Amadeus, the global travel technology leader, has announced its full-fledged commitment to establishing Thailand as a key strategic market in the Asian region. The company also revealed its 2024 Research and Development (R&D) investment of over €1.3 billion and total revenue of €6.1 billion, underscoring its strength and vision to be more than just a GDS. With comprehensive technology solutions covering all dimensions of the travel and hospitality industry – from inspiration to post-trip experiences – Amadeus aims to drive sustainable growth through innovation, collaboration, and data-driven insights.
Bangkok, Thailand – In today’s world, where technology plays a crucial role in every industry, the tourism and hospitality sector is similarly undergoing significant transformation. Amadeus, as a major player and global leader in travel technology, with over 130 offices and a team of more than 20,000 professionals serving customers in over 190 countries and markets worldwide, has clearly positioned itself as a key driver for this industry’s advancement. This is particularly true in the Asian region, considered a high-potential growth market, with Thailand being one of the primary focuses for Amadeus’s ongoing investment and development.
Amadeus positions itself as the center (as depicted in its travel ecosystem overview) connecting “Travel Providers”—including hotels, airlines, airports, railways, car rentals, tour operators, cruises, insurance, ground handlers, and destinations—with “Travel Sellers” like travel agencies, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), metasearch engines, and corporate booking tools, with “Buyers,” i.e., corporations and travelers, at the heart of this ecosystem.
Mr. Edward Wright, CMP, Regional Vice President, Asia at Amadeus, who has extensive experience in the Asian hospitality and tourism industry for nearly a decade, provided an insightful overview of Amadeus’s operations and future direction. He emphasized that today’s Amadeus has evolved far beyond being merely a Global Distribution System (GDS) provider. “Most people know us as a GDS, which, of course, we are.
We are one of the three major GDSs, but over the last 30 years, we have grown to become one of the largest travel technology companies in the world,” Wright stated. This clearly reflects Amadeus’s evolution and business expansion from its origins in the airline industry to a comprehensive technology provider connecting all segments of the travel ecosystem, processing over 470 million GDS air bookings annually and serving over 2.2 billion passengers per year through its various systems.
Asia and Thailand: Core to the Growth Strategy
Mr. Wright, who grew up in Penang and has a deep connection to Southeast Asia, sees immense potential in the region. “This is a beautiful part of the world, and as we know, this region is of great interest, not only for the hotel business but also for Amadeus,” he said, reiterating, “Thailand is a key focus for us.” This emphasis on Thailand is not just rhetoric but is reflected in investments to build a local team that understands the Thai language and culture, supported by a global hospitality team of over 3,000 experts.
They also have support, implementation, and consulting teams ready to serve local partners, from major global hotel chains like Hilton, Accor, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG, and Wyndham (part of Amadeus’s 50,000+ hotel IT customers and over 1 million hotels distributing via Amadeus GDS) to mid-sized groups, independents like Taj Hotels, Four Seasons, Dorchester Collection, and rapidly growing boutique and budget hotel operators such as Hop Inn and B2. Supporting these local partners is a key strategy for market penetration and robust growth in Thailand.
Powering the Entire “Traveller Journey” with the Largest Portfolio
The core of Amadeus’s solutions is to address the “Traveller Journey” at every stage, through the largest hospitality and tourism portfolio, divided into four main areas:
- Business Intelligence: Unlocking forward-looking insights for sharper decision-making, such as analyzing hotel and air trends & performance, travel search data, and traveler demographics.
- Media & Marketing: Engaging the most profitable audiences through Digital Media, leveraging Global Distribution System Media, Metasearch, Search Engine Optimization and website development, as well as Guest Management & Loyalty. Amadeus’s rapidly growing “Amadeus Media” service helps hotel clients position themselves effectively in the right channels to accurately reach target source markets, through partnerships with giants like Google and Meta, coupled with market intelligence.
- Hotel Technology: Boosting efficiency and effectiveness in hotel operations with Reservation & Booking Engines, Channel Distribution management, Sales & Catering solutions like Delphi (built on Salesforce and a standard for leading hotel chains), Operations management tools like HotSOS, Housekeeping management, and Payments systems.
- Distribution Services: Empowering reach to a broad customer base, covering hotel and car bookings, transfers, and travel protection.
Especially in the post-COVID-19 era, where hotels face challenges of doing more with limited resources, technology has become a critical tool for driving innovation, increasing efficiency, maximizing bookings, and enabling upselling throughout the booking cycle. Mr. Wright concluded, “Looking at the entire cycle, we truly power the entire end-to-end journey.”
Innovations in Central Reservation Systems (CRS) and Attribute-Based Selling
One of Amadeus’s standout innovations is its new generation Central Reservation System (CRS), which genuinely meets the needs of the hotel industry with ultra-high availability and scalability. IHG (InterContinental Hotel Group) was the first partner to adopt this system, followed by Marriott, which will begin implementation this year, and Accor, starting next year. Amadeus is also in discussions with other key customers in the region. A key feature of this new CRS is “Attribute-Based Selling,” revolutionizing traditional room sales methods.
Technology for Airlines, Airports, and the Broader Travel Ecosystem
Beyond the hotel sector, Amadeus remains a leader in the airline industry, serving over 400 airlines worldwide (updated figure) and 185 airport operators. It has also expanded its services to over 25 rail operators, 30 cruise and ferry lines, 81 mobility providers, 22 insurance provider groups, and 73 Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), demonstrating its comprehensive coverage across all travel dimensions.
Investment in R&D, Diversity, and the Power of Partnerships
Amadeus’s success and growth are not accidental but result from continuous investment in Research and Development (R&D). In 2024, Amadeus invested over €1.3 billion in R&D, making it the 5th largest R&D investor in the European software industry. “We invest a huge amount of money year on year to ensure our technology is at the forefront of innovation,” said Mr. Wright. The company also places great importance on diversity, having been listed in the Financial Times’ list of Diversity Leaders for the 6th consecutive year.
Another critical factor is the “power of partnerships.” Amadeus has over 1,300 connected partners (including more than 1,300 hospitality partnerships) and collaborates with major strategic technology partners like Microsoft, Salesforce, Google, and Expedia. “We firmly believe that partnerships are the way forward. You can’t win on your own,” Mr. Wright emphasized.
The Future of Travel: Driven by Technology and Sustainability
Mr. Edward Wright concluded by reiterating that every time people make a booking, travel through an airport, or check into a hotel, there’s a very high likelihood they have interacted with Amadeus systems. This is a testament to the company’s crucial role in powering the global travel industry. With total revenue of €6.1 billion, Amadeus demonstrates the financial strength to continuously invest in and develop innovation.
The commitment to Thailand and ongoing investment in the Asian region reflect Amadeus’s confidence in this market’s growth potential and its dedication to helping elevate the tourism and hospitality industries in Thailand and Asia to global standards. With cutting-edge technology, comprehensive solutions, and strong collaborations, Amadeus is poised to be a key driving force towards a smarter, smoother, and more sustainable future for travel.
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