Sabre Travel Network Middle East, a market leader in most GCC countries, said it had experienced strong growth across all its markets in Mena region in 2011.

Sabre has signed partnership agreements with all major Middle Eastern travel agencies, including Al Shamel International, Dnata, Kanoo Travel and Fursan Travel and Tourism.

Last May, it opened a new office in Kuwait, highlighting the importance of the market and its commitment to serving the Kuwaiti travel industry.

Sabre also opened a second office in Egypt, in Alexandria, to meet the continued growth in travel demand through the Arab Spring.

"We enjoyed another healthy year of growth, renewing agreements with some of the biggest names in the travel industry and expanding our presence in new countries around the region," said Sabre Travel Network Middle East chief executive Daniel Naoumovitch.

"Against a background of uncertainty, we have continued to invest significantly in new products to fuel our customers' growth and success, and we've continued to do what we do best - provide the best customer service in the industry," he stated.

As a sign of its ongoing commitment to the region, Sabre doubled its regional headquarters in Bahrain to accommodate its growing workforce.

The only GDS with a regional headquarters in the region, Sabre is often considered the technology provider next door, with the Bahrain office supporting its 21 offices in 11 countries in the GCC, Africa and the Levant to accommodate its growing workforce.

Last year also saw the launch of Sabre Red and its award-winning platform, Sabre Red Workspace, which was specifically launched to help agents in the Middle East shop, book and manage travel in low bandwidth areas.

The subsequent launch of Sabre Red Graphical View and its social media solution AgentStream, both firsts for the region, confirmed Sabre as the most innovative technology provider in the region.

Sabre ended the year by picking up an award at the annual World Traveller Awards for Egypt.-TradeArabia News Service