Thomas Cook partners with SAP Concur to automate travel and expense management

Travel company Thomas Cook India has struck a partnership with Washington-based invoice management solutions company SAP Concur to streamline travel and expense management. 

The partnership will yield integrated travel and expense (T&E) management solution to help with business processes, a statement issued by SAP Concur said. 

The association will enable organisations to automate business T&E for employees, saving money and time, the statement added. 

Business travel spend in India is likely to cross $46 billion by the end of 2019, the statement said. 

A recent report from consultancy firm KPMG said India is the seventh-largest business travel market in the world. 

India is also tipped to be one of the five largest markets for business travel by 2022, the statement added. 

"Last year, our collaboration saw increased adoption by corporates owing to the integrated offering. Together with Thomas Cook India, we aim to transform the way organisations manage their business travel, expense and invoice in a highly visible marketplace," said Mankiran Chowhan, managing director, SAP Concur. 

SAP Concur is an American company which provides SaaS (software as a solution) services for travel and expense management. 

In May, SAP Concur roped in Mankiran Chowhan as managing director for India operations. The former Gartner executive was brought in to leverage the growth potential of the Indian business travel market. 

In July, as part of its plans to harness digital solutions, Thomas Cook India deployed its AI-powered chatbot TeeCee.

India's travel segment has seen new players enter the fray with technological solutions. Earlier this year, SaaS-based travel marketplace BlueWander announced its foray into the Indian market.