PKFARE flies with Starlings. QR payments big in SE Asia. Traveloka teams with TAT. More.

PKFARE flies with Starlings

PKFARE has entered Latin America in a partnership with Starlings, an integrator in the region known for its technological solutions in the travel industry.

The collaboration aims to enhance access to PKFARE’s global flight inventory, comprising over 600 airlines across more than 100 countries and regions, for travel agencies throughout Latin America.

PKFARE will extend its reach to Starlings’ clientele, including leisure travel agencies, corporates, OTAs, consolidators, and global tour operators.

Starlings’ customers should benefit from PKFARE’s competitive flight contents from Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and the Middle East, accessible via Starlings’ agent front or API at no extra tech costs.

 

Cracking the code across SE Asia

Making payments through scanning QR codes with smartphones is expanding rapidly in South-east Asia, with the trend strongest in Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The move to QR payments has been driven by low bank account ownership levels, scarce ATM networks in rural areas and the arrival of low-priced smartphones.

The trend has spread thanks partly to the introduction of tourist services and cross-border links, Nikkei Asia reports.

QR code payments in Vietnam saw a 172% increase in 2023, as cashless transactions hit 11 billion, a 50% lift over the previous year.

Mobile payments dominated with 7 billion transactions. The total value of cashless payments reached VND200,000 trillion (US$8.12 trillion). The number of card acceptance points grew to 1.8 million, with QR code adoption expanding quickly.

Top financial officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations met recently in Luang Prabang to promote the expansion of cross-border QR payments through compatible platforms.

Traveloka’s Amazing campaign

Travel platform Traveloka has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in the ‘Amazing Thailand Deals’ campaign.

As part of the promotion, Traveloka customers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore can access deals on thousands of accommodations across Thailand. The campaign also encourages travellers to explore Thailand’s lesser-known destinations.

The offers are available until 30 September 2024, with a stay period valid through 31 October 2024.

With Thailand welcoming more than 17.5 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2024—a 35% increase from last year—the country is on track to reach its target of 36.7 million arrivals by the end of the year.

Indigo and Amadeus go live together

India’s low-cost airline, IndiGo, has sealed an agreement with Amadeus to provide travel sellers with access to the airline’s NDC content via the Amadeus Travel Platform. Indigo is already live with NDC booking and servicing in UAE and Singapore, with other markets to follow.

The airline says it will carry more than 110 million passengers in 2024 and has growth ambitions backed by one of the largest aircraft order books in the industry.

Amadeus claims 96% global market coverage of NDC-ready travel sellers worldwide.

Beware the beerfest scammers

Heading for Germany’s annual extravaganza of beer and Bavarian food? Beware, scammers are out and about according to the Truely Travel e-Sim team.

Entrance to the Oktoberfest and its beer tents is free, yet ounterfeit tickets are being sold on the web.

With more than six million attendees flocking to the world’s largest beer festival each year, scams are on the rise, warns Alexandra Bowman, a Truely Travel eSIM travel consultant specialising in German festivities.

Her advice> Don’t buy tickets, ignore online sales, and only trust official Oktoberfest website sources.

A robot at reception

Finally, the Furama-Ariyana Danang International tourism complex in central Vietnam is investing in a US$15,000 robot to welcome and assist guests.

We can’t tell you much more, only that the hotel’s general manger is called Andre Pierre, we are yet to hear the name of the robot.

Roaming Romeo, perhaps?