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Orchestra and Sabre Strengthen Airline Distribution Partnership

October 10, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Orchestra et Sabre ont renforcé leur partenariat sur la distribution aérienne - Depositphotos.com @peshkova

Aer Lingus

Orchestra, the B2B technology platform of the Travelsoft group, and Sabre Corporation strengthened their partnership on the occasion of IFTM 2026.

This development aimed to broaden Orchestra’s air distribution capabilities and to bring more flexibility to travel professionals in managing their content and bookings.

Through the integration of Sabre within Orchestra and the Travelsoft Transport Hub, professionals could access different types of air content via a unified API.

The solution aggregated offers from traditional carriers via EDIFACT, those from low-cost carriers (LCC), and content using the NDC standard.

Distribution parameters could also be adapted to the business models and commercial strategies of each actor.

Automated After-Sales Management

One of the main benefits announced concerned after-sales management. The solution notably enabled automating certain operations related to modifications, cancellations, and exchanges of air bookings.

This automation was intended to allow agency and tour-operator teams to reduce the time spent processing cases and to gain operational efficiency.

Sabre also highlighted its Multi-tickets feature, designed to facilitate the construction of itineraries that combine multiple tickets.

The contents and features stemming from this collaboration were notably accessible within Orchestra and Travel Compositor, strengthening their integration into the Travelsoft ecosystem.

Published by Amelia Brille TourMaG.com Editor
See all articles by Amelia Brille

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CFC Cruises Rebrands as Ambassador Cruises: A New Identity to Strengthen Its Ambition in the French Market

September 27, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

What stays the same: the Francophone experience aboard Renaissance

Renaissance sous les couleurs d’Ambassador Croisières. © Andy Humbert

Climats du Monde

It is perhaps the essential takeaway: becoming Ambassador Croisières does not mean giving up what defines the identity of Compagnie Française de Croisières.

French‑speaking guests will again encounter aboard Renaissance its distinctive atmosphere, its traditional décor, a warm, convivial ambience, and the high standard of the cuisine and the crew’s service. The company will also continue to offer a cruising approach that is distinct from the largest ships, leaning more toward destination discovery, the quality of calls at ports that are sometimes out of reach for the biggest vessels, and the pleasure of taking one’s time, all within a Francophone setting.

Ambassador Croisières will maintain its European North and Mediterranean itineraries, exclusively departing from the French ports of Dunkerque and Marseille, allowing travelers to reach Renaissance without necessarily flying before the start of their cruise. Winter Caribbean sailings designed for an international clientele, offered aboard Renaissance from Pointe‑à‑Pitre since 2025, remain on the programme for upcoming seasons as well.

2028: an expanded lineup and new destinations

Another important development: the new itineraries for 2028 will soon be available for sale. This refreshed schedule aims to preserve the carrier’s DNA by continuing to visit its flagship destinations: Norway, Iceland, the Baltic, as well as Greece, the Adriatic, Spain, and the Caribbean, while introducing several new options and particularly appealing itineraries.

Among the highlights announced, Egypt will join the program with a 14-night cruise from May 28 to June 11, 2028, including notably a two-day stop in Alexandria to explore the legendary pyramids of Giza.

Ireland will make a strong comeback with an itinerary from July 16 to 24, 2028 that blends British and Irish coasts and offers the chance to visit Cork, Dublin, Liverpool and the Isles of Scilly.

Finally, from September 28 to October 4, 2028, travelers will be able to explore the south of Norway, with its iconic capital Oslo and the northern Denmark region in just six nights.

With this 2028 schedule, Ambassador Croisières intends to continue a strategy that combines enduring classics—those that helped drive CFC’s success—with new propositions, featuring itineraries crafted to emphasize the richness of the ports of call and the discovery of destinations.

New tools for travel professionals

Along with this new brand, the entire ecosystem aimed at travel professionals is evolving as well. To assist travel agencies in discovering and promoting the offer, new tools and sales materials will be rolled out progressively.

The 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 seasons will notably benefit from new brochures, crafted in an elegant Italianate format, more immersive and richly illustrated. Intended as true invitations to travel, they will let readers dive into the Renaissance experience both on board and at the proposed destinations, while equipping advisors with the essential keys to present the offer to their clients.

This new identity will also be accompanied by a range of point-of-sale materials designed for shop floors: small countertop stands, easy to set up, and a large-format Tribeca-style totem to boost the brand’s visibility within agencies.

Through these new aids, Ambassador Croisières seeks to empower professionals to better promote the brand, enhance its positioning, and ignite the desire to travel. This approach reflects the company’s commitment to strengthening its ties with French and Francophone distribution networks and to making travel agencies a key partner in its growth.

A new identity, the same commitment

With this new identity unveiled at the IFTM trade show in Paris, Ambassador Croisières opens a fresh chapter of its development in France, built on the foundations laid by CFC Croisières and reinforced by the strength of an international group. This evolution clearly signals an ambition: to offer Francophone travelers an ever richer and more distinctive cruising experience, while strengthening closeness with its sales partners. Stay tuned over the coming weeks to discover the new 2028 lineup and the many innovations that will enrich Ambassador Croisières’ offering.

“This evolution is fully in line with CFC’s continuity, at sea as on land, with the same ambition and the same teams to carry it forward. The name change to Ambassador Croisières does not compromise our presence in France: our French office remains at the heart of our development and our teams continue to support our passengers, our partners and our agencies daily. We preserve what defines our identity and uniqueness, while benefiting from the group’s strength to sustain growth and open new opportunities. It is a new chapter in our history, but above all a step forward that lets us face the future with confidence.” — Maëlysse Pierrot-Guibourt, President of Ambassador Croisières.

Contact Ambassador Croisières

CFC Croisières devient Ambassador Croisières : une nouvelle identité pour une ambition renforcée sur le marché français

Information and reservations at 04 84 89 02 90 and on www.ambassadorcroisieres.fr

WeTravel Acquires Tourwriter to Strengthen Its Bespoke Travel Offering

September 7, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

WeTravel annonce l’acquisition de Tourwriter - Depositphotos.com @pressmaster

Hurtigruten

WeTravel continues to develop in the high-end multi-day travel segment.

The American company announced, Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the acquisition of Tourwriter, a New Zealand-based company specializing in software for designers of customized travel and for incoming agencies (DMC).

The financial terms of the operation were not disclosed. This marks WeTravel’s first acquisition since its $92 million Series C funding in 2025, raised notably from Sapphire Ventures, Left Lane, Base10 and Cross Creek.

With this deal, WeTravel aims to strengthen its presence in the most complex and valued segment of the travel experiences market, which the company estimates at $271 billion.

Two complementary areas of expertise in bespoke travel

Founded in 2003, Tourwriter brings 23 years of expertise in developing software for professionals in the bespoke travel sector. Its platform today supports operators specializing in personalized experiences in 35 countries.

The company has notably developed features dedicated to itinerary creation, supplier management and their pricing, price and margin calculations, commissions, bookings, invoicing, accounting and data analytics.

According to WeTravel, Tourwriter generated more than one billion dollars of itinerary sales over the last two years.

On its side, WeTravel counts more than 10 000 travel businesses and more than 8 000 partners using its platform worldwide. Its system covers notably itinerary creation, online booking, task management, multi-currency payments, deposits and payment schedules, as well as the management and payment of suppliers.

The company has also recently launched WeTravel virtual and physical cards, available in more than 40 countries.

Growing demand for personalized travel

The acquisition comes as WeTravel observes a rise in demand for bespoke and luxury travel.

According to its Annual Trends Report 2026, based on more than one million bookings made on its platform and responses from thousands of professionals, 56% of operators consulted noted increased interest in high-end personalized travel bookings in 2025, compared with the previous year.

WeTravel’s booking data also show an acceleration in 2026. In the first half, bookings by organizers specializing in bespoke and luxury travel rose 16% year over year, while their dollar volume grew by 31%.

This growth, however, comes with increasing operational complexity. Each trip is built individually, meaning professionals must simultaneously manage supplier pricing, currencies, commissions, taxes, deposits and settlements with multiple providers.

Part of these operations still relies on a combination of specialized software, spreadsheets and banking tools, with manual re-entries between the different steps.

Platforms that will remain separate

In the initial phase, Tourwriter and WeTravel will continue to operate as two distinct platforms. WeTravel plans, however, to invest in the development of the Tourwriter product, notably by providing its international payment infrastructure and its AI tools.

“We are thrilled to partner with Glenn and invest in the Tourwriter platform“, explains Ted Clements, CEO of WeTravel. The stated objective is to progressively integrate international payment solutions and the AI tools developed by WeTravel.

For Glenn Campbell, CEO and cofounder of Tourwriter, this operation opens “a new chapter” for the company, while maintaining its goal of helping luxury travel professionals improve profitability and client service.

No immediate changes for Tourwriter clients

WeTravel notes that current Tourwriter clients will keep the same product, the same teams, the same pricing and the same support.

In the coming months, they should progressively gain access to new international payment services and AI features developed by WeTravel.

Glenn Campbell will continue to lead Tourwriter. The team, consisting of about 30 employees spread across New Zealand, London and other regions worldwide, will join WeTravel’s international organization, which counts over 400 employees and has offices in Australia, Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, and the United States.

SAP Concur and Amex GBT Strengthen Their Unified Travel and Expense Platform

July 17, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

SAP Concur et Amex GBT renforcent leur plateforme unifiée voyage et dépenses - Depositphotos.com Auteur AllaSerebrina

IFTM TourMaG Party

On the occasion of the SAP Concur Fusion 2026 event, SAP Concur and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) announced new advances around Complete, their joint travel and expense management solution.

Objective: accelerate the integration of traveler and financial journeys through artificial intelligence and an enriched content offering.

Launched in October 2025 within a strategic alliance between the two groups, Complete aims to combine booking, services, payments and expense management within a single experience.

An AI connected to travel advisors

Since then, its adoption has accelerated, driven by enterprises’ demand for a smoother and smarter travel experience, according to the release.

Among the main evolutions announced, the solution now integrates a conversational platform connected to Joule, SAP’s agentic AI.

This platform is able to accompany the traveler throughout their trip, with a particular feature: an automatic transfer to an Amex GBT human travel advisor when the situation warrants, without the traveler having to switch interfaces.

The full integration of Joule is expected in the second quarter of 2026.

Expanded access to transport contents

Complete also gains a new interface dedicated to travel managers. This homepage centralizes data, management tools, approvals and duty-of-care information.

Presented as a single entry point, it should enable monitoring programs, accessing reports and anticipating budget overruns, with analytical capabilities set to be strengthened in future versions.

Another major evolution: the complete integration of the Amex GBT marketplace, giving access to more than 600 airlines and 2 million properties, as well as content from Booking.com, Expedia, NDC and GDS.

The platform also opens to more than 80 rail operators.

The two partners also announce working on a unified NDC implementation to ensure consistent and predictable access to direct airfares.

Towards full automation of expense reports

Building on the 2025 announcements, the integration between Concur Expense and Amex GBT Egencia is being realized. Reservations made via Egencia now automatically feed expense reports with prefilled data.

« Employees no longer have to re-enter their travel details, and finance teams benefit from more reliable data », states the release. This feature is slated for rollout in April 2026 after a pilot phase.

Finally, SAP Concur and Amex GBT are launching a program dedicated to business travel management (TMCs), with two levels of certification: Gold and Silver.

Minor Hotel Group to Strengthen Ties with Travel Agencies

July 8, 2026 by Amara Nambinga

Le programme Minor PRO Agencies est dédié aux professionnels @Minor hotels

IFTM

The Minor hotel group aims to strengthen its ties with the B2B distribution sector.

To this end, it has launched the Minor PRO Agencies program, a new digital initiative aimed at travel agencies wishing to collaborate with Minor Hotels through a flexible, fully digital solution integrated into Minor PRO, its professional services platform.

The main advantage of this program lies in an evolving commission structure designed “to directly improve agencies’ profitability as they grow their production via minor-pro.com”.

The program comprises four levels: Explorer, Champion, Icon and Legend, offering increasing benefits according to production volume.

Beyond the enhanced commission opportunities, the program relies on a platform with a simplified interface and booking process, real-time availability, and flexible payment options, in order “to offer a modern experience tailored to the needs of independent agencies,” according to a press release.

Des avantages pour les clients mais aussi pour les agents …

Members also benefit from additional advantages, including faster commission payments, access to all public rates and promotions, and the full range of available room categories.

The program also includes benefits dedicated to the agents themselves, such as up to 50% off their personal stays via a special rate, as well as exclusive member-only promotions.

Agents also enjoy privileged access to Minor DISCOVERY rates (Minor Hotels’ loyalty program), allowing end clients to accumulate DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), thereby strengthening the combined value proposition of distribution and loyalty.

Registration for the Minor PRO Agencies program is free and can be completed in a few minutes on minor-pro.com. The program is accessible to agencies booking for their clients as well as to agents’ personal travel.

… et sa marque Anantara fête 25 ans de luxe experientiel

Anantara Hotels & Resorts célèbre son 25e anniversaire - Anantara

The launch of this new tool aligns with the evolution of Minor Hotels (640 Hotels, Resorts and branded residences in 66 countries), which now positions itself as a brand with a B2C and B2B approach, backed by 40 years of experience and numerous hotel brands among which Anantara.

Just recently, Anantara Hotels & Resorts is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the launch of a global campaign titled “25 Years of Unforgettable Journeys.”

In a quarter of a century, this brand has progressed from a single resort in Thailand to an international portfolio of more than 50 hotels and resorts spread across 24 countries.

Anantara Hotels & Resorts was founded in 2001 by William Heinecke, founder and chairman of Minor International, the parent company of Minor Hotels.

Its aim was to create a brand inviting cultural discovery through design inspired by local know-how, cuisine anchored in each destination, and distinctive experiences.

The name Anantara, derived from Sanskrit and meaning “endless,” is intended to evoke discovery, openness to new horizons, and the celebration of travel as a way of life.

Publié par Paula Boyer Head of LuxuryTravelMaG – TourMaG.com
Voir tous les articles de Paula Boyer

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