Sabre Buys Stake in Polish Tech Provider

Sabre Travel Network has acquired a 40 percent stake in ESS, a technology provider and distributor of tour content to the travel industry in Poland.

The acquisition, effective on 1 March, complements Sabre Travel Network’s ongoing investment in Europe, its focus on growth regions, and its drive to boost the range of European leisure products bookable in the Sabre GDS.

ESS is one of the leading providers of leisure travel solutions for tour operators and travel agencies in Poland. It is headquartered in Wroclaw and has 18 employees.

The investment enables Sabre Travel Network to meet the full technology and distribution needs of the broad spectrum of tour operators and travel agencies in Poland, including small and mid-sized leisure-focused agencies.

The Polish travel industry has grown strongly over the past few years. The number of organised foreign trips purchased by Poles has grown by 15 to 20 percent annually.

Sabre Travel Network will evaluate opportunities to expand the ESS business into other countries in Eastern Europe, although its primary near-term focus will be growing its presence in Poland.

Sabre Travel Network has operated a technology and product development centre in Krakow, Poland, since 2000.