Charlotte and Anna in Discussion about digital transformation, friction-less travel and technology’s power to ensure consumer confidence when travel picks up again

In this interview we hear from Anna Kofoed, SVP Retail, Northern, Eastern, Central & Southern Europe at Amadeus.

Anna Kofoed heads up the business which serves the tech needs of travel agencies and OTA’s both in business and leisure.

Digital transformation was already on the radar of Amadeus but the road map has changed over the past year. COVID has accelerated all efforts. Both consumers and travellers are expecting much more digitalisation in the future. When looking at travel agencies, new tools have been introduced, from online communication tools to chatbots and Amadeus ensures their platform can provide all the offers, be it hotel, car rental etc that agencies want to sell at various interphases to serve the travellers better.

Frictionless travel is also key in making making the traveller experience safe. From end to end. “Things have changed dramatically during COVID. Before the pandemic, the conversation was around “nice to have”. Now “need to have” is of most importance. We need to make the travel experience safe to boost confidence, all touch points from start to finish must feel secure. ” Says Anna.

Anna also highlights the importance of ENTER21 which brings academia and business together which now is crucial. Anna believes in conferences which brings different audiences together. “To be able to create frictionless travel we have to collaborate more than ever before. We need to connect with travel providers, technology players, academia, and governments. The situation requires collaboration across the board“ says Anna.