MTN Traveller, a partnership between leading mobile operator MTN and MobiRes, has announced a global content interface partnership with Hotels.com, a subsidiary of Expedia, a world leader in online travel.

MTN Traveller, which launched last year as a ground-breaking travel.mobi bookings portal offering access to a variety of accommodation, airfare and car hire options, made the announcement at the 2011 Tourism Indaba expo in Durban.

Says Serame Taukobong, chief marketing officer of MTN SA: “As a result of the partnership with Hotels.com, MTN Traveller will be in a position to offer its local users access to 132 000 accommodation choices in 213 countries around the world, directly from a cell phone interface. This functionality is enhanced by selected airline, car rental and lifestyle offerings, which complete a dynamic mobile product offering for both domestic and international travel options.

“While MTN Traveller provides a simple and effective mobile solution for South Africans to access the world, it is also focusing on bringing the world to South Africa by actively promoting the local tourism market with South African Tourism to the global arena. Its innovative travel application development, and now this exciting partnership with Hotels.com is certainly taking cellular travel to a new level,” comments Taukobong.

As the leading telecommunications company in developing markets across Africa and the Middle East, MTN is committed to developing and providing innovative mobile solutions to the global travel marketplace, together with MTN Traveller and Hotels.com.

Fraser Gregg, managing director of MobiRes, explains: “Mobilisation has evolved from simply providing the market with the ability to communicate with others on the go; it now provides the market with the tools and means to do business and access mobile business systems on the go.
“MTN Traveller is not network or handset specific, and does not incur any type of booking fee. Thus, consumers who are registered with the service, have the tools conveniently, efficiently and securely loaded on their cell phone and are able to simply scroll through the MTN Traveller menu to search for, reserve, pay for and confirm travel and other lifestyle bookings anywhere across the world, at the touch of a keypad in the palm of their hand,” states Gregg.

MTN Traveller is committed to taking mobile travel services to the next level with its interactive interface, innovative applications and global partnerships.