Kerala company set to ‘Uberise’ travel

ITravel enables travel companies to digitally source products and services from all their travel partners

Kerala’s reputation as a leading travel destination is poised to get added glitter, with a leading technology solutions provider from the state that specialises in the travel, transportation and logistics domain poised to launch what the company claims is a trendsetting tech platform.

IBS, a two-decade long player in the transportation and logistics domain and based at the Technopark here, has unveiled iTravel, a digital platform that the company says will revolutionise the way the travel business is operated.

The new platform enables travel companies including airlines, tour operators and hospitality companies to digitally source products and services from all their travel partners, package it, and directly offer them to travellers through a digital device of choice, be it a laptop, smartphone or smart watch.

IBS officials said it will no longer be necessary for travel enterprises to produce and operate all travel products and services that they offer to their customers. Instead, they can smartly aggregate such products and services from whosoever who can produce them and offer to customers.

“In a way, this is akin to Uberising the travel and hospitality sector”, said V.K. Mathews, executive chairman of the IBS group.

Mathews, who had a long stint with the Emirates group before setting up his own software company in the Kerala capital, said iTravel was the result of three years of development work by over 400 dedicated R&D professionals across 10 of the company’s global offices.

He said IBS had already signed contracts worth $40 million (Dh147 million) with some of the leading travel industry players even before the product roll out. iTravel is scheduled to be launched early next year.