"Everything from coach tours to hotel accommodation will be bookable," says Sue Garrett, general manager of marketing and product at the Flight Centre Travel Group, who is spearheading the project team.
In conjunction with FCTG UK, FCTG South Africa is the second market to roll out the new technology, following the UK, says Garrett.
FCTG travel experts will be the first to benefit from the tool’s abilities early next year, after which it will be rolled out to online travel customers through the Flight Centre website and mobile app.
"The first phase will give our travel experts a single platform to access a wide range of bookable product to offer their customers. As they won’t have to navigate between multiple platforms to find the best rates, they’ll save valuable time, leading to increased productivity and allowing them to offer a better service to their customers."
"The second phase will be rolled out on our consumer-facing channels and will allow the South African traveller to access and book this live inventory on the Flight Centre website and app," says Garrett.
"Customers will benefit from having direct availability of the best prices from the widest choice of product with easy payment options. They’ll be able to bundle dynamic packages (airfares, accommodation, transfers and more) or book just one night’s hotel accommodation."
Working on the new project is Prashanta Papia, project manager; Danielle Baldwin, finance lead; Rhine Pabale, finance operations; Kavita Pranjivan, operations lead; and Jenna Jewell, subject-matter expert – backend.
