Josep Bellés, CEO of Beroni Informática, gave an interview to*La Gaceta del Turismo*, a publication specializing in tourism and travel agencies.
Josep reviewed Beroni's history in the industry since its founding in 1987, making special mention of the successful Wasabi-s platform, launched in 2007, which has long been the leading online distribution and booking platform for travel agents.
In addition, in this interview we’ll find out what exciting new developments Beroni has in store for the coming months.
Below is the full interview, along with a link to the interview on the La Gaceta del Turismo website:
"In January, we will launch a new booking engine for activities around the world"
Beroni’s major initiative was the creation and development of the Wasabi-s platform in 2007. After 12 years and more than two million euros in investment, it continues to maintain its leadership as an online distribution and booking platform for travel agents. “Wasabi-s has managed to transform the role of the travel agent, making them more competitive by providing access to multiple offerings from each supplier and enabling bookings through a multi-channel, multi-GDS platform, while always adhering to the agency’s commercial agreements with each supplier,” notes Josep Bellés, CEO of Beroni.
When was Beroni founded, and how has the company evolved to the present day?
Beroni has been a technology partner specializing in travel agencies since 1987, the year I founded the company in Barcelona. Beroni began by customizing its software to meet the specific needs of travel agencies, ticket issuers, tour operators, local tour operators, and conference organizers. Our headquarters are currently located in Balaguer, in the province of Lleida, where we have a team of 30 employees.
Which of your services are most in demand among agencies?
Our services focus on providing technology solutions designed to offer a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to the operations of outbound travel agencies, covering both leisure and business travel. We automate the management of bookings, customers, sales opportunities (CRM), and customer billing through our award-winning front-office software. Together with Retailer and Beconta—software designed to automate administrative, accounting, tax, and management functions—we provide the management team with optimal business analysis to ensure sound decision-making.
In addition to this, in 2007 Beroni’s major initiative was the creation and development of the Wasabi-s platform. After 12 years and more than €2,000,000 in investment, it continues to maintain its leadership as the only online distribution and booking platform in the SUITE channel: a tool for travel agents. It has helped transform the role of the travel agent, making them more competitive and providing access to a wide range of content from each supplier, with the ability to book through a multi-channel, multi-GDS platform, while always adhering to the agency’s commercial agreements with each supplier: Hotels, Flights, Trains, Flight+Hotel, Insurance, and Tours.
More than 1,300 travel agencies and 7 purchasing groups in the Spanish and Portuguese markets attest to the benefits Wasabi-s brings to the travel agency business, supporting the digital transformation that every business requires and offering the flexibility of technology fully tailored to every need.
Expanding its services to include online sales to consumers (B2C) and highlighting the new self-booking tool for business travel, which was enhanced in 2019 with a new look and feel, as well as new features for traveler geolocation and BI analytics. This year also saw the launch of the new tour engine, giving travel agents real-time access to more than 500 local operators and over 3,000 itineraries.
Are there plans to add new features and improvements to Wasabi-s in the near future?
Yes, Beroni is constantly improving this platform, and next January we will launch a new activity booking engine. The travel agency enhances its competitiveness by allowing travelers to round out their trips with activities at their destination, and with this new global activity booking engine, agents will be able to do so in real time.
We also plan to add new integrations with vacation package providers.
Wasabi-s by the Numbers 2018:
+ €70,000,000 in sales
3,000,000 availability checks
150,000 reservations made
+ 1,300 connected travel agencies
Over 7,000 travel agents booking
140% growth compared to 2017
70 integrated suppliers
