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Illusions Online in triple whammy agency deal first
June, 2011

Region's leading travel technology provider whets travel agents' appetites with new low-cost 'off-the-shelf' solution: Illusions OnDemand (OD).

Three trailblazing GCC travel agents have been the first to sign up to a brand new first-of-its-kind technology solution by Illusions Online.

Kuwait's Rezervations International and Kapico Travels and Tours and Qatar's Falcon Travel have all penned agreements with the Dubai-based travel technology company for its revolutionary Illusions OnDemand (OD) product.

The solutions they have selected are scaled-down affordable 'off-the-shelf' versions of Illusions Online's award-winning core product - customised systems for tour operators and Destination Management Companies (DMCs).

In fact, the 'Illusions OnDemand 'Standard' edition Falcon Travel has opted for is being implemented totally free of charge while the 'Professional' edition Rezervations International and Kapico have selected is relatively low cost compared to other systems on the market.

OD features are abundant and for the Standard version include the automation and integration online of client management (trade and consumer); tariff and mark-up management; employee management; currency management; a hotel booking engine; client documentation; accounts; finance and management reports; and the option for an Internet booking engine for customers.

Additional features of the Professional version span supplier management; the inclusion of the agent/operator's own hotel and supplier contracts; allocation/inventory management; commission rules; tax management; content management; multi-language content support; and much more.

But the pièce de résistance is that all agents, regardless of the edition they have selected, will get access to the brand new Illusions Online World Travel eXchange (iWTX) system.

The brainchild of Illusions Online CEO Faisal Memon, iWTX allows all Illusions users – both travel agents and tour operators – to access and sell one another's products and services in real time.

"We have set up a distribution agreement with our clients so they can share product rates, inventory and content, and we are the conduit," explained Memon.

"So if you are an agent in the Middle East you can access all the products provided by clients such as New World Travel in the US, Sunset Faraway Holidays in the UK, Al Rais in the UAE and Go Vacation in Thailand."

All rates are updated automatically by the Illusions system of each client taking exchange rates and mark-ups into account in real time.

Illusions is providing iWTX free-of-charge to all clients adding a "minute mark-up" as facilitator but resulting in rates that are highly competitive.

"We are acting as a wholesaler in the 21st Century sense," said Memon.

"There are no costs involved so our mark-ups are the bare minimum making us cheaper than most, if not all wholesalers out there."

Illusions Online's OnDemand solutions also have the edge on other products in that the iWTX system eliminates the need to jump onto several different wholesaler systems when booking ground arrangements.

It automates front- mid- and back-office solutions by allowing agents to be able to load their own products and contracts; define their customer-base and set-up flexible mark-up rules depending on the client to whom they are selling; and manage all their bookings, documentation, accounts receivables and payables. There is also a plethora of out-of-the-box reporting tools available.

"So it's very different to most wholesaler systems and software technology out there which offers a booking engine platform only," said Memon.

"And because Illusions OnDemand sits on a cloud, this information is available from anywhere in the world by just having access to a browser and Internet connection."

He added: "Preferential rates with hotels or suppliers that agents have negotiated themselves can also be integrated and the bookings can be done all on one system instead of jumping around to book with different wholesalers."

The first three agents to sign up to Illusions have not only been impressed by the functionality of the solution offered, but also with just how quickly it will be rolled out.

All three first met with Illusions either during or just after last month's Arabian Travel Market and are expecting their system to be up-and-running by mid-June at the latest.

Khaled Al Shammari, the general manager at Kuwait-based wholesaler Rezervations International, said: "We chose Illusions because it has a good reputation for providing a technologically-advanced and reliable solution plus it will be implemented very quickly.

"With other companies it can take months, if not years, to go live but with Illusions we will go from zero to testing to live in just under three weeks!"

Al Shammari also praised the Illusions iWTX concept, which he said would prove invaluable now that the busy summer booking season was well underway.

"Illusions has saved my life with this World Travel eXchange idea," he said.

"I already get good rates from my suppliers, but this will give me more options, better availability and rates and drastically reduce transaction times."

Joseph Mathew, the manager of Doha-based Falcon Travel, said his primary goal was to automate the company's leisure travel services.

"We are a boutique travel agency moving to become a DMC and starting inbound operations to Qatar so we need Illusions to take our product online," he said.

"The idea is to create a platform for our customers to go online and book."

Mathew said Falcon Travel was "very confident" in the Illusions product which provided "exactly what the company wanted".

Kuwait's Kapico Travels and Tours selected Illusions to help the travel agency keep up with market booking trends.

General Manager, Hassan Bilgrami explained: "The younger generation are increasingly using their iPhones to book travel and are frequently coming into our agency already logging into Expedia and asking us to match rates.

"I needed the technology to go online with my own website to see if I can capture this segment, which is growing rapidly.

"I looked at several technology companies but after meeting with Illusions at Arabian Travel Market I found it was a very organised company. It did a very good follow up and offered good training and the system will be up-and-running soon, which I will trial for six months."

He applauded Illusions for the quick roll out of the solution and concurred with Al Shammari that speed was of the essence given the need to get access to good content and rates for the summer 2011 booking season.

Source: www.traveldailyme.com

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