Travelport launches new Covid-19 smartpoint plugin initiative

The plugin is the latest Travelport initiative to arm travel agents with the safety information they need and to support a safe, healthy, and responsible return to travel.

Kyle Moore, global head of customer strategy and marketing, Travelport, said: "The travel ecosystem today is probably the most complex it has ever been, with government, airline, and hotel policies in every country constantly-changing.

"We’re making sure our agent partners no longer need to constantly leave their workflow to search for accurate and up-to-date information – greatly improving their efficiency in servicing their traveller customers."

The information in the Covid-19 Smartpoint Plugin is provided by global travel safety intelligence provider, Safeture, and is updated daily. "Our collaboration with Travelport will provide millions of travelers with the information they need to make informed decisions. With travel showing signs of a long-awaited recovery, creating this sense of security will be key to the reopening of economies and societies," commented Magnus Hultman, chief executive officer of Safeture.

"Working with the plugin will allow our consultants to advise our customers with up-to-date destination information regarding this pandemic straight from the Smartpoint desktop. Travelport has turned this around quickly. It is great to know they are listening to the needs of the industry and are prepared to supply new leading-edge tools that can help aid recovery," said Colin Boddy, group commercial director, Meon Valley Travel Group.

"With the Travelport Covid-19 smartpoint plugin, we can provide reliable information to clients on the destinations they’re planning to travel to or through, without leaving the workflow. In this way, we’re able to continue providing a top-class service to clients who can confidently make travel choices and book flights," commented Scott Pawley, managing director, Global Travel Management.

• Created the travel technology industry’s first Covid-19 Resource Hub; compiling information such travel supplier policy trackers, relevant news, and guides. To date, the company has registered more than 80,000 visits to the hub.

• Contributed to the formation of various World Travel and Tourism Council protocols aimed at supporting a strong industry recovery.

• Helped airlines to use the its rich content and branding merchandising solution to communicate safety information to travel agents.

• Worked with hotel groups to utilise descriptive space on the GDS screens to communicate safety information.

The plugin is available free-of-charge to all Travelport customers globally, using Travelport Smartpoint 8.2 or above, and can be downloaded directly from its marketplace.