MANILA, Philippines - Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) recently annouced a strategic partnership with leading global travel search engine, Skyscanner, to offer the best travel options and mobile deals to Filipinos here and abroad.
Smart, through its subsidiary Voyager Innovations, Inc. (Voyager), is now Skyscanner’s first and exclusive mobile partner in the Philippines as it moves to expand in the South-East Asian region to capture more of the tech-savvy millennial traveler market. Skyscanner has unparalleled regional and international coverage of travel options from which Smart can benefit.
For Skyscanner, the alliance represents an opportunity to further expand its existing presence in the Philippines, adding to the rapid growth it already enjoys across the Asia Pacific region. Travelers are looking for a single, simple, and trustworthy source to help them find the right travel solution at the right price.
Skyscanner’s unbiased, comprehensive and free search service meets that need, with features such as “search everywhere” and price alerts, making it one of the most powerful travel companions for globetrotters.
“We’re happy to partner with Skyscanner here in the Philippines, which enables us to offer Filipino travelers the best travel deals along with our entire suite of innovative mobile services,” said Orlando Vea, chief wireless advisor at Smart and president at Voyager. “This forms part of our continuing commitment to allow our subscribers to ‘live more’ as they travel more in and out of the country.”
“We know that Filipinos want an independent and free tool to help them find the right trip for them at the right price without missing a deal. So we have partnered with the country’s largest mobile network to deliver them just that, as well as unique mobile experiences while they travel,” said Andy Sleigh, general manager, Skyscanner APAC.
Travel and music
For the partnership’s initial salvo, Smart subscribers who search for flights using Skyscanner’s powerful search engine will have the opportunity to get a free one-month VIP music subscription to SPINNR, the country’s leading mobile music streaming app.
To avail of the promotion, users only have to access the Skyscanner search engine online (www.skyscanner.com.ph), look for the article about the Skyscanner-Smart partnership, spot the “word of the day,” and text the word to the number indicated in the article.
Winners of this promo will be given a full-month’s access to millions of songs for streaming on their mobile devices with no additional data charges. On top of this, subscribers may also listen to Skyscanner’s own Travel Playlist with hip tunes fit for Filipino travelers exclusively via SPINNR.
SPINNR is a homegrown Filipino music portal and mobile streaming service that enables Smart, Talk ‘N Text, and Sun Cellular subscribers to download and stream millions of songs for as low as P2.50 per day or P49 a month without any additional data charges. SPINNR apps are available on iOS and Android devices, as well as on the Web via www.spinnr.ph.
Meanwhile, those who subscribe to Smart Postpaid’s various Deezer offers can get the chance to travel to Bacolod City to enjoy the Masskara Festival courtesy of Skyscanner and Smart’s Fly-Off Promo.
To enter the raffle, users only have to subscribe to the various Deezer packs available to postpaid users (Deezer Daily for P25, Deezer Weekly for P125, and Deezer Monthly for P250) or sign up with any Unlisurf Premium Plan that bundles the latest smartphones of today with free Deezer Premium+ subscription every month.
Deezer enables users to listen to songs on all types of devices, including mobile devices, from the largest music streaming catalog in the world, with over 30 million songs available for streaming and offline listening. The service is currently available in more than 180 countries around the world.
A total of three subscribers will have the chance to win one of the following: two VIP tickets to the Masskara Love Dance party; a trip for two to Bacolod inclusive of airfare and two VIP tickets to the Masskara Love Dance party; and an all-expense paid trip for two including accommodations, airfare, and two VIP tickets to the Masskara Love Dance party for the grand prize. Winners will be announced on Oct. 3.
“This is just the first in a series of fruitful partnerships we are looking to pursue with Skyscanner, so users should watch out for more in the coming months,” Vea added.