Abacus International, Asia Pacific’s leading travel facilitator won the Best Global Distribution System (GDS) at the 19th TTG Travel Awards 2008 sealing a decade of achievement of this industry accolade.

The respected award is organised by leading travel publisher, TTG Publishing, with readers of TTG Asia, TTG China, TTGmice and TTG-BT mice China across Asia Pacific casting their votes based on criteria such as network comprehensiveness, ease of operation, user friendliness, efficiency and reliability.

Abacus International President and CEO Robert Bailey said, “Abacus is the first and only GDS to attain the ‘Best GDS’ award for ten consecutive years. We really appreciate the effort and contributions of our thousand-strong team and the many travel agents and suppliers who have supported us throughout Asia Pacific in achieving our aspirations for both the travel distribution industry and the travel industry at large.”

“Asia’s travel industry has evolved at an unprecedented pace over the past decade, with economic, political and industry factors creating the impetus for growth and a more dynamic environment. This award adds to our 20th year celebration list and we will continue to strive for innovation and provide leadership within the rapidly-evolving industry, in the years to come.”

In the past year, Abacus has launched a suite of online solutions that is designed to help travel agencies build stronger internet presence, and added a Maldives national marketing office to its network. In addition, Abacus uploaded net fares for the historic cross-straits flights and now facilitates travel bookings between Taiwan and China.

“As the only GDS rooted in Asia, our deep understanding of the region’s travel markets together with our innate Asian spirit provides a firm foundation to help shape the region’s travel distribution scene,” said Mr Robert Bailey.

“Reflecting on our 20 years of operation in Asia Pacific, we found that the strong partnerships built up over the years were a key contributing factor to our current role as the region’s leading travel facilitator. We look forward to further enhancing these relationships as the industry enters its' next stage of development.”

The annual TTG Travel Awards is an opportunity for the Asia Pacific travel industry to honour and recognise its peers for their outstanding achievements and contributions. The awards were presented at the Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre in Bangkok, Thailand last night.