INTERNATIONAL. Global travel technology leader Amadeus’ recent acquisition of travel analyst ForwardKeys promises to reshape how the industry anticipates and responds to traveller behaviour intelligence, say the partners.
Amadeus SVP Business Intelligence & Data Solutions, Hospitality Michael Yeomans notes that the agreement combines Amadeus’ scale and reach from airlines and airports to hotels, agencies and destinations with ForwardKeys’ market-tested forecasting models.
Together the companies can deliver sharper intelligence that helps travel organisations drive demand, maximise revenues and inform strategy for operational agility and analysis, he says.
ForwardKeys Co-founder Olivier Jager says: “I founded ForwardKeys with a vision to predict the impact of travellers and transform the way businesses anticipate traveller behaviour.
“Joining Amadeus is the natural next step in that journey, allowing us to scale our expertise and push the boundaries of travel intelligence. This acquisition marks a major milestone in the travel intelligence industry, setting a new benchmark for data-driven decision-making. I’m excited about the opportunities ahead as we combine our strengths to deliver even greater insights and value to the industry.”
Connecting the dots
The integration offers something new, say the partners: the ability to link previously siloed insights into a more intelligent and complete picture. By combining travel forecasts with detailed layers of air bookings, hotel reservations and traveller demographics, Amadeus and ForwardKeys can provide a richer, forward-looking view of demand.
Michael Yeomans explains: “It is not just about knowing who is coming and when, it’s about understanding the context behind those trips and being able to respond with agility. From long-term planning of revenue and distribution strategies to market planning, enhanced through Amadeus’ digital media capabilities, we are creating a seamless path from insight to impact.”
For the travel retail channel this presents a powerful new capability, they say, connecting traveller intent with potential in-store behaviour.
From prediction to action
The combined data platforms mean retailers and airports can move beyond broad traffic forecasts towards segmented insights by nationality, purpose of trip and demographics. The level of insight aims to helps fine-tune everything from product mix to store layout to staff language skills.
Yeomans notes: “If you know there’s a projected rise in affluent Indian leisure travellers from cities like Mumbai and Delhi during peak holiday periods such as Diwali or summer break, you can act early, adjust stock levels in high-demand categories, train staff on cultural preferences, and localise marketing.”
Yeomans adds: “With Amadeus’ broader ecosystem, this intelligence can drive sharper, more personalised campaigns that meet travellers at the right moment, in the right way.”
Sharper forecasts and richer traveller profiles
The promise of the partnership also brings sharper segmentation and improved confidence in forecasts. Beyond passenger volumes, stakeholders will gain access to richer insights around trip purpose, party type, length of stay, and broader demographic and geographic profiles, say both parties.
Yeomans pledges that the move “opens new doors to understand and engage specific traveller segments, whether that’s high-spending leisure travellers, long-stay guests, solo business travellers, or family groups; it’s not just about who is coming, but how to meet them with more relevance and value. And we are just getting started. As integration deepens, these insights will continue to evolve.”
The next moves
Work is underway to enhance existing solutions and build new ones that reflect the combined strengths of both organisations. New products will integrate hospitality and demographic data and enrich the platforms destinations, retailers, and brands already rely on.
Amadeus’ established hospitality business intelligence tools will also benefit from ForwardKeys’ forecasting expertise, broadening the scope of solutions available to industry stakeholders.
The ambition, according to both companies, is to deliver tools that are not only smarter but also better align to the operational realities of airports, destinations and retailers.
As the integration deepens, the Amadeus–ForwardKeys partnership aims to deliver a new level of data intelligence for the travel retail industry and beyond. ✈
