JEDDAH, 8 January — Subscribers in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, are now able to surf the Internet and discover, compare and purchase the best prices on flights, hotels, car hire and holidays worldwide from a huge selection of airlines, hotels and car hire companies. This follows the recent launch of MSN Arabia Travel Channel, an online travel agent that lets travelers track down the most competitive deals on offer in nine Gulf countries in seconds via the Internet. Sponsored by the Emirates Group, which is exclusively responsible for its management and content, this site provides a complete travel agent service with the "anywhere, any time" convenience of the global Internet, with the personalized features of MSN Arabia. An ultra-fast search engine helps users booking holidays to find the deal which best matches their requirements, and allows Emirates’ travel partners to confirm arrangements back to them within 24 hours. Emirates has joined with MSN Arabia to create this travel channel on the MSN portal, stimulating activity in the travel and tourism industries across the Gulf, and providing a one-stop shop. More countries are set to sign up as the site grows. Travel Channel’s sophisticated booking technology is based on the ‘easy reservation’ system developed by Galileo Emirates, the global distribution system used most widely by the Middle East agents. Emirates’ E-Ventures Group Manager Simon Lewis, said: "We’re giving users the widest possible choice by bringing in travel partners from every market. We’ve launched the site in less than five months, and it will now expand rapidly as more and more people subscribe." In due course, Travel Channel will also develop Arabic content for specific parts of the service and will be extended to all Arabic-speaking countries in the region, and to Arab expats outside it, Khaled Bichara, president and CEO, LinkDotNet, an independent Internet and Web service provider in the region, said.