Direct Travel Inc. will offer Covid-19-related travel requirement information to travelers via mobile and web channels under a partnership with Toronto-based travel documentation startup Sherpa.
Colorado-based Direct Travel said it is the first travel management company to build a mobile Covid messaging service around Sherpa's technology, which the company says pulls data from more than 2,000 sources to present destination restrictions and entry requirements on a country, state and Canadian provincial level via Direct Travel's Direct2U mobile travel management app.
Sherpa's intelligence also will be available via dedicated web portal, with both services rolling out Jan. 25.
Messaging tools designed to deliver information on Covid-related restrictions and safety measures have become a hot commodity as corporate travel departments begin planning their organizations' return to the roads and skies. Earlier this month, corporate travel technology provider Trondent Development Corp. launched a Covid-19 messaging add-on to its Authorizer AI and Authorizer Pro pre-trip approval platforms. In November 2020, Cornerstone Information Systems rolled out an automated email-based messaging service in November. Meanwhile, providers including corporate travel budgeting and rewards platform Tripkicks and policy messaging browser add-on Shep have pivoted their offerings to focus on Covid-related messaging tools.
Last week, BTN portfolio mate The Beat reported Direct Travel had acquired the corporate travel portfolio of Short's Travel Management, as revealed in a Short's memo to its clients. That deal came almost exactly a year after Direct Travel bought Cleveland-based travel management provider Professional Travel.