As quickly as they can say “I need help,” travel professionals can get the assistance they need thanks to the Amadeus e-Support Center, an online self-service portal now available around the clock and free of charge to Amadeus subscribers in the U.S. and Canada.

VacationRoost now offers vacation rentals in key South American ski destinations. Portillo, Valle Nevado and Termas de Chilian are only part of the list of locations that guests can find and book for their South American ski vacations on VacationRoost.com.

Tripology has introduced its exclusive loyalty program, Tripology Perks, created to reward travel specialists for their support of the online travel referral service. Registered travel specialists, called Tripologists, who qualify to participate in the program receive exclusive benefits as part of the designation. The Tripologist Loyalty Program has been organized to include two tiers, platinum and gold, with distinct requirements for participation as well as attractive perks for each group.

Carnival Cruise Lines’ new Carnival Dream will introduce the FunHub, a shipboard intranet portal featuring an onboard social network and access to information on the ship’s services, facilities and daily activities. The 130,000-ton vessel, Carnival’s largest ship, is set to debut Sept. 21.

Travelport has entered into a strategic relationship with PSP International to form a joint venture company to provide integrated payment solutions tailored specifically for the travel industry. The joint venture, in which Travelport holds a majority stake, was completed on June 24, 2009.

Ticketmaster and Priceline have announced a partnership that establishes priceline.com as the Official Partner of Ticketmaster.com. Under the terms of the new alliance, consumers using Ticketmaster.com will gain access to priceline.com’s travel services, including specially tailored hotel, airline, and rental car offers to accompany their live event ticket purchases.