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eWaterways, the niche and river cruise specialists, and Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, announced that they have entered a new partnership to bring a broad array of worldwide small ship cruising options and booking automation to travel professionals in the U.S. and Canada.
North American users of Amadeus Vacation Link and the Amadeus Selling Platform (via the AgentNet tab) can now search and book online from eWaterways’ over 1,500 itineraries worldwide offered by leading niche cruise companies from river cruises and expedition voyages to sailing adventures and yacht journeys. Amadeus Vacation Link provides free, easy access to unlimited travel content in one point-of-sale leisure booking portal and is available to any travel agent in the U.S. and Canada regardless of their GDS affiliation. The Amadeus Selling Platform is the world’s most used retailing application for travel professionals and connects to the Amadeus GDS.
“We are very excited about this partnership,” said Ted Sykes, newly appointed CEO of eWaterways North America. “We are the first comprehensive niche cruise provider to be featured via Amadeus. As mainstream cruise lines are cutting back on their commissions to agents we look forward to being able to offer travel agents new and interesting products to sell with healthy commissions. The link with Amadeus will also help us to establish the eWaterways brand more effectively across the North American market.”
Sykes said the agreement will draw attention to both companies’ accomplishments within the travel and cruise industry and will provide travel agents with a greater range of travel choices and user-friendly tools and services located in one place. He added that the commissions agents will earn booking eWaterways cruises are highly competitive, although they vary by supplier.
“Delivering broad and relevant travel content to our customers continues to be a priority focus for Amadeus. With small ship cruising continuing to grow in popularity and diversity of choices, eWaterways’ extensive worldwide selection of niche cruising options is a great addition for Amadeus Vacation Link and Amadeus Selling Platform users in our marketplace so they can serve the unique cruising needs of their clients,” said Scott Gutz, President and CEO of Amadeus North America.
eWaterways offers the world’s largest selection of small ship cruises via its online reservation service and has proven to be the preferred choice for those who seek customized, personal cruise experiences on coastal waterways, rivers and canals. Amadeus is a travel technology and distribution provider with the largest network of travel agents around the world and is a long-standing, committed partner to the cruise industry.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
