IT Solutions from ISO now also in South Africa

Sun International Dreams from Johannesburg, South Africa and  ISO Travel Solutions from Nuremberg , Germany have signed a contract to implement " OCEAN " as tour operator management system in connection with " Emerald" as Customer Relationship Management System .

Sun International Dreams has conducted a comprehensive tender in 2007 amongst several IT providers worldwide . Very soon, ISO was shortlisted and after a detailed meeting in Johannesburg the decision was made in favour of ISO .

The new solution will provide Dreams with several important online connections. Flights can be booked online in the Amadeus flight reservation system. ISO is the first IT provider to offer the new Amadeus web service interface for this! Secondly Sun’s own hotel properties can be queried and booked online through a direct access to the Micros Fidelio property management system "Opera" which is used in the Sun resorts. Flights and hotels can be dynamically combined in one OCEAN booking and additional services from the OCEAN database can be added, such as transfers and excursions. Thirdly, an online connection to the "Ivery" credit card system will allow for online authorization of credit card payments. Invoice data of the bookings will then be transferred to the Sun International central accounting system ACCPAC, and payment information can be retrieved back into OCEAN . 
These dynamic interfaces and functions will automate and improve the existing manual and laboursome processes in the Dreams reservation department. 
The OCEAN features, combined with ISO’s powerful CRM system "Emerald" enable other ISO customers to automate 80% of their business and improve their efficiency by up to 30%.

Erica Barrett, General Manager from Dreams states the following three main reasons for choosing ISO and OCEAN / Emerald : 
"1. We will be the first tour operator in South Africa to be able to dynamically package online with direct interfaces into Sun International’s property reservation system and into Amadeus. We can also use a connection to "Ivery" for credit card payments and to "Accpac", Sun International’s accounting system. 
2. OCEAN gives us the ability to offer B2B trading and as such we will ease the hectic day of the travel agent by enabling them to book a Sun International package in their office online with direct availability- thus cutting their communication costs and allowing the travel agents to be super efficient with their clients. 
3. OCEAN will enable us to offer a B2C booking engine. This will be available on our website, it will allow us to manage association group business for our Professional Conference Organizers as well as offer a 'one stop shop' for our customers."

For ISO this project is another important step to widen its customer base and especially to widen its world wide presence. Dreams is the first customer in South Africa. This makes South Africa the 23rd country in which the tourism solutions from Germany-based ISO are being used. Markus Kretschmer, Sales Director from ISO: "This new project with Sun International is really exciting for us. Sun has a great reputation world wide, and as such is in line with our other customers such as TUI, Thomas Cook, Emirates, Etihad, Air Canada Vacations and Amadeus. We believe that the South African tour operator market has a lot of potential and is in need of the good IT solutions that we can provide. OCEAN is a very flexible IT system and has been adapted to the local specifics of many other countries before. For Dreams we will make the adaptations that are necessary for South African tour operators and we are then looking forward to getting more customers in the region! But first of all, we want to deliver a good project to make Sun a happy customer."

About Sun International / Dreams

The motto and mission of the Sun International Group is: 

"We invest in and manage businesses in the hotel, resort and casino industry" 

Sun International’s operations include resorts, luxury hotel products, and casinos in 14 jurisdictions in South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.

As at June 2007 revenue stood at R6 937 million, up by 17% from 2006, and profit before taxation at R1 691 million.

It has grown its leading position in the market place, today accounting for 44% of national casino gaming revenues and everyday, over 50 000 customers from over 50 countries visit a Sun International property. It is the task of the tour operator "Dreams" to book some of these customers and consult and support them.

The Group employs over 8 300 people in southern Africa, has indirectly created 50 000 new employment opportunities in the broader tourism industry, and it has been estimated that its business has a direct impact on the livelihood of more than 500 000 people in the sub-continent.

About ISO and OCEAN: 
The ISO-Gruppe is one of the leading software companies in the European tourism sector. The company is now for almost 30 years successfully on the market. Today, close to 300 employees work in international projects at several locations in Germany, Austria, Poland, Canada and soon Dubai.

The tour operator solutions from ISO are used within the World of TUI and by other tour operators world wide such as Emirates Holidays in Dubai, Etihad Holidays in Abu Dhabi or Air Canada Vacations in Montreal and Toronto. 
A special incoming solution, named TOMAS, is used by numerous destination agencies of Thomas Cook. 
The systems base on proven development technologies with very mature data base mechanisms. ISO offers additional modules for special needs such as cruises, holiday homes, group bookings, FITs, Tour & Transfer handling etc.. With many customizing possibilities the system can adapt to any individual needs.

For further information contact us:

Press contact:

Ralf Regner 
E-Mail: Ralf.Regner(at)isotravel(dot)com 
+49 / 911 / 995 94-333

ISO Travel Solutions GmbH 
Eichendorffstraße 29 
D-90941 Nuremberg 
www.isotravel.com

For detailed questions concerning the products, please contact:

Markus Kretschmer, Sales Director 
E-Mail: Markus.Kretschmer(at)isotravel(dot)com