Business travel, the simple way

Ritika Sharma / Emirates Business

Global business travel spending which crossed US$1.25 trillion last year is set to increase by 6.5 percent and remain strong through 2019. Growth is projected to increase 6.9 percent in 2016, 6.0 percent in 2017, 6.4 percent in 2018 and 5.8 percent in 2019, according to GBTA Foundation’s BTI Outlook – Annual Global Report & Forecast.
The report mentions that the Middle East, Emerging Europe and Africa region accounted for US$77 billion in business travel spending in 2014 and that buoyed by economic growth in the region, it is expected to grow. Business travel spending in the Middle East remains high and UAE plays an unquestionably important role.
Given the forecasts, that predicts a positive picture for business travel, UAE based companies are offering tailor-made visa services to simplify business travel, as the segment looks at significant growth in coming years.
Keeping this in mind, in one of the important business deals for Middle East and UAE, Vasco Worldwide, an avant-garde travel service enterprise, has signed a strategic agreement with Kanoo Travel, the largest travel company in the Middle East, to provide Visa Concierge Services to corporate customers.
The new partnership is aimed at simplifying the visa application process for travellers while creating convenience and improving efficiency. As part of the agreement, Kanoo Travel will promote and sell the service to its network of customers.
Shankear Kannaiyan, senior vice president, operations, Vasco Worldwide, told Emirates Business, “We provide comprehensive visa services, ensuring travelers a hassle-free travel experience. The visa concierge services are available to customers travelling outbound from the UAE to 27 destinations worldwide. These are aimed at making travel management easier for those who don’t have time or simply find it too complicated to apply for visas”.
The said visa concierge services include application support, document collection, verification, appointment scheduling, visa status update and the final courier delivery of passport. The post services include a dedicated helpline which can be used for any concerns after visa issuance.
The visa concierge service undertakes processing requests for a total of 27 countries across the world.
Commenting on the partnership with Kanoo Travel, Shankear further said, “We are glad to partner with Kanoo Travel, that is the region’s pioneering travel management company, and are confident our expertise in the sector will add tremendous value to its product portfolio while creating new business opportunities.”