TDA Face-to-Face: Danny Kondic, Abacus
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TDA Face-to-Face: Danny Kondic, Vice President of Channel Management, Abacus International
1) Abacus Thailand, along with Singapore Airlines, recently held the SIA Travel Fair in Bangkok. How successful was this, what other events do you have planned across the region in 2011?
This is the first fair that Abacus Thailand has organised with Singapore Airlines since the political turmoil started. We had a pretty good turnout for the fair, and both SQ and we were very happy with the results. We have planned a series of promotions, events and road shows across the region. We continuously provide key support to our agents, as seen in the recently concluded NATAS Fair in Singapore and in the upcoming MATTA Fair. The Belait Fair held in Brunei in late February was another important event, organised by Abacus Brunei together with Royal Brunei Airways, whereby attractively priced fares and packages were promoted.
There are more fare promotions coming up in several markets, beginning with South Korea and Indonesia. We are also organising agent forums and seminars throughout this year, a couple of which are happening soon in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
2) Abacus data recently showed that bookings increased 11% in Asia in 2010. What is your forecast for 2011, and which markets do you believe will lead the way?
It will not be as accelerated as in 2010; we expect about a 6% bookings increase for the first half of 2011. Geographic areas that are likely to lead the way include the Indochina region, Indonesia and Central Asia.
3) What solutions is Abacus offering to these regions to support their growth?
We are excited with the possibilities that are open to travel agents and the potential revenue increase that they may gain with Abacus Mobile and Abacus WorkSpace. Also, agents can experience efficiency and productivity gains from Abacus PowerSuite, Asia’s leading front- mid- and back-office solution.
Abacus Mobile is a web-based point-of-sale mobile solution designed for travel consultants, while Abacus WorkSpace is a new desktop designed to optimise agents’ workflow and increase productivity during reservation and ticketing. Abacus PowerSuite helps automate the entire range of travel agency operations.
4) China is the region key growth driver; what plans to you have to develop your presence in this market, and what challenges do you face?
We have been helping the travel industry in China ready itself throughout its market maturation period, and we are pleased to be assisting them to be more efficient in the way they operate to achieve higher productivity gains. We are also working with them to tap on available technology to gain potential revenue and efficiencies in the online and mobile markets. At the same time, we are learning and finding out more about the intricacies within the local travel industry and building our relationships in the market.
5) How is Abacus using social media to help/communicate with your customers, and how does this vary from market to market?
We are using Facebook and Twitter to share what we are doing in the markets. It has been a fantastic experience and journey for us, as we are seeing more traction and engagement from our customers since we started.
At the moment, we are exploring further other opportunities in social media. At the market level, our National Marketing Companies (NMCs) are also starting to use social media channels to stay in touch with our customers. These channels are proving to be very useful as we continue to build on the relationships and share some of the market highlights and updates more quickly and in a fun and engaging way.
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