[ANN] The Tratok Project, Disrupting A $7.6 Trillion Dollar Industry

[Tratok Team]

First please allow the team at Tratok Ltd and leading the Tratok Project a moment to greet the BitcoinTalk.org community and say that we appreciate all the work that this community does in supporting disruptive blockchain technology and the influences that it can have in enhancing existing processes. It is due to strong pioneering communities and early adopters such as yourselves that blockchain will eventually be widely embraced increase efficiencies and we are proud to participate in this community and be given a moment of your time to let you all know about the exciting work that we are doing at Tratok.

Introduction to Tratok:

The Tratok token is a unique token used on the Tratok Travel application to make bookings for travel and tourism services. Be it reserving a hotel room, booking a flight or renting a car, this multiplatform application will result in more economical, hassle-free arrangements for clients and service providers alike. By using blockchain technology to disrupt the existing business model, Tratok offers significant advantages over existing conventional platforms. Principally, it lowers transaction fees, eradicates the need for middlemen, saves time on bookings and results in more profit for service providers and savings for consumers. With stakeholder experience as the main priority, the Tratok project seeks to revolutionise the USD 7.6 Trillion travel and tourism sector and set a new standard.

Sector Overview:

The importance of travel and tourism to the global economy cannot be overstated. A major driver of global growth, the sector directly contributed 2.6 trillion US dollars to Global GDP in 2016. The contribution looks even more impressive when one considers that indirect contributions amounted to in excess of 7.6 trillion US dollars and the industry can be credited with providing 292 million jobs (World Travel & Tourism Council, 2017).

Despite the already leviathan size of the sector, it shows no signs of slowing down. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, expenditure in the sector is forecasted to grow by approximately 3.9% per annum over the next decade. During the same period, it is forecasted that 23% of all new jobs created will be supported by travel and tourism resulting in a total of 380 million jobs. To put this into perspective that would be one ninth of global employment. Should these forecasts hold true, it means that not only will this sector outperform other sectors but by 2027 it will contribute 11.4% of global GDP. The facts and figures speak for themselves and show the vital economic significance and opportunities that travel and tourism present.


Source:World Travel & Tourism Council

Should we take the financial aspects of the sector to the side, there is a multitude of other reasons why the sector is important to modern society. With the world getting smaller due to ease of transport and affordability, the importance of awareness and appreciation of different cultures and societies continues to grow by the day. As the world opens up more and becomes a larger melting pot of multiculturalism, travel can be expected to play a vital role in the appreciation and understanding of each other. Therefore it is a duty of humanity to make access to international travel more efficient and lower the thresholds to ensure wider access to all.
In recent years, the industry has made effective use of leveraging new technologies in order to enhance stakeholder experience. To put this into clearer perspective according to our conducted surveys 89% of Americans prefer booking hotels online and 84% preferred booking vacation transport online. Analysis of these trends shows that the path of least resistance is for the continued growth of online bookings due to the comparative ease in contrast with traditional methods. In short, stakeholders in this sector are open to evolving with the times and embracing the new methods of arranging their travel if it results in a better user experience and is more time and cost efficient. This means that any disruptive or game-changing technology is more likely to be embraced rather than resisted by its intended user base.

Problems with the sector:

Despite the financial importance of the sector. Many stakeholders are suffering. For example, if we consider hotels, their alternative revenue streams have fallen over the years due to many developments.  To name just a few:

• Mobile phones have meant no revenue from in-room phones.
• Streaming services have annihilated on demand TV.
• Delivery services have decimated in room dining.
• Online travel aggregators are taking as much as 30% of revenue from bookings.
• Payment processors are taking nearly 3% from payments.

Clients also suffer many inefficiencies, to name a few:

• Problems with fraud (55 million fraudulent online bookings in the U.S. Alone in 2017).
• Delays with payments and refunds. (Often receiving a fraction of a refund, if at all, months later!)
• Foreign currency exposure.
• Lack of transparency on pricing.
• Lack of a truly global loyalty program.

With its revolutionary business model, and transparent approach, Tratok aims to address all of these problems and other inefficiencies in the sector, including:

• Boost service provider revenue by up to 30% without charging consumers a cent more. Transparent pricing.
• Instant payments.
• A global rewards program.
• Easier bookings.
• Free membership and no price fixing agreements or “Cartel” behavior

Team Summary:

Equally important to any vision are the people behind realizing the objective. When assembling the team for the Tratok project emphasis was placed on the following:

• Realizing the importance of character. Honesty, integrity and teamwork skills are vital to any team hoping to achieve its goals.
• Realizing the importance of experience and a proven track record with large-scale business.
• Realizing the importance of diversified experience, education and knowledge.
• Realizing the importance of diversification and equal opportunity in the workplace.
• Realizing the importance of belief and passion in the goals.
• Realizing the importance of good corporate citizenship.
• Realizing the importance of a unique and valuable product that continues to add value over the medium term, over earning one-off profits.
• Realizing the importance of delivery over promises.
• Realizing the importance of industry knowledge, connections and the value of opportunities that this provides.

With all of these factors under consideration, management invites you to find out more about our some of our key team members and understand how their knowledge of blockchain, the travel and tourism sector and driving successful business enhances the potential of the Tratok Project.


Philipe Paillart – Chairman



With decades of experience leading some of the world’s most important Banks and Multi-National companies, Mr. Paillart’s experience, guidance and industry connections are of immeasurable value to the Tratok Project.
Philippe Paillart is CEO and President of SIN RONG, an investment and advisory company based in Singapore, and operating in Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as a partner of MOTET, an international advisory group focusing on financial services. He is also Chairman of LINK Financial and OneEmpower.

Mr. Paillart is the former CEO and vice chairman of DBS Bank, Singapore’s largest Bank. Prior to that, he served as Chairman and CEO of Ford Credit and Ford Financial Services (the biggest finance company in the world).
He created Citibank Personal Banking, the first global retail organisation within Citibank, served on the board of Citibank Germany (the largest and most profitable franchise in Europe), Standard Chartered Bank and Standard Chartered Group, directly responsible for Retail Banking and Group Strategy.

Mr. Paillart graduated from the Paris Business School (ESCP) with major in Accounting & Finance. He is a graduate of the Paris University (Law School) and received a PMD from Harvard University. He then followed an early planning and marketing career at Renault with eight years in business leadership roles in banking and finance across Asia, Europe, and the US.
 

Rohit Kohli – Chief Financial Officer



Rohit has extensive operational and financial experience within the Retail Industry across MENA, Asia Pacific and Europe. He has been instrumental in bringing some of the well known American F&B and Apparel brands to the MENA region. Rohit has also lead on multi-billion dollar acquisition projects across MENA and Europe, covering retail and FMCG. In his previous roles, Rohit has managed total P&L portfolios with revenues exceeding USD 4.0 billion spanning 24 countries and 4 continents.
Prior to the current role, Rohit was the CFO for Pasha Group Azerbaijan where he oversaw the strategic development of the FMCG landscape across the country. He played a key role in introducing an award-winning FMCG concept to the market, Bravo, which reported revenues in excess of USD 1.0 billion after completion of its 3rd year of operations.
Rohit holds a Masters Degree from Edinburgh Business School, UK and is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
 

Omar Hussein – Chief Technology Officer



Omar Hussein has over than 15 years of work experience in Information Technology and E-commerce. He founded successful startups across multiple sectors including Technology, E-commerce and Smart home automation.
He is a business professional and serial entrepreneur with extensive successful experience in Business Development, Sales and Management. Market development through distribution channels. During his career at Hewlett-Packard he ranked in the top 3% of the company’s global employees.His latest project is Home Bazar, an online marketplace empowering independent sellers and makers who create unique products from home.

 
Nicholas Paillart – Director of Corporate Social Responsibility



Nicholas Paillart brings with him over 10 years of Loyalty and Payments background to the Team with a career spanning across Europe, South East Asia and the Middle East. As a Director at Singapore’s largest Loyalty and Payments Provider, Nicholas was instrumental in setting up and managing some of Asia’s largest loyalty programs in Travel, Hospitality and Banking, before bringing the Platform to the Middle East where it formed the backbone for the Middle East’s first network dining loyalty program. Nicholas was also hired by MasterCard’s Card Services to secure Travel and Hospitality network cardholder privileges for the Elite and World Elite programs.
Member of the Rotary Club of Dubai and Regional Manager for the Bring Hope Humanitarian Foundation, Nicholas does not hesitate to leverage his network to secure Medical and Humanitarian Aid for displaced peoples across the Middle East and Africa.
Nicholas is Delegate General of the Souvenir Français, a public utility organization dedicated to honoring and transferring the memory of those who gave their lives for France.

 
Thanos Tsetsonis – Member of the Board of Advisors



Thanos is a Director of Regional Sector Research within the Global Markets and Treasury department at Emirates NBD. He is responsible for the bank’s regional industry research on the markets of the GCC countries. Prior to joining Emirates NBD in 2014, he has served as a Senior Executive for Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI). From 2007 to 2011, he worked as an Economist at the Research Division of Piraeus Bank, Greece. Thanos completed his Bachelor with Honors degree in Economics at the University of Stirling in Scotland. He also holds an MSc and an MPhil in Economics from University of Bath and University of Athens, respectively.
Mr Tsetsonis provides valuable and insights into the current state of the tourism sector. With a vast network of connections and constant communication with the industry’s key stakeholders, Mr Tsetsonis adds immense value to the Tratok project.


Donovan Schram – Director of Business Development, Emerging Markets



Donovan Schram serves as Tratok Ltd’s Director of Business Development for Emerging Markets.This FSA registered graduate in Economics and Finance from the University of Cape Town, South Africa brings a great combination of financial and hospitality experience to the team. Mr Schram has over 10 years of international experience, including eight years as a Foreign Currency and Fixed Income trader at Barclays.
In addition, he has over 5 years of hospitality and FnB experience, including working on one of the top 50 global wine-producing estates. A driven entrepreneur at heart with exceptional knowledge of emerging markets and relationships with key industry actors, the appointment of Mr Schram reinforces Tratok’s commitment to being a truly global solution and ensuring widespread adoption of our disruptive technology.
 

Antoinette Breedt – Director of Marketing and Public Relations



With over 15 years of experience in hospitality and marketing, Antoinette is responsible for constructing and realizing the Tratok Project’s marketing strategy. In one of her most recent roles, Antoinette has worked as an International Sales Manager and was responsible for opening up International Markets for newly developed and unheard of products. Through her efforts and negotiations, she was able to ensure product listings with some of the largest retail chains in Europe, including Amazon, Rossman, World Duty Free and Dm-Drogerie Markt. Having also worked in Hospitality in Europe, South Africa, the USA and UAE, she currently holds a position as Director of Hospitality and Leisure at Sherazade Consultancy.

 
Mohammed Altajir – Senior Member of the Board of Advisors



Mohammed Altajir currently works for Emirates NBD, the largest bank in Dubai. In his current role, Mr Altajir serves as the Manager of FX Analytics and Product Development within Wholesale Banking’s Research team. His main focus is on the major FX pairs with a strong emphasis on accurate forecasting. This is achieved via combining traditional fundamental and technical analysis with cutting-edge technologies such as sentiment miners, big data and computer-enhanced algorithms to identify market trends and risks. In his secondary role, Mr Altajir oversees the enhancement of research and informational awareness through the leverage of custom designed AI and machine learning technologies to add new capabilities to support the bank’s business functions.

Combining his background in research and strategy with his strong regional business connections, Mohammed lends additional support to the project by advising on strategic partnerships and giving crucial insights into the project’s direction.

 
Mustafa Kasdi – Data Scientist and Machine Learning Developer



Mustafa serves as a key developer for Tratok’s Machine Learning algorithm which is responsible for efficiently matching consumers with appropriate services. A holder of a BSc in Mathematics and an MSc in Applied statistics from the University of London, Mustafa has had an interesting career over the last few years.

In his previous roles, Mustafa has worked as a data scientist for Aquila Insight (Merkle). In this capacity, he enabled clients including Uber, Renault, Sony and Wilko to gain a competitive advantage by helping them translate data into strategic options. Mr Kasdi has also worked with RenMoney MFB Limited, building scorecards that help determine customer loan default behaviour and therefore enhance credit risk models.



Milestones:

Feasibility Studies
Contingency Studies
Team Recruitment
Whitepaper
Token generation
Website
Company incorporation
Mainstream media campaign
London expo
Dubai expo
Prototype
Airdrop

Further information:

Project Home Page - http://tratok.com
Original White Paper - http://tratok.com/whitepaper/tratok.pdf
May Project Update - http://tratok.com/May_Update
Certificate of Incorporation - http://tratok.com/certificate
Project Approach - http://tratok.com/Difference
Telegram Channel - https://t.me/tratok
LinkedIn Company Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/tratok-ltd/
Register for Airdrop - http://tratok.com/airdrops/

[1714327645]

1714327645

[1714327645]

1714327645

[Tratok Team]

quite interesting one...

Many thanks for the interest bulala.

In addition, I would like to encourage all feedback (good and bad) from the community. Our team's goal is to build a needed service that addresses the requirements of all industry stakeholders. We understand that in order to realise the project’s objectives, the end product and service needs to add value to the industry.  Therefore it is of paramount importance to our vision that every stakeholder has the best possible user experience. As a result of this, we encourage all constructive feedback and even criticism if it helps improve the product. The team does accept when something can be done better and if a service can be improved, then we strive to accomplish it. For just one example from April of this year:

http://tratok.com/new-features-added-to-the-tratok-project-following-community-feedback/

[BitPotus]

none of the travel related crypto projects have had success.

and you need to make a better fucking pitch.

that wall of text is just meh....

[Tratok Team]

none of the travel related crypto projects have had success.

and you need to make a better fucking pitch.

that wall of text is just meh....

Firstly, let me thank you for your feedback BitPotus. It is a bit blunt but it is honest and that is what was asked for.

While I do not wish to comment on the success or accomplishments (or lack of such) from specific other projects, I can understand why a lot of them have failed to realize their goals.

A.) How many of these teams have invested their own capital and time into conducting feasibility studies with industry experts to see if the project makes financial sense and if it can add value?

B.) How many of these teams have sat down and captured the requirements of all of the stakeholders so that from day one they can already set up a framework and understand the most effective way to lay the foundation to solve these problems and any future complications that might arise?

C.) Look at the team composition. Do the profiles say things like industry expert, or do they actually state where these people have worked, what they have achieved, the size of the revenues generated? If people are hiding backgrounds or being brief with details, there is a reason for it.

D.) Do the team members possess the necessary connections in the industry to facilitate the project’s goals? Can they open the right doors?

E.) Does the team have a risk management model which has been used to stress test the industry so that it can form contingency plans for worst-case scenarios? E.g. A recession.

F.) Does the team have a plan to ensure wider spread adoption of its products?

G.) Are the team’s fortunes tied to the success of the project? Is there a safety net to simply stop them dumping their token on investors and then not care anymore? Are they actually passionate about the industry they wish to disrupt?

Tratok took a unique approach, relying on multiple in-depth feasibility studies by renowned travel and tourism sector experts, one of whom is now a team advisor, before formulating a strategy. In addition unlike many other projects, who relied on public financing of their projects and went down the ICO route, Tratok Ltd relied on internal bootstrapping and its own funds to incorporate a legal entity, build a team of experienced seasoned professionals with global reputations (I invite you to re-read the team profiles), establish a prototype, work on B2B partnerships and ensure free distribution of the coin.

I invite you to read about our studies, approaches, contributing team members and project updates on http://tratok.com

On the pitch side, may I ask if you actually read it before stating it needs to be better, or are did you simply pass it as its a wall of text? Images were used but for some reason do not load and this does make it less appealing to read. On this, I agree and have enquired why this is the case. It is quite apparent that many people skipped the read as I have received multiple messages offering to promote 'Tratok ICO' even though the project has no intention of an ICO but instead distributing tokens for free via an airdrop. If you know why it the IMG tags are not working, I would be very grateful if you could message me why.

[Notin2]

well with such outline of reasons above i could really interpret why other travel related project failed to be successful given the fact they fail to put such reasons into consideration , so that makes me see Tratok as hopefully the first Travel project to survive in the blockchain jungle, will surely keep track

[gerald232]

In all countries tourist attractions are available, and you take the sector as a promising industry. travel and tourism are the main concepts of this platform. which countries work with your platform? for travel and tourism. What products make it easier for us to access this sector?

[BitPotus]

If you know why it the IMG tags are not working, I would be very grateful if you could message me why.

you're a newbie and you can't post images yet.

[Tratok Team]

you're a newbie and you can't post images yet.

Thank you for the explanation BitPotus, it is appreciated.

Good project hopefully your project is successful.

Thank you dudman8.

In all countries tourist attractions are available, and you take the sector as a promising industry. travel and tourism are the main concepts of this platform. which countries work with your platform? for travel and tourism. What products make it easier for us to access this sector?

Hello gerald232. Thank you for your question. The main concept of the project is to make travel more accessible by addressing the problems associated with it and hence making the process more efficient. Among our many feasibility studies, one was conducted by a member of Tratok Ltd's advisory board, Athanasios "Thanos" Tsetsonis. The Director of Tourism and Hospitality Research for the National Bank of Dubai and former Senior Economist for  Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), he is very familiar with the sector having covered it for years with exception connections. Bear in mind that in 2016 alone, Dubai was the 4th most visited global city with 14.9 million tourists. A few of the problems identified in his study were:

• The greed of middlemen (OTAs) who often charge non-transparent fee's in excess of 30%.
• Payment providers who charge fees of up to 3%.
• The threat of foreign currency exposure.
• Inventory lock up
• Contract lockin for long period of times
• Delays and penalties with refunds
• Fraud
• Delays in trade receivables (getting payments from affiliates)
• The lack of a truly global rewards program

By addressing these issues in almost all case studies (confirmed by finance departments of the groups we have spoken to*), you are able to boost service provider revenue by 25-29% without additional cost to the consumer, who then benefits from a global rewards program. It was under these conditions that we are in advanced negotiations with three major hotel chains and one regional chain as well as preliminary negotiations with another major chain. When these deals are concluded, they will be announced publically, but as legitimate registered legally required to comply with FSC regulations, Tratok Ltd has a responsibility to honour existing Non-Disclosure agreements.

The aim of Tratok Ltd is to be truly global and work with all countries and it is to that effect that Tratok Ltd even has a Director of Business Development of Emerging Markets based in South Africa, Donovan Schram. Tratok is meant for everyone and I believe if you take a moment to read about the evolution of the project, the decisions made and why that is the case, you will see that the project is designed for all stakeholders first. If you are interested, you can learn a lot more from visiting http://tratok.com and reading more about developments and progress in real time.


*Disclaimer, service providers in this scenario were exclusively hotel groups and did not include airliners or cruises who were not tested in this scenario

[Tratok Team]

Tratok Ltd has a short update to share with the community regarding last years overall growth in travel and tourism. Despite all the existing problems and barriers, the sector still shows outstanding growth and potential and is primed to be enhanced by disruptive technology. Please take a few minutes to check out the summary written below:

NTERNATIONAL TOURIST ARRIVALS: 8TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF ROBUST GROWTH

P.s. Thank you to the Bitcointalk.org community for its assistance in aiding with adding images to this announcement thread and the feedback so far. It is greatly appreciated.

[Tratok Team]

The original announcement page has now been updated with images. We hope this makes it more readable for the community here. Thank you to the Bitcointalk.org member mprep for helping by responding to our upgrade questions in PM.

[Tratok Team]

Senior advisor and Tratok custodian, Mohammed Altajir, was featured today in the Asian Banker interviewing in Dubai with CEO Emmanuel Daniel to discuss some of the long overdue problems which plague the $7.6 trillion USD Travel and Tourism industry. The Tratok team are delighted that this unscheduled interview has made the front page of The Asian Banker and would like to take this opportunity to share the link with the Bitcointalk.org community.

Click here to watch the interview.

[kutangterbang]

This kind of project is not new to cryptocurrency, projects for travel and tourism services still attract many interested people if the project is successful and just run it, this kind of project always gets more attention in the eyes of investors, hopefully Tratok gets a welcome and open hand from the community bitcointalk and investors and good luck

[kaido19]

the tourism sector is the most sought after by many people, and this project has the potential to succeed, with a note that the principle of transaction speed, trust, and reducing dependence on third parties, remains the main thing in development, then with it, all the mission will be achieved well even to be worth $ 7.6 billion project is not so difficult

[Tratok Team]

the tourism sector is the most sought after by many people, and this project has the potential to succeed, with a note that the principle of transaction speed, trust, and reducing dependence on third parties, remains the main thing in development, then with it, all the mission will be achieved well even to be worth $ 7.6 billion project is not so difficult

Thank you Kaido19, you have the right mindset and approach. The team behind Tratok is realistic and understand that a gradual and strategic approach is needed to win market share from the existing industry titans and then build on that market share. We also understand that at the end of the day in a competitive market, the ones who provide the best service will be the ones who prevail. Our team is not unfamiliar with the challenges and are confident in our ability to rise to the challenge and continue to hit milestones ahead of target. Among some of the accomplishments of team members are:

• Former CEO's of Ford Motor Credit Company ($110 billion) and DBS Bank ($410 billion).
• Creating Citibank Personal Banking, the first global retail organisation within Citibank.
• Setting up MasterCard’s Card Services to secure Travel and Hospitality network cardholder privileges.
• Introducing an award-winning FMCG concept to the market, which reported revenues in excess of USD 1.0 billion after completion of its 3rd year of operations.
• Director of Strategic Planning and business development at Diner’s Club International, the world’s first credit card
• The first to introduce the Smart Card in Most of the Asian countries ( including China and India).

As you see many of these achievements involve revolutionary payment methods, travel, tourism, disruptive technology and revolutionary business models. With access to the highest level of relevant industry partners and their continued co-operation, we are confident that the Tratok Project has significant benefits to offer the industry and will accomplish its goals.

[Tratok Team]

Hi! 
we are the project RocketBounty and we are able to attract thousands of users to your ICO (we guarantee 40k of users, not bots!). And it is not the only product!
our web-site: https://rocketbounty.io/

in case if you are interested in our collaboration please feel free to contact us:
@RocketBountySales
rocketbountymanagement@gmail.com

Thank you for your offer, but Tratok is not holding an ICO, instead, there will be a series of airdrops and a free referral program. Development was funded by the project founders and the team's interest is to ensure widespread adoption of the token. We are interested in creating a service that adds value in the long run and our feasibility studies have confirmed that this is the best approach.

In addition, a short review of our website and documents and press releases would have revealed this. I feel it would be irresponsible to collaborate with a group that will propose a project to "40,000 users" without even spending a few moments to look at the project. In my own humble opinion, this is one of the biggest threats to communities, that people are willing to charge fees to blindly promote projects that they haven't taken the time to research.

In addition, to all the people messaging this account with offers to promote us or create fake hype for a price, we are not interested in offers to "bump" threads as we do not feel it is necessary. A community of quality supporters who understand the project and its goals and importance is far more important in the long run. Fake comments and hype may look good but it is dishonest and does not help a project. We also understand that the biggest challenge to projects that wish to disrupt global industries is convincing the public to accept the widespread adoption of new technologies and platforms.

Blockchain enthusiasts will come across projects like ours, see the problems addressed, model, team members and transparency and many will determine if they believe there is value to it on their own. A large part of our Marketing efforts are addressed to the masses and people who are not active users of blockchain at the moment as we feel this adds a lot of value. One such study we had conducted by newswire revealed that our average press releases have a global reach of nearly 81 million users.

While one of the most important aspects behind the success of a project is the community, a real community matters more than incentivized and fake comments which are paid for and intended to deceive. On this, I believe we can all agree.

[Tratok Team]

Just to inform the community, the smart-contract was upgraded with new features prior to the Airdrop intended for the 1st of October 2018. You can find the new explorer address as well as official project information here:

https://etherscan.io/token/0x0cbc9b02b8628ae08688b5cc8134dc09e36c443b

[Tratok Team]

Excited about our upcoming airdrop? So are we!

No Free Lunches? One Travel and Tourism Blockchain Startup Disagrees

[Tratok Team]

The Tratok Team is pleased to announce a bonus airdrop referral program will be launched over the weekend. This program has been created to show our appreciation to the community, whose importance as a vital pillar of support for projects cannot be overstated. Watch this space!

[Tratok Team]

With 24-hours left to go before Tratok's first airdrop, it is with great excitement that we announce the first stage of our airdrop referral program.

The team at Tratok invite all interested parties to participate in this free referral program and earn Tratok tokens as a reward.
Here is to the success of the project and community.

[P E K K A]

I have received Tratok today, what are the plans to exchange later? i hope yobit or mercatox soon.