First Travel Group becomes the first alliance of travel agencies in New Zealand to access game-changing pre-travel risk assessment technology from GOPASS Global.
AUCKLAND –5 July 2021 – New Zealand’s leading independent travel alliance, First Travel Group, today announced a partnership with GOPASS Global to bring its game-changing pre-travel risk assessment technology to the group’s national network of 55 agencies.
Through the partnership, First Travel agencies will have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information about Covid travel impacts. Data comes from 35 global data sources, in near real-time, so they can plan travel safely for their customers.
The latest destination facts on border restrictions, quarantine requirements and safety protocols, including the trans-Tasman bubble are included. GOPASS also identifies the risk associated with transit points, airports, airlines, aircraft type and even the choice of seat. It provides travel planners with a simple risk score for each itinerary.
First Travel Group CEO Malcolm McLeod said the partnership brought incredible value to the alliance. “GOPASS Global not only provides our members up to the minute data on the global Covid situation, it provides our customers with the ability to evaluate the risk in every country, city and airport they visit and every airline and aircraft type they fly on.”
“Knowledge is power and if the initial reaction from the members evaluating this system is any indication, they can’t get enough of it,” McLeod said.
Launched late last year, GOPASS Global has already made a big impact on the international travel scene, announcing partnership deals with major GDS, Sabre, as well as leading TMCs in the UK, Europe and North America.
“Travel brands are quickly appreciating how our technology can help them navigate their way through a bewildering and ever-changing maze of information about Covid impacts on travel,” said GOPASS Global Director of Distribution Dave Simmons.
“This is important for all travelers but especially for corporate travel given that new health and safety regulations place even greater responsibility on companies to demonstrate that they have fully assessed the risks associated with corporate travel prior to an employee boarding an aircraft.”
Simmons said employers and employees needed an objective and measurable assessment of the risk associated with any proposed itinerary. Maximum scores can be set as part of company travel policy and complement existing duty of care programs.
“One of the best features of GOPASS is its simplicity. Agents simply enter the trip PNR into the system and receive a comprehensive assessment. It’s super easy to use and will save consultants hours of time searching for information.”
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About First Travel Group
First Travel Group is New Zealand’s leading independent travel alliance. Formed in 1999, it is made up of 55 established, independently owned travel businesses throughout New Zealand. Locally owned and operated, the collective volume of First members is in excess of NZ$500 million, enabling First’s head office to negotiate tier one deals with all major suppliers in New Zealand and around the world. Fully bonded with the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ), First members include high street retail, high end retail, boutique corporate, TMCs and Meeting & Event specialists.
About GOPASS Global
GOPASS Global is a travel risk management platform that uses advanced analytics to manage corporate travel duty of care in a COVID-impacted world. The platform provides an end-to-end view of all the aspects of an employee’s travel and their risk of exposure in the cycle of travel. Aggregating real-time data from different reliable data sources, GOPASS Global has developed the ability to create an objective and quantifiable risk score that summarises the biosecurity risk associated with all primary aspects of the customer’s itinerary, including country of origin, destination and any stops, airline and even aircraft type. For more information visit https://gopassglobal.com.
Media Contacts
Dave Simmons
GOPASS Global Director of Distribution
Email: Dave.Simmons@gopassglobal.com
Telephone: +64 21 263 1951
