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Despite Q3 decline, Travelport sees continued strengthening

November 06, 2009 | Online Travel

Travel technology and global distribution firm Travelport reported that global segments were down nearly 5 percent for the third quarter, but said it reached positive territory in the past month.

“We’ve seen a bit of a continued strengthening,” said Travelport CEO Jeff Clarke, noting that for October and the first four days of November, global segments were up by 3 percent, though trends varied greatly by region and business sector.

Regionally, Clarke said segments in the past month in the Americas were up about 6 percent, with European segments up 3 percent and Asia/Pacific up 11 percent. “Where we’re continuing to see a decline, not because of the market but because of the strategy that we have, is in the Middle East, where we’re down about 20 percent,” Clarke said. Travelport last year shifted its Middle East strategy to favor more direct relationships with travel agencies (BTNonline, Sept. 22).

Clarke said online travel agency segments continue to drive its overall growth and registered a 24 percent increase in October, while the corporate segment continues to lag, as it was down by low single-digit percentages.

Get the full story at BTNonline

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