Hotelbeds claims travel-tech first with Istanbul airport partnership

Hotelbeds has entered into a partnership with iGA Istanbul Airport, a deal the Spain-based bedbank claims is the first of its kind for a travel tech company.

Designed to attract professional travel buyers, the destination marketing campaign allows Hotelbeds to secure special promotional rates on hotels and transfers in Istanbul, while also bringing exposure to the airport.

The deal gives Hotelbeds customers a new way to access the best prices and availability in the market as well as educates them on the services iGA Istanbul Airport offers leisure tourists.

"This exciting new partnership with iGA Istanbul Airport demonstrates the value of Hotelbeds as a marketing partner and the importance of engaging our B2B customers," says Joe Sheller, head of global destination marketing at Hotelbeds.

"Through this campaign, in addition to our clients accessing promotional rates on hotels, activities and transfers in Istanbul, iGA will be able to maintain constant contact with the travel trade and inform them about shopping and dining at the airport, lounge features, the IGA PASS, COVID-19 updates and new flight routes.”

The Turkish hub opened in 2018 and quickly became the busiest airport in Europe: In 2021, iGA Istanbul Airport carried 37 million passengers, of which 27 million were international, making it the second busiest airport in the world for international passenger traffic.

Says Majid Khan, iGA Istanbul Airport vice president of aviation development: "We are delighted to be the first mega hub to enter into a partnership with Hotelbeds. iGA Istanbul Airport, despite having 12 destinations in the United States and three in Canada, is the only mega hub in Europe that is not directly served by a North American airline.

“We are the largest airport in Europe, and we believe that the cooperation between Hotelbeds and iGA Istanbul Airport will increase awareness of our airport and Istanbul as a destination in North America, increasing US passenger traffic to this untapped market."

The campaign runs through December and will be promoted through Hotelbeds’ main two distribution channels targeting Bedsonline’s retail travel advisors and Hotelbeds’ strategic customers in the U.S.

In February of this year , Hotelbeds joined Amazon’s Climate Pledge, which is working to encourage global industries to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2040.