ones doing business by providing them with a platform that offers the ultimate in streamlined efficiency. Illusions' clients can give the customer what they want when they want it.

Market insight
The specification for the technology depends on the user requirements; there is an edition of the OnDemand platform – one of Illusions most popular editions – which is free to travel agents, with another license available to small to medium inbound and outbound tour operators, and then licenses with bespoke features available for the big enterprise companies. The bewildering array of variables catered for within the platform encompasses every part of the supply chain. Memon explains the possibilities: "Our clients might be selling in multiple markets, through multiple currencies, and with multiple mark-ups, all of these are managed within the platform." The system then offers the powerful booking engines for the client's staff to access, within which are B2B options for selling to trade partners and options to go straight to the consumer. Everything is connected throughout the client's administration side: contracts, accounts, sales and marketing, reservations, planning and logistics. If you were looking to start up your own tour operator, Illusions can cover every last detail to get you up and running.

The project that seems to particularly excite the Illusions CEO is the creation of their own travel exchange: "We are creating our own B2B marketplace, where we allow our customers to trade off each other," says Memon, "The idea is to be able to connect through our exchange where we have all of our customers' products (inventory) available in one marketplace; it allows them to cross-sell to each other and adds another dimension to the distribution." Just through being part of the Illusions exchange a customer can be getting revenue from other businesses around the world that they have never heard of; "We are moving on from being another software provider to becoming a distribution partner," Memon adds.

24/7 partner
No one is more acutely aware of the need to stay ahead of the technological curve than the Illusions CEO. But Faisal Memon is equally aware of how important it is that clients understand what it is that they are buying and how it should be implemented. He highlights a common failure for travel businesses is to invest in technology providers without fully understanding how to get the best out of the technology itself: "We are not just in the business of providing software – I make that clear from the beginning", he asserts, "We want to make sure the client sees the bigger picture, and we pride ourselves on introducing best practice along the way. If we see a problem, we will highlight it."

Illusions is developing strategically into an new exciting phase and an exciting new contract recently secured with Go Vacation Thailand – one of the biggest DMCs in Asia and part of the German REWE Group – has laid a cornerstone to what promises to be an exciting period of growth. The deserved success is a product of a studied business model that adapts to and then marries advances in technology to the needs of the customer. The way that we travel is evolving. Illusions Online are at the heart of that evolution.

Source: http://www.theneweurope.co.uk/

TTG Asia - Go Vacation Thailand streamlines systems
Magazine Issue: May, 2011

Go Vacation, Thailand, based in Bangkok, has chosen Dubai-based Illusions Online to be its one-stop travel technology solutions provider, replacing its four in-house software systems for B2B transactions, accounting, contracting and website.

Go Vacation Thailand managing director, Christoph Mueller, said that while the cost of the switch was "many times" more than what travel technology providers in Thailand would charge, he believed that the investment was worth it.

"We are expecting a 20 per cent increase in business after the first year of operating under this new travel technology," he said.

Go Vacation Thailand's new system is expected to go live in November.

Bali-based Go Vacation Indonesia has also signed up to implement Illusion Online's system, which is scheduled to be fully operational in May next year.

A decision has yet to be made on whether the system will be implemented at Colombo-based Go Vacation Sri Lanka.

Source: http://www.ttgasia.com/

Illusions CEO nominated for BIZ Award
Magazine Issue: May, 2011

The CEO of leading travel technology specialist Illusions Online, Faisal Memon, has been nominated for a BIZ Award by business news website Newzglobe.com. The BIZ Awards recognise entrepreneurial achievements in a variety of industry sectors. Memon has been nominated for his eff orts building Dubaibased Illusions Online into one of the travel trade's leading technology developers.

http://www.newzglobe.com/bizaward

Hotelier ME - Illusions signs 'substantial' deal with Thai DMC
Magazine Issue: May, 2011

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Dubai-based travel technology provider Illusions Online has signed a "substantial" deal with one of the biggest DMCs in Thailand – Go Vacation Thailand - to supply all its travel technology.

Go Vacation Thailand is part of the German Rewe Group, the third largest tour operator in Germany. The DMC has 300 staff and offices in all major tourist destinations in Thailand, servicing around 200,000 clients every year.

The value of the contract was not disclosed, but Christoph Mueller, managing director, GoVacation, Thailand said the company was making a “substantial investment”. He said: “We had a look at a few different products and Illusions was the one we had the most confidence in. We have a sister company based in the US called New World Travel and they have been using Illusions for the past year and a half so it makes sense for us too.”

Following the product implementation in Thailand - the plan is to roll out the new technology with Go Vacation's subsidiaries in Indonesia and Sri Lanka next year. “The first step is Thailand and then in May next year we are looking at Indonesia and then Sri Lanka,” said Mueller.

Illusions will supply a complete centralised technology system for Go Vacation to automate every aspect of the business - from content management, website management, contract management to online booking systems.

Faisal Memon, CEO, Illusions Online said the aim was to get Go Vacations up and running with its new system in a just a few months time.

“The implementation timeframe is quite a small. With a lot of technology in the market, there are companies who want to build their own systems and it just takes forever – you are talking one or two years trying to make it work. But in today’s world, you need a system that comes out of the box. With Illusions, that’s a huge USP. Having worked with tour operators and DMCs for several years we have developed a product which pretty much fits the bulk and the needs of the business. There’s always going to be tweaks and extra development but we are talking about having Go Vacations up and running by the end of the year - which given the size of the business and the operations it’s a huge task.”

Memon added that while investment in technology had slowed substantially in the travel industry during the recession, he was now seeing a bounce back this year.

“Things have been very slow in the travel industry over the past two years, and when things are slow people stop investing in technology. But while business was slow we invested a lot in our product. We have launched different editions of our product; we have created new platforms for small to medium companies - so all of that has paid off this year where we have seen a lot of those businesses coming back again. We are seeing investment going back into technology.”

Source: http://www.hoteliermiddleeast.com

TTG - Middle East, Automation for the people
Magazine Issue: June, 2010

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A proactive approach to technology investment can no longer be underestimated, stresses CEO, Illusions Online Arabia, Faisal Memon, who explained to Claudio Saghbini about the company's own award-winning products

TTG: Please give us a brief overview of Illusions Online Arabia.
For over a decade now, Illusions Online has been focusing on providing unique and customised technology solutions for the travel industry, more specifically for end-toend outbound and inbound tour operators and DMCs. We have been in Dubai since late 2002, and since then we have had fantastic feedback from the companies we've been working closely with, which include some of the biggest names in the region and internationally. The real culmination for us however was winning the World Travel Award (WTA) last year for the World's Leading Travel Technology Provider 2009. That was the biggest highlight in the company's history. And we have followed this success by winning this year as well – the prestigious WTA for the Middle East's Leading Travel Technology Provider.

TTG: How can Illusions Online help tour operators and DMCs achieve their goals?
Our philosophy, and a big part of our vision, is to make sure that we are always ahead in technology. With this in mind, we use the latest technologies to enable the automation of travel companies and provide consumers with a simple and cost-effective way to book travel.
The idea is to enable all travel technology solutions under one roof, so that our clients can steer clear of operational complications and improve their high levels of service. What we bring to the table is automation across every function of the business – contracting, reservations, operations, accounts, sales and marketing, and planning and logistics – everything is connected. We are much more than just a reservation system. Our services include providing complete product and supplier management, client management including pricing and tariffs and Internet booking engines for B2B and B2C, dynamic packaging, CRM, XML/Web services integration capabilities with partners and suppliers, and an outstanding reporting and business intelligence framework.

"Customers don't always understand what sort of benefits automation can bring to their business."

All these enable our clients' distribution of their products to the travel trade and consumers efficiently with contractual changes, offers, and new products on sale – much, much faster than ever before.

TTG: What are some of the challenges that your company faces in the region? One of the key challenges we face is that customers don't always understand what kind of benefits automation can bring to their business. In general there's two kinds of companies we come across – those which do not have any automation at all (or which is far too basic), and those which have automation but which they are not able to change in line with new trends and demands or new technologies.

Which ever the case, our aim is to help those who do not provide real time and online services to their customers, and who are looking to get to this level of automation. Our product allows our customers to run their business effectively and still be able to distribute to customers at minimum costs.
Traditionally the whole thing was manual. But now more and more customers are demanding better connectivity and real time access to products. Business today is becoming much more last-minute. Our clients have a very small window to be able to distribute those holidays, and so they need to have online real time information to succeed.

TTG: How has technology investment changed over the years in the industry?
We are seeing a huge change in management thinking when it comes to technology. If I go back to 2006-07, investment in technology was quite limited. I'm mainly referring to traditional companies here in the region – those family-run businesses which have been around for a long time and ask why they should spend money on technology if business is already strong.
What we're seeing though, is that people are starting to appreciate the value of technology – looking at technology as an investment instead of a cost. Getting to that stage was a big challenge for us.
Of course in this industry it's all about the people, skills, and entrepreneurs, but technology makes people work smarter.
It allows you to give consumers the services they are increasingly demanding. With Illusions Online technology, the biggest advantage is that our clients are online immediately, 24/7 in real time. And our technology brings a huge change to the business as well – above all it alleviates staff of time, allowing them to work on the more complex bookings.

TTG: How would you advise travel professionals looking to invest more in technology?
Automate, innovate or die! This may sound harsh, but it's absolutely true. It's a reality. And the sooner companies realise and accept this, the sooner they won't be just another number. It's all about automation and innovation – you've got to be different. If you are just like any other company out there then why would I come to you? Technology helps you to achieve things beyond just a strong company vision and quality staff.

"People are starting to appreciate the value of technology investment looking at technology as an investment instead of a cost. Getting to that stage was a big challenge for us"

TTG: What are your overall plans for the MENA region?
Well with regards to our latest version – Illusions V12 – the client feedback both in the region and globally tells us that it's been absolutely amazing so far. I think the amount of functionality we have built in the platform has been tremendous – about a million dollars investment has gone into developing the latest version of our product.
And the third quarter of this year is going to be very exciting as well. Our focus so far has been mainly on big organisations – we've realised this and so what we are looking to do is add a more 'scaled-down', 'off-the-shelf' platform to allow smaller-sized enterprises to access our similar technology. We want to take our product to the masses at a fraction of the cost so that we can allow these smaller companies to enjoy the benefits of our technologies. That is going to be a huge part of our plans for later this year. There is also another large project we are working on but we will announce that closer to the time of launch – watch this space!

Source: www.ttgmena.com

Travel Daily ME, Face-to-Face, Interview with Faisal Memon
Magazine Issue: May, 2010

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Memon explains how the company is branching out into new sectors due to popular demand

Travel Daily: Tell us about the exciting new prospects you encountered at this year's Arabian Travel Market (4-7 May).
Faisal Memon: This year's ATM was a pleasant surprise. Usually we exhibit to make sure our branding is out there. We meet with existing customers and normally meet the same people. It's important for us to be at ATM because it's our home turf.
The feedback from the Illusions team on the floor at this year's show was really good – we had a lot of good leads and new prospects, and not just from DMCs and tour operators.
We had a lot of hotels approach us asking if we could provide a system for them and when we thought about it, we realised there is no reason why we can't do this. We provide a system for tour operators that connects them to suppliers so we can provide a system for hotels that connects to the tour operators and clients.

Travel Daily: Why do you think hotels are coming to Illusions?
Faisal Memon: One of the biggest challenges hotels face is distribution – to both the trade and the consumer. Why? There is not enough technology available to them. I'm not talking about the big chains and the five stars, but the independents and the four stars etc. There isn't much available to them at a cost-effective price. So, there is no reason why a hotelier cannot use our platform to put in their inventory and distribute it. This is an entirely new system for us, but we can fill the gap in the market.

We can take our big elephant [for tour operators] and scale it down for hoteliers so they can use it for reservations, yield management and distribution etc – all online. We had at least 15 hotels interested in this concept at ATM alone. We are currently looking at our system and how it can be adapted – it's an exciting development for Illusions.

Travel Daily: What other new avenues are you exploring?
Faisal Memon: Until now, our primary market has been big tour operators inbound and outbound – deals that require substantial outlay for the customer and take a long time to close. The barrier we have seen is price, although we have seen the uptake of technology improving as people realise the long-term benefits.
But what we are noticing is that there are many small- and medium-sized travel companies who need technology and automated systems but they often don't have a big income for this. Again, we are looking to take our system and scale it down for them to create a new model. We would charge a fee per month and make it really affordable for them.

Travel Daily: Why should SMEs sign up with Illusions?
Faisal Memon: The beauty of it is that we have been browser-based since 2000. We know the internet in and out, but some travel companies are still struggling to move to the web. When it comes to selling online, most of them really don't have a clue. But we have done the hard work and have created an enterprise system they can use. All we need to do is scale it down and make it available to the masses.

Travel Daily: Geographically, what trends are you noticing in terms of demand for your technology?
Faisal Memon: It's a real mixture – we are commanding a lot of attention from around the world. In the Middle East, the action is in Libya and Syria – two amazing places that have been locked away from the world for years due to the fear factor, sanctions and terrorism issues, etc.
However, things are changing and tourism is playing a major role in each country.
We have already started looking at these areas. Jordan is also strong for us and Egypt is looking at coming back strongly. We have also had some amazing feedback from tour operators in the India Ocean, as well as Sri Lanka, which is great, as they are close to home. Eastern Europe is also on the map as more countries become part of the EU.

About Faisal Memon
Faisal Memon, often dubbed the 'Master Illusionist', is the driving force behind Illusions Online. The Dubai-born entrepreneur is a self-confessed techno geek and admits that he has "always been into technology". In fact, at the age of 19, tech-savvy Memon had already set up a thriving business from his bedroom developing business software. One of his biggest breaks came in 1999 when he moved to London and was instrumental in developing an inbound tour operating system for a travel wholesaler – a system he moved online one year later.
"It was obvious to me then that the internet was going to be the future and so was the fact that I had to be focused on travel technology," he says.
This is when Illusions Online was really born. By 2002, the fi rm had opened an office in Melbourne, Australia and at the end of that year the business brought him to Dubai, where a booming market was "awaiting some serious changes", according to Memon. Illusions Online now boasts clients across five continents and is headquartered in Dubai Media City, employing more than 30 staff .

About Illusion online
Illusions Online is a global travel technology company providing online enterprise travel solutions software for tour operators and DMCs. Recent client additions in Dubai include Lawand Tourism and SNTTA. The solutions automate travel companies and provide consumers with a simple and cost-eff ective way to book travel. Services comprise complete product management, pricing/tariff and internet booking engines for travel agencies (B2B) and consumers (B2C), dynamic packaging, CRM, XML/web services integration capabilities with partners and suppliers and a reporting and business intelligence framework.
Illusions' system enables the distribution of products to the travel trade andconsumers effi ciently with contractual changes, off ers and new products on sale delivered quickly.

Travel Daily - Middle East
Magazine Issue: May, 2010

Hotels and SMEs demand Illusions products

Dubai-based travel technology provider Illusions Online is witnessing demand for distribution technology from new customer types.

The firm, which has traditionally catered to the technology needs of large inbound and outbound tour operators globally, said it had been approached by several hotels and smaller travel firms who cannot find solutions to meet their budget and requirements.

As a result, the company, was inundated with new prospects at the recent Arabian Travel Market (4-7 May).
"We had a lot of hotels approach us asking if we could provide a system for them and when we thought about it, we realised there is no reason why we can't do this," Illusions Online CEO Faisal Memon told TDME in an exclusive interview.

"We provide a system for tour operators that connects them to suppliers so we can provide a system for hotels that connects to the tour operators and clients."
He said that one of the biggest challenges facing hotels was distribution, to both the trade and consumers.
"I'm not talking about the big chains and the five stars, but the independents and the four stars etc," said Memon.

"There isn't much available to them at a cost-effective price. So, there is no reason why a hotelier cannot use our platform to put in their inventory and distribute it. This is an entirely new system for us, but we can fill the gap in the market."

He said Illusions would take its "big elephant", which was normally designed for tour operators and "scale it down for hoteliers so they can use it for reservations, yield management and distribution etc – all online".

"We had at least 15 hotels interested in this concept at ATM alone. We are currently looking at our system and how it can be adapted," he added.

Memon said there were also many small- and medium-sized travel companies crying out for distribution technology and automated systems and that Illusions was looking to create a concept for this market.

"We would charge a fee per month and make it really affordable for them," he said.

Memon stressed that when it came to selling online, most travel companies "don't have a clue" and that they should leave it to Illusions to get them up to date.

"The beauty of it is that we have been browser-based since 2000. We know the internet in and out," he said.

"We have done the hard work and have created an enterprise system they can use. All we need to do is scale it down and make it available to the masses."

www.traveldailyme.com

Travel Trade Weekly
Magazine Issue: May, 2010

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Q & A with Faisal Memon

Illusions Online is a major enterprise software provider, based in Dubai, Faisal Memon, CEO of the company spoke to Travel Trade Weekly about the importance of technology in difficult times.

Travel Trade Weekly: Please tell me about what Illusions offers to its customers and who your product is for?
Faisal Memon: Our main offering is something called Illusions Enterprise; which is essentially a complete suite of tools for tour operators and wholesalers, for managing every aspect of the business. In the Middle East region there is a very grey area between travel agents, tour operators and wholesalers, but our dealings are very much with the brick and mortar kind of operation.
However, even though we work with real-world businesses, we allow these businesses to be online and compete in that market.

Travel Trade Weekly: Has there been a lot of interest in enterprise software in the Middle East?
Faisal Memon:The interest has been huge; however, where the issue lies is that because we are offering an enterprise product, we focus on enterprise customers, which means the big boys in the market.
The barrier is the cost of the product, which can be up in six figures. We have obviously tried to be very creative in the way we priced the product, through user licensing and other initiatives, but it can still be difficult to convince smaller players to make the investment.
On top of which, it has always been a challenge to get people to adopt new technologies.

Travel Trade Weekly: Is there a particular resistance to new technologies in the Middle East?
Faisal memon: Oh yeah. You are bang on there. What you have to remember is that a lot of these travel companies, particularly the big ones like Kanoo or Al Rais, have been around for a long time.
These big players, many of them have boomed and grown because of the boom in the region.
For example, a couple of years ago in 2007 and 2008, these companies did not have to work too hard because there was so much going on in the area and everyone rode the wave.
At that time, we would go into offices and try to convince managers to spend six figures on a new program - well , you would see a lot of eyebrows.
You would usually get shown the door, too!
I think the actual understanding of the benefits of technology has not yet become widespread and this is something that can be seen in the travel industry around the world. Sure, in the US you have companies like Expedia and Orbitz, but this is a very different business model and traditional tour operators have remained very slow on the uptake when it comes to new technology.
So yes, although things are changing, there is definitely big resistance.

Travel Trade Weekly: How are things changing now?
Faisal Memon: We have seen a shift recently, as the market has not been as rosy as people have to work hard for pennies these days.
The biggest cost for travel enterprises is human resources, and our product is about automating procedures that would otherwise take up the time of staff.
What this means is that in hard times companies can operate with fewer employees and when things get better the can either manage greater loads with the same number of staff, or redirect staff to work on more complicated, high revenue business.
Another thing that is driving interest at the moment is that we are seeing the old school hand over the reins to the new school.
As the fathers in the big family business that are our main clients hand over the management to their songs, we are seeing a lot of new interest coming in.

www.traveltradeweekly.travel (PAGE 19)

Arabian Travel News
Magazine Issue: December, 2009

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Illusions bags Lawand Tourism account

Dubai-based solutions firm creates unique identity for Aussie inbound specialist
Illusions Online has signed a deal with Australian inbound tour operator Lawand Tourism, which will see the Dubai-based technology specialist provide the travel firm with a complete seamless front and back-office system.

The booking engine Illusions has created for Lawand, an operator that has its own permanent regional marketing and support office in Dubai and a marketing liaison office in Riyadh, has its own "unique identity" according to Illusions Online CEO Faisal Memon.

"There are so many DMCs using Illusions that we need to make sure that each solution we provide is different," he explained. "What we have done is create a unique identity [for Lawand] in terms of the colour, the themes and the brand. We have done something similar for [UAE DMC] SNTTA." Memon continued. "We are taking the systems of these operatiors to the next level with XML."

He explained that this involved seamlessly linking DMCs to their clients so that all booking systems were in sync through interface.

Lawand Tourism's solution, he added, also included crucial elements such as product management and pricing, in addition to the booking tools.

"They have also gone for B2C, as well as B2B solutions," Memon said.
The roll out of the Illusions system will be completed in phases, starting with the back office system to include product loading that is based in Bangalore, India.

once up-and-running, it will be pitched to individual agents within the Gulf who wish to interface their booking systems with Lawand.

In other Illusions news, the first won the coveted World's Leading Travel Technology Provider accolade at the World Travel Awards in London on November 8.

Memon said he wasn't surprised to win the award, which is usually given to on of the four GDS providers. "The GDS aren't doing anything new at the moment and there is no one else," he said.
The firm has also revealed that Al Rais Travel has finally gone live with its GTA interface so all of the wholesaler's inventory is now available to Al Rais travel consultatnts.

Destinations of the World News
Magazine Issue: December, 2009

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Through every downturn, we've emerged stronger

Interview with Faisal Memon, CEO, Illusions Online

Can you provide us a brief description of what your company does?
We specialise in software solutions for your operators and we cater for both inbound and outbound markets, which is quite unique. We pride ourselves in being able to provide a full, comprehensive service - it's much more than just a booking engine.

You've just been awarded by the World Travel Awards Middle East's leading Technology Provider 2009 and the World's Leading Travel technology Provider 2009, why do you think you won and what are you doing to capitalise on this?
We're the best, of course! but honestly, this was huge for us, it shows that no matter how big or small a company is, if you stick to your goals and your targets, you get rewarded. Before us, the winners used to be really traditional, well-known companies like Amadeus and Galileo, so to be rewarded for all our hard work is really great. Now we just have to concentrate on getting the message out there.

This has been a tough year for everyone, how do you think you've managed?
We started in Bombay in 1997 and since then we've known one or two recessions, maybe not always in economic terms but the travel industry, especially, has always been very up and down. And, like I mentioned earlier, because we analyse market trends, we weren't completely surprised when this happened, we were prepared. We've actually been expanding this year. Every downturn we've been through, we've emerged bigger and stronger. The reason for this is that I believe you must always invest when it's quiet, because when it's busy you don't have time. A quiet time gives you an opportunity to look at how to improve the efficiency of a business, where to cut costs. You're preparing, so that when business comes back, and it always does, you're prepared to hit the ground running.
This year has been huge for us, our members of staff has increased three times as much as before, we've got big accounts, and we're lucky that technology has become an integral part of doing business now, and the companies who realise that are the ones who emerge as the winners, and they tend to be our clients.

Illusions Online was conceived in 1997, you've come a long away since then spanning across the five continents, why do you think you've been so successful?
We're a small company hat has been able to adapt quickly and effectively to change. We look at automating every aspect of a tour operator's business, be it contracting, brochure producing, pricing, accounting, logistics and planning, content management systems, etc. But one of the really big things that has helped set us apart from our competitors is that we provide a consulting service. We know world trends and we are able to pass that on to our customers. When we deal with a client we look at it as a long-term relationship - they stick with us, because we're constantly enhancing their products.

How do you stay ahead of the competition?
For us, technology is key, so we always make sure we are aware of the latest software trends etc. Also, a lot of our competition has been around since 19080s, so they have quite rigid systems and it's not easy for them to adapt as quickly as us. I also think it helps that i come from a technology background. Most CEO's are normally from finance and so resent having to spend money, whereas I can look at it from the other side. Plus, we always make a point of listening to our customers, for without them we wouldn't know what works, what doesn't, what they want and what they don't.

What do you hope to achieve in 2010 and where would you like to see the company opening up in next?
Next year is going to be really big for us. It will be the time when all the work preparation we've done this year will come to fruition. We're opening up soon in South America as it bugs me that we don't have any customers there. Seriously, though, I personally believe that South America is a really untaped source. With regards to travel, you've got some of the best travel opportunities around, but you need the infrastructure in place first before you can progress in anything else, and I think South America is ready now, It's opening itself up to tourism and where there's tourism, there's Illusions. But I never look further than one year ahead, because markets change so quickly. I like to play it by year.

Arabian Travel News
Magazine Issue: September, 2009

Arabian Travel News - SNTTA Article - Competitive edge with illusions

SNTTA seeks competitive edge with Illusions

IT Solutions

Sharjah-based SNTTA Emir Tours has chosen Dubai-based IT solutions provider, Illusions, to building a system that it believes will run it's FIT business most efficiently.

"All of our partners have been asking for this system and the same must be true for our competitors - so it definitely gives us an edge." said SNTTA senior general manager David Milican.

"It is also very user friendly, which helps us to encourage new partners to consider adopting the system."

Milican added the technology would give SNTTA " total flexibility in revising and implementing business decisions quickly."

"This will provide the cutting edge, even in volatile markets," he said.
The system will allow users to give immediate answers to clients as it works in real time offering instant rates and confirmation. It will also ensure maximisation of the available room allocation.

"The backbone of the FIT business segment is contracting, inventory management and tariff fixing. The new technology has very robust modules for managing all these three areas," Milican added.
A travel professional looking to use the system can first visit a test site to learn how the IT works.

The are given a login and password, allowing them full access to book hotels, transfer and excursions. The system automatically generates invoices, client itineraries and vouchers.

"Technology [such as this] is the future of the travel industry globally." said Milican. "In these very difficult times, effective use of technology can only help companies optimise services, increase efficiency and there by increase revenues."

Arabian Travel News - Letters to the Editor
Magazine Issue: September, 2009

Arabian Travel News - Letters to the Editor - Article By John Flower - Illusions Online

Letter to the Editor

Technology Challenge

I read with interest your article (Agents warned about challenging future: July issue) in which Danny Dinesh of IABA stated that we would be living in a fool's paradise if we were to think that the region's travel trade wouldn't be affected by the consumer switch to booking online.

The answer is quite simple, agents need to adopt a strategy that gives them the edge technologically and the need to do it now. The initial outlay may be perceived to be high, by what it the cost to that business if a web strategy is not adopted? I am constantly amazed at the lack of online agency activity in this region.

Sure, we are getting there, but the industry here is so far behind the travel trade in other parts of the world. However, the opportunities to adopt a web strategy are right there in front of them, with many companies operating in the region that can take their business to the next level.

John Flower, Illusions Online, Dubai

Arabian Travel News
Magazine Issue: July, 2009

Illusions Increases

With more than 28 years of leadership experience in operations, Mini Nimkar joined Illusions in May 2008 as a training manager. She has a diverse background which includes a wealth of experience in tour operations, Human Resources, administration and education.
Mini is now responsible for business development in GCC, Indian Subcontinent, Indian Ocean and Africa.

Lisa Shortland began her career in the travel industry more than 18 years ago as a reservations agent for one of Australia's largest wholesalers, Qantas Holidays.
Lisa moved to Dubai in 2008 and spent six months as operations manager with a local DMC.

Maheen Mohamed started her career some moon ago as a front office staff at the Oberoi Sheraton Hotel in Bombay before moving to Dubai in 1979 to seek new pastures and adventures.
She joined Emirates in 2986 as sales co-ordinator for DNATA and then moved to Emirates Holidays.
Maheen has joined Illusions as business development manager and lives in Dubai.

Arabian Travel News
Magazine Issue: June, 2009

New Recruit

New Illusions Business Development manager John Flower explains why he believes an investment in technology will be the catalyst for a more professional travel trade

What is your trade background?
I've been in the industry 17 years. I started my career in 1993 with STA Travel in Australia. I moved to Dubai four years ago and have worked with Emirates, DNATA and Alpha Holidays.

What are your responsibilities in your role?
Increasing the distribution and awareness of Illusions technical solutions and concentrating on getting them out into the marketplace.

How do you intend to do this?
We've territorialised the globe and we're trying to get products out to DMCs and wholesalers around the world through trade fairs, direct marketing and utilising my existing contacts.

Are agencies in this region open to change?
I think a lot of agencies are starting to realise if they don't invest in technology they'll be left behind and there's a huge push at the moment within a number of agencies. They're reviewing their technology and it's quite surprising to see some of the larger travel agencies don't have up-to-date solutions.

What are the challenges involved?
The biggest challenge is getting out there and becoming familiar with the expectations of the industry.

Is now the right time for agents to invest?
This is a time when companies are looking at business and realising they have to make changes to make money. If that involves adopting new technology, then so be it. I think this is the perfect opportunity to invest. Technology won't make staff work harder, it'll make them work smarter.

Does more technology mean less staff?
Maybe in the long run, but the reality is not to cut staff but to grow distribution, allowing you to employ people more readily. If the the agent is able to spend less time processing they can improve their product knowledge. I believe technology is the catalyst for a more professional trade.

What if the regional industry fails to adopt the new technology?
There's a lot of potential here, but the industry needs to move quickly towards technological advancement, there is no doubt about it. The rest of the world is steaming ahead.

Arabian Travel News - Tech Talk
Magazine Issue: June, 2009

Inaugurate or Liquidate

Illusions CEO Faisal Memon explains why only the travel agencies that invest in technology will survive the downturn
It's not a question of whether travel agencies should invest in technology; it's how soon they should. In these challenging times; technology that simplifies processes is the only way to grow a business without recruiting 10 extra staff.

Many agents in this region are still using traditional simple and time consuming methods, such as ringing around suppliers to perform their day-to-day roles.

So much time is spent doing the administration and mundane tasks, which could easily be taken care of by an advanced application; leaving agents free to improve their knowledge and provide a service that consumers are happy to pay for.

On the other hand, we've got some amazing partners in this region that have looked at the downturn as an opportunity.

Illusions understands times are tough so we're offering more commercial options, such as rental and transaction models, as well as pay-as-you-go options. We're flexible to market needs.

Travel is the most resilient industry in the world. It's those agencies which have taken advantage of business solutions offered on a flexible basis, which will be able to respond to the market challenges.

Illusions scooped the Middle East's Leading Travel Technology Provider award at the World Travel Awards 2009.

MeetME Magazine
Magazine Issue: March, 2009

Talking Techno - Illusions MICE

Illusions Online has taken its tour operator solution and adapted it to meet the demands of the meetings, conventions and exhibitions sectors, providing B2C system to streamline all bookings and requests related to specific events.

Now, using Illusions MICE, PCOs are able to create a dedicated B2C website for each event and encourage attendees to register online. using the system, attendees for events, exhibitions and conferences can access the site, register for the event, book their hotels and any tours (taking advantage of group discounted rates), arrange for their meet and assist and then pay via the integrated payment gateway.

The software is programmed so that once a client is registered their history is kept on file for future events, meaning that they only have to enter vital information such as contact details once. This also enables the DMC or PCO to build up a comprehensive picture of their clients and their booking habits, which assists with event planning and business forecasts.

"Illusions MICE is a very flexible programme. It enables the user to decide what they are selling and to whom," said Faisal Memon, CEO, IIlusions Online.

"It allows clients to use the same common platform - content, photos, company information - for each event. All that varies are the specifics for the event itself. The idea is very smple but powerful and effective when it comes to converting browsers into bookers."

Illusions Online has been providing it's tailored tour operator back office solutions of over 10 years and now boasts of a network of clients spanning five continents.
www.illusions-online.com

Arabian Travel News - Tech Talk
Magazine Issue: March 09

What is Cloud Computing and why should agents invest?

Illusions CEO Faisal Memon : In the traditional client-server environment, where the client is the end user, the agency or opertor buys software and hardware and installs the application on each individual computer. But this can be time consuming and costly.

'Cloud Computing' on the other hand means all of your applications, tools and data are stored on the internet so agents don't need to spend money investing in software and hardware before a booking has been made.

Technology companies can even provide the service on a pay-as-you-book basis, where the agent is charged per transaction or booking.

While this isn't a new concept, there has been reluctance amongst agents in this region to put confidential data online. But now people are becoming more cost conscious it is starting to take off in this region. Now is the time for travel companies to start thinking about the whole operting and booking process, and how every penny is spent.

Visitwww.illusions-online.com

Arabian Travel News
Magazine Issue: February 2009

Illusions looks at the bigger picture

Arabian Travel News talks to Illusions CEO Faisal Memon about the company's niche product and its strategy to attract more business from the region's travel trade

Travel operator business solutions specialist Illusions Online is looking to secure deals with top travel companies across the region having ended 2008 with a major coup.

The Dubai-based firm, which offers the tour operator system Travellusions to companies across the globe, recently signed a deal with Dubai's Al Rais Travel, to provide all of it's software solutions and help integrate its online-offering.

To build on the momentum of this sign-up, Illusions CEO Faisal Memon is on a mission to score more big names, but will be choosing his partners carefully, he told ATN.

It's both an advantage and a disadvantage for us that a lot of travel companies out there haven't been prioritising the sort of online service solution that we can offer", he mused.

"In the short term it's been good because what we do is so specialised we have been able to create a specific niche in the market for ourselves - but the downside is that we really do have to be careful when it comes to who we align ourselves with."

He continued: "It's absolutely no use to us to partner with a company that things we can deliver a business solution like it's a commodity. What we do is more complicated and time consuming than that - the benefits are enormous but we have to be sure that we are aligned with a company that we are satisfied we can deliver a solution that matches the levels of our own high standards."

Memon conceded that initial consultation periods and business analysis with travel companies could be slow going, but was adamant that the practice was necessary."

"It is not our way to implement a quick fix." he stressed. "Through us our clients will enjoy complete business automation that is also customisable. We don't look at just one section, we build a platform structure for all aspects of the business: we can facilitate one system to cover the entire business from pricing, reservations, operations, bookings - the whole lot- so it can make a massive difference.

Memon added that he expected increasing numbers of travel companies across the UAE to gradually embrace the idea of implementing technology solutions.

"Companies in this region will see the benefits eventually." he said, "which is good for us of course because we are already established here. This means we will have the inside track and we can point interested parties in the travel industry to our track record so they can see our quality and what we are all about."

He added that the agreement with Al Rais Travel was "a good indication" of the stage at which the travel market was at in terms of solution uptake.

"As a company, they are becoming more technology and web savvy and they recognise the benefits of working with us and we're really pleased to be aligned with them as well, because of their approach and understanding of how our partnership will work." he said.

"If you just look at Dubai alone you can see the speed that things change - and the travel industry is changing every day."

He stressed that in the current financial climate, it would be the most forward thinking companies that would do well.

"We have a lot of negotiations going on behind the scenes and expect more announcements to be made soon, so it's a case of watch this space," Memon concluded.

About Illusions Online
Illusions Online Arabia is a travel operator business solutions company based in Dubai Media City with its development centre based in Mumbai and sales and marketing offices in London, UK and Melbourne, Australia. The company's enterprise travel solution for tour operators, Travellusions, is recognised as one of the leading software solutions for the travel domain and has been implemented at travel organisations worldwide. Features of the Travellusions product include a mark-up wizard, which allows tour operators to increase of reduce mark-ups quickly, the ability to make immediate rate changes in real time, handles data in such a way that makes products bookable on the web, and data input into multiple systems.
For more information visit www.illusions-online.com

Arabian Travel News
Magazine Issue: January 2009

Al Rais in Illusions Deal

Dubai-based travel company Al Rais Travel has signed an agreement with travel operator business solutions specialist company Illusions to provide al of it's software solutions and help integrate its online offering. "Al Rais Travel is becoming more technology and web savvy," said Illusions CEO Faisal Memon.

"We've had a dialogue with them for some time and it will be a privilege to help take them to the next level.:

Memon conceded that the shift into embracing more advanced online options was "noticeably slower" in the Middle East compared to other areas of the world, but said that for a niche company like Illusions, the situation had it's advantages.

"We have to be very picky about who we align ourselves with," he said.

"Anyone can make a sale; what we're interested in is building partnerships where we can genuinely provide a service. For that we need to be able to trust the company we are woring with, it's a very niche are that we work in and the standards that we set for achieving our goals are very high."

Memon went on to hint that Illusions was in the process of negotiating with other "major" travel companies in the region and to expect further "exciting announcements" in the coming months.

Arabian Travel Directory
Magazine Issue: 2009

Company Profiles - Illusions Online

It is a known fact that travel and tourism has evolved tremendously in today's world. Bringing continents and narrowing the planter within minimalist time frames is the call of the day. Most of the travel companies are time and again harnessing the nature of the wanderlust in everybody. And thereby making the entire process of traveling, simpler.

Illusions is an alter ego of the persona itself, a manifestation of its illustrious founder and CEO, Faisal Memon. An individual with the dint of sheer dynamism and vision lives and adheres by his promise of providing new age travel technology solutions, in an evolving world. Keeping abreast of the changing trends, yet stealing a march over it. The endeavor being to stand head and shoulders above the commonalities.

Illusions paradoxically is all about reality and offers a plethora of services under one roof to well and truly make it an organisation which offers you Travel Technology solutions across the spectrum. Illusions is a global travel technology company providing online enterprise travel solutions software for tour operators and destination management companies (DMCs).

In a nutshell, it brings into play the latest technology enabling the automation of travel companies and provide consumers with a simple and cost-effective way to book travel. Plainly put, a complete solution for the entire business under one roof, devoid of operational nightmares and complications.

It simplistically adapts and responds effectively to the ever changing market requirements and conditions. And results in providing optimum levels of service to their clients. Making it one of a kind travel technology provider among its divisive fraternity.

Illusions Online was conceived in 1997. Over the years with its meteoric rise it has established client base spanning across the five continents, garnering blue chip clientele in the process, illusions has been a pioneer in its sphere.

To encapsulate things in a holistic manner its services comprise of providing complete product management and contracting, pricing and tariff management, internet booking engines for travel agencies (B2B) and consumers (B2C), Dynamic packaging, CRM, XML/Web services integration capabilities and partners and suppliers and an outstanding Reporting and Business Intelligence framework.

This enables distribution of products to the travel trade and consumers efficiently with contractual changes, offers and new products on sale, much, much faster than ever before. Specifically, Illusions helps to deliver targeted operational efficiencies and increased product choice and flexibility to further improve the high levels of service. Endowed with a dedicated research and development team it always ensures that it's clients are in the know and thereby in the forefront of technology.

It's visionary approach has held it in good stead which in itself is the proof of it's every burgeoning clientele. A clear-but understanding of the travel trade has helped in firmly setting their sights with objectives in-place to ensure optimum client satisfaction. To sum it up Illusions Online is a trusted ally of yours in providing an enterprise-wide IT strategy and solutions to reduce manpower, increase sales revenues, automate and improve customer relationship management and increased levels of employee productivity.

Illusions, setting standards and going places, literally and figuratively, gives you myriad of reasons to be your partner in progress.

Illusions Online Arabia FZ LLC
Box: 500627, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, building 6, Office G06, Dubai Media City.
Phone: +971 4 3902300, Fax: +971 4 3908367
Email: iolsales (at) illusions-online.com
Website: www.illusions-online.com
Office Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Key Personnel:
Faisal Memon - Chief Executive Officer
Mini NImkar - Customer Service Manager
Dorothee Leipnitz - Business Development Manager
Julia Makarova - Marketing Manager
Activities: Online Enterprise Software Solution for Tour Operators & DMCs. Complete Product management, Pricing / tariff & Internet Booking Engines for Travel Agencies (B2B) & Consumers (B2C), Dynamic packaging, CRM, XML / Web Services Integration capabilities.
Number of Employees: 30
Bank: HSBC
Year Established: 1997