FIT Ruums settles in Singapore

SINGAPORE Webjet Limited has launched FIT Ruums, a new business-to-business (B2B) travel distributor in Asia, operating under its B2B division, WebBeds FZ.

FIT Ruums will offer travel services to the Asian travel trade, including hotel rooms and transfers. It aims to become the strongest travel content aggregator and distributor in Asia and a one-stop shop for both suppliers and clients.

“The rising affluence of Asian countries is driving a new travelling class – a shift away from groups and towards free independent travel (FIT),” explained WebBeds FZ’s newly-appointed director Daryl Lee. “For Webjet, this is the right time to invest in Asia.”

Parent company Webjet provides a broad range of content for its agency customers globally.

FIT Ruums is the third operating unit within the B2B division, following the earlier launch of Lots of Hotels in North America, the Middle East and Africa and the acquisition of Sunhotels in Europe.

The recently signed Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between Singapore and Australia was a key factor prompting the decision to locate FIT Ruums sales, contracting and administration office in Singapore.

“As an Australian company, Webjet Limited has long enjoyed strong ties with our neighbours in the Asia Pacific region,” Mr Lee continued. “The landmark CSP agreement encourages investment in business travel and tech start-ups, and we are very optimistic of the potential this provides, especially considering the Free Trade Agreement that will come into force next year.”

FIT Ruums key target markets include Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and India.

Offices are now open in Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan. Additional locations in Japan, Thailand, India and Indonesia are being planned in 2017, and the company is also considering future expansion into the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

It is connected to more than 130,000 hotel properties, sourced either directly or through more than 300 Destination Management Companies (DMC). Talks are also on-going with multiple national tourism organizations (NTOs) on potential cooperation.

The company claims it will complement, rather than compete with, the existing travel marketplace. By bringing together a wealth of travel content and distributing it to the Asian travel trade, it believes it can drive additional tourist to countries in the region.

Regional partnerships will be key to the success of FIT Ruums. It recently agreed to a “Preferred Partner”  deal with Thailand-based 11-Infotech System, which develops software and apps for the travel trade, by integrating its travel content via XML API.

11-Infotech System CEO, Chartchai Pothong, commented; “We look forward to developing a close partnership and to continue growing our business in Asia together.”

The global travel technology leader Amadeus is already working closely with Webjet. Commenting the launch of FIT Ruums, Amadeus Asia Pacific Head of Hotel Distribution Christian Lukey said: “One of Amadeus’ main goals is to deliver the widest choice and most relevant content to our customers, both online and offline. FIT Ruums’ launch in Asia is great news as they are truly focused on bringing local content to the table and helping players like us deliver on our vision.”