INTELETRAVEL LAUNCHES OPERATION IN UAE | News
Intele Travel and Tours trading as InteleTravel, the world’s oldest and largest guest travel agency with a growing network of more than 180,000 independent travel advisors worldwide, has launched their UAE branch as part of a historic expansion for the company.
InteleTravel has launched with contracted 34 preferred partners in the UAE, including cruise, tour operators, live events and attractions, which will be supported by a back office of more than 3 million products such as accommodation, air and ancillary products to facilitate dynamic packaging.
The UAE office will be headquartered in Dubai and managed by the UK team, led by Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, Tricia Handley-Hughes. InteleTravel has obtained regulatory permits and a trade license from the UAE and will provide a dedicated customer service team to support on-site advisors as part of InteleTravel’s commitment to maintaining the highest possible industry standards. A new InteleTravel UAE website has been unveiled which features the latest AI technology to deliver advanced tools for advisors to help streamline administrative processes.
Identifying an opportunity in the UAE
With the UAE now home to a significant number of British expats, including a large group of relocated InteleTravel agents, the launch will provide the region’s ambitious and passionate travel advisors with the opportunity to build their own travel businesses led by the world’s largest and most established host agency. The company initially sets its sights on recruiting 1,000 advisors, with strong growth opportunities as well.
InteleTravel will introduce a range of training tools to support the education and growth of their UAE-based advisors, including mandatory travel training to help understand the regulatory framework around selling in the UAE. This is supported by a 90-day onboarding program that provides advisors with all the tools and knowledge to get their travel business up and running. Following the success of the UK Partner Engagement Programme, partners will take part in a wide range of virtual and live events.
James Ferrara, co-founder and CEO of InteleTravel, said ahead of the launch: “The UAE has established itself as one of the world’s most important travel hubs, connecting Europe, Asia, Africa and Australasia through its world-class infrastructure. This is an exciting environment to launch and grow InteleTravel’s global footprint, building on our operations in the UK, Ireland, US, Mexico and the Caribbean. A launch in the region made perfect sense.
“For British expats, it is a particularly attractive place to start a career as a travel consultant due to its international population, strong wanderlust and position at the crossroads of global tourism.”
Tricia Handley-Hughes added: “The exposure of a large British community and English-speaking population, combined with access to fast-growing travel markets in the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa, makes the UAE’s offering incredibly strong.
“This announcement gives us time to get established, train advisors and build close relationships with our new partners ahead of an official launch event in September.”
Supporting the recovery and long-term growth of the UAE travel industry
Recognizing the difficulties the UAE has faced in recent months due to tensions in the Middle East region, Tricia believes there is an opportunity to demonstrate resilience and optimism in supporting the recovery of business and travel: “The UAE’s outbound travel market has historically proven to be remarkably resilient. The easing of travel into the region is already showing encouraging signs of renewed confidence in international travel for leisure, family visits and special experiences.
“Of course, there have been significant challenges this year, but we believe now is the time to breathe optimism and opportunity back into the UAE and show our support for the local community. The overall outlook remains positive, with demand for travel expected to increase. Our launch is part of a long-term growth strategy that will provide unprecedented opportunities for travel advisors in the UAE to build incredible careers and develop as entrepreneurs.”
For more information about InteleTravel in the UAE, visit: www.InteleTravel.ae
