AMADEUS is to enter the UK leisure
distribution market following its purchase of a £2 million 20% stake in
technology firm Comtec.
The global distribution system supplier plans to sell
traditional package holiday and dynamically packaged breaks alongside its
traditional business travel content on one system.
The GDS supplier has entered into a strategic
partnership with Comtec – which provides software systems for all the big four
vertically integrated travel companies and online agencies Lastminute.com and
Expedia – to produce the system.
Amadeus executive vice-president of commercial David
Jones said parts of the new system should be launched in the second quarter of
this year.
He said there would be a fee for booking through the
system, probably based on the fare.
Amadeus plans to base its new system on its German
company Amadeus Tours, which sells both leisure and business travel. It
acquired the company last February and changed its name from Start Amadeus.
Amadeus is set to announce its 2003 full-year results
later this week.