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The OpenTravel™ Alliance Announces a Global Partnership
March 14, 2006
March 14, 2006 – WASHINGTON, DC and MADRID, SPAIN - The OpenTravel™Alliance (OTA), the travel industry’s leading specifications publication organization and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) have joined together to strengthen the common language for electronic travel interactions around the world.
Mr. John Turato, Chairman of the OTA and VP of Cendant Car Rental Group said “OTA’s partnership with the UNWTO will support and extend the global adoption of OTA specifications, facilitating the speed of ICT expansion”. He added the partners would cooperate to develop support material for the standards for a worldwide audience to encourage their spread. “Our membership outside North America is growing, and partnering with UNWTO will allow us to meet the expectations of the worldwide tourism industry.”
UNWTO will provide a global forum for adoption of OTA specifications and the OTA will act as the technical arm of the UNWTO in the area of travel related technology and specifications. Together they will seek to involve an increasing number of stakeholders and to extend the scope of existing XML standards.
The OTA and UNWTO will act as stewards of unified global travel specifications, under WTO’s UN structural umbrella and will strive to create an environment that will be inclusive of other standards bodies and tourism organizations
When signing the Memorandum of Understanding, Mr. Francesco Frangialli, Secretary General of UNWTO said that “Our two organizations share a common view that open global travel standards are beneficial to the world economy, will aid in the reduction of the “digital divide” for the poorest countries and enhance prospects for development of tourism worldwide. We also share a belief that by uniting our efforts we will send a signal of public, private sector collaboration that others will embrace.”
Recent OTA Activities
In December 2005, the OTA published its 2005B specifications, including messages for hotel group request and response messages, for the physical exchange of a vehicle without having to close the current rental agreement, for various components of the cruise booking cycle, including cabin availability, hold and un-hold messages, category availability, fare availability and sail availability messages, and create booking and price booking messages.
Current and Upcoming OpenTravel™Alliance Activities
The member review period has begun for the 2006A specification. The schemas are available at the OTA Member Site. Public review of the specification will begin on April 10.
The 2006 Advisory Forum will be held April 25-26, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, California. For more information, visit www.opentravel.org.
The OpenTravel™Alliance Mission
The OpenTravel™ Alliance is passionate about solving the problems inherent with connecting multiple systems within the complex travel distribution arena.
The OTA's mission is to engineer specifications that make data transmission flow smoothly throughout travel, tourism and hospitality. The OTA creates, expands and drives adoption of open universal data specifications, including but not limited to the use of XML, for the electronic exchange of business information among all sectors of the travel industry. With a diversified membership representing influential names in all sectors of the travel industry, OTA is comprised of representatives from the airlines, car rental firms, hotels, cruise lines, leisure suppliers, service providers, tour operators, travel agencies, and trade associations. OTA working groups develop open internet-compatible messages, which are currently in use by companies across the travel spectrum. For more information, visit www.opentravel.org.
OpenTravel™ Alliance
Ms. Valyn Perini
Executive Director
P: +1 617 542 1516
E: mailto:valyn.perini@opentravel.org
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