April 14- Travelport, a global distribution system (GDS) provider, has announced the launch of Travelport Opinions, an online networking tool for the travel agent community in the Middle East. The networking site has been developed in collaboration with travel technology software provider Vinivi.
The launch follows close on the heels of the launch of a similar website for UK and Ireland in March and in France in June 2009.
The idea is to connect travel professionals to one another where they can share and exchange information and experience. Using the tool, agents are able to both create and search hotel reviews, pose questions to destination experts and access a wealth of hotel related media, including over 110 000 photos and 2500 videos. Speaking on the eve of the launch, Rabih Saab, Travelport GDS' Vice President for the Middle East, said: "Travelport Opinions allows agents to harness the travel community's expertise, enriching travel knowledge, enhancing customer satisfaction and ultimately increasing sales. So far agents using the site have said that Travelport Opinions is a trusted resource where they can rely on the expertise from like-minded agents, post travel experiences and where hotel reviews are likely to be more trustworthy."
Travelport Opinions is accessed through peer invitations and for a limited time agents can sign up on the following link: www.travelportopinions.com/pr.