Friday, April 30, 2004
Tiscover and its partners have won the contract to power the new VisitEurope.com
VisitEurope.com: "Tiscover and its partners have won the contract to power the new VisitEurope.com, the EU's official tourism website."
Monday, April 26, 2004
Amazon.com
Industry online but not travel...Amazon.com
Amazon.com opens jewelry store
By Frank Barnako, CBS.MarketWatch.com WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Amazon.com announced Thursday it has launched an online jewelry and watches outlet and promised "significant savings" for customers. Breaking from the company's normal practice, however, Amazon will sell product from its own inventory.
While half a dozen other jewelers, including Ice.com, are "featured sellers" in the store, CEO Jeff Bezos told the Wall Street Journal Amazon (AMZN) itself will stock "millions of dollars of jewelry in a secure warehouse," giving it the ability to price the goods, rather than rely on selling partners to do so. "The margins in a typical jewelry retailer are so high you can save people a significant amount of money," Bezos said.
Amazon.com opens jewelry store
By Frank Barnako, CBS.MarketWatch.com WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Amazon.com announced Thursday it has launched an online jewelry and watches outlet and promised "significant savings" for customers. Breaking from the company's normal practice, however, Amazon will sell product from its own inventory.
While half a dozen other jewelers, including Ice.com, are "featured sellers" in the store, CEO Jeff Bezos told the Wall Street Journal Amazon (AMZN) itself will stock "millions of dollars of jewelry in a secure warehouse," giving it the ability to price the goods, rather than rely on selling partners to do so. "The margins in a typical jewelry retailer are so high you can save people a significant amount of money," Bezos said.
Hospitality Net - Industry News - London Hotels Full Again - Deloitte Reports
Hospitality Net - Industry News - London Hotels Full Again - Deloitte Reports: "London Hotels Full Again - Deloitte Reports
London hotel occupancies have returned to boom levels, according to preliminary data from Deloitte. The HotelBenchmark Survey shows that occupancies averaged 74 percent in the first quarter of 2004, up eight percent on the same period last year. This level beats the 73 percent recorded in quarter one of 2001, before the downturn began eroding hotel performance"
London hotel occupancies have returned to boom levels, according to preliminary data from Deloitte. The HotelBenchmark Survey shows that occupancies averaged 74 percent in the first quarter of 2004, up eight percent on the same period last year. This level beats the 73 percent recorded in quarter one of 2001, before the downturn began eroding hotel performance"
Friday, April 23, 2004
The pride of Britain
Features: "All this means that, from an investment perspective, things are indeed looking up. New funding rounds by TMT businesses are no longer welcomed by titters and pointing. Indeed, some are even pleading for internet IPOs (well, one IPO in particular). And, the perceptional integration of 'internet' with 'business' is nearing completion. Technology and the Internet itself still warrants 'treatment' of its own - but it's getting harder and harder to tell what is and isn't an 'internet business'."
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Ryanair: ‘One low-cost carrier will fail this year’
Article
Ryanair has predicted that at least one European no-frills carrier would go bust this year because of an ongoing price war.
The Irish airline said it is expecting its fares to drop by between five and 20 per cent this year, which in turn is likely to reduce its post-tax profits by some 10 per cent.
He reportedly singled out bmibaby, MyTravel Lite, FlyBe, Germania, German Wings and Hapag Lloyd Express as those carriers “most exposed”, adding: “They won’t all go bust but there will be consolidations, acquisitions and mergers.”
'GDSs are not user-friendly interfaces' - 21-Apr-04.: "'GDSs are not user-friendly interfaces' Agents should turn to web-based booking systems like Octopus, says its managing director, Ray Mason, because GDSs are too complex...Despite maintaining its branding on third party websites, rather than white-labelling the product, Octopus bosses say the company is unlikely to start pursuing direct consumer bookings and start competing with websites like lastminute and Expedia. Mr Mason said that the company doesn’t have the advertising spend of B2C websites like Expedia – less than 10% of bookings are direct from consumers, he said."
Ryanair has predicted that at least one European no-frills carrier would go bust this year because of an ongoing price war.
The Irish airline said it is expecting its fares to drop by between five and 20 per cent this year, which in turn is likely to reduce its post-tax profits by some 10 per cent.
He reportedly singled out bmibaby, MyTravel Lite, FlyBe, Germania, German Wings and Hapag Lloyd Express as those carriers “most exposed”, adding: “They won’t all go bust but there will be consolidations, acquisitions and mergers.”
'GDSs are not user-friendly interfaces' - 21-Apr-04.: "'GDSs are not user-friendly interfaces' Agents should turn to web-based booking systems like Octopus, says its managing director, Ray Mason, because GDSs are too complex...Despite maintaining its branding on third party websites, rather than white-labelling the product, Octopus bosses say the company is unlikely to start pursuing direct consumer bookings and start competing with websites like lastminute and Expedia. Mr Mason said that the company doesn’t have the advertising spend of B2C websites like Expedia – less than 10% of bookings are direct from consumers, he said."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "TheTrainline today announce the appointment of Ian Chaplin, previously Head of UK Distribution at Eurostar, to the role of Projects and Implementation Manager within TheTrainline's Corporate Sales "
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "Active Hotels has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Advences. (4/21/2004)
Advences acts as a content provider and distributor, powering travel agency and tour operator websites across France and other countries.
Via an extranet developed by Advences, travel agencies and tour operators will download the Active Hotels content database so that the hotel information is automatically branded to each agencys unique requirements."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis:
European Online Travel Sales Increase by 43%
Online travel sales increased by as much as 43% from 2002 to 2003 and reached EUR 11.2 billion in the European market in 2003 - or 5.2% of the market (up from EUR 7.8 billion. or 3.7% in 2002).
"A further increase of about 29% during 2004 to about EUR 14.4 billion may be expected (6.4% of the market).
The W. European online travel market could reach EUR 20.2 billion or 8.5% of the market by 2006.
The UK accounted for 39% of the European online travel market in 2003, with Germany in second place at 21%.
The intermediaries gained 1.5 percentage points to 36% during 2003, but the direct sellers still account for 64%.
In 2003 the breakdown of the market by type of service was as follows:
� Air travel 57.6%
� Hotels 15.8%
� Package tours 13.3%
� Rail 8.7%
� Rental cars 2.5%
� Other services 2.1%
Air travel dropped its share from 59.2 to 57.6% during 2003, whereas hotels increased their share from 14.4 to 15.8%.
Package tours started slowly regaining online share in 2002, and continued in 2003. "
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "Active Hotels has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Advences. (4/21/2004)
Advences acts as a content provider and distributor, powering travel agency and tour operator websites across France and other countries.
Via an extranet developed by Advences, travel agencies and tour operators will download the Active Hotels content database so that the hotel information is automatically branded to each agencys unique requirements."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis:
European Online Travel Sales Increase by 43%
Online travel sales increased by as much as 43% from 2002 to 2003 and reached EUR 11.2 billion in the European market in 2003 - or 5.2% of the market (up from EUR 7.8 billion. or 3.7% in 2002).
"A further increase of about 29% during 2004 to about EUR 14.4 billion may be expected (6.4% of the market).
The W. European online travel market could reach EUR 20.2 billion or 8.5% of the market by 2006.
The UK accounted for 39% of the European online travel market in 2003, with Germany in second place at 21%.
The intermediaries gained 1.5 percentage points to 36% during 2003, but the direct sellers still account for 64%.
In 2003 the breakdown of the market by type of service was as follows:
� Air travel 57.6%
� Hotels 15.8%
� Package tours 13.3%
� Rail 8.7%
� Rental cars 2.5%
� Other services 2.1%
Air travel dropped its share from 59.2 to 57.6% during 2003, whereas hotels increased their share from 14.4 to 15.8%.
Package tours started slowly regaining online share in 2002, and continued in 2003. "
Wired News: Flaw Could Cripple Entire Net
Wired News: Flaw Could Cripple Entire Net: "Researchers found a serious security flaw that left core Internet technology vulnerable to hackers, prompting a secretive effort by international governments and industry experts in recent weeks to prevent global disruptions of Web surfing, e-mails and instant messages.
Experts said the flaw, disclosed Tuesday by the British government, affects the underlying technology for nearly all Internet traffic. Left unaddressed, they said, it could allow hackers to knock computers offline and broadly disrupt vital traffic-directing devices, called routers, that coordinate the flow of data among distant groups of computers. "
Experts said the flaw, disclosed Tuesday by the British government, affects the underlying technology for nearly all Internet traffic. Left unaddressed, they said, it could allow hackers to knock computers offline and broadly disrupt vital traffic-directing devices, called routers, that coordinate the flow of data among distant groups of computers. "
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
The introduction of FlightScanner Internet Booking Engine (IBE), an XML-based search and booking engine, will at last enable third party websites and applications to seamlessly sell “no frills” flights and web fares directly to their customers and as part of dynamic packages. (4/20/2004)
London, 24 February 2004: Dolphin Dynamics Ltd, developers of FlightScanner, the easiest way to book low cost carriers, has announced the availability of FlightScanner Internet Booking Engine (IBE). FlightScanner IBE allows users to book selected “no frills” flights and web fares from a single booking engine without ever having to see the suppliers’ website. Travel Agencies can now offer their customers access to a range of low cost airlines and web-based fares all under their own brand look and feel, without having to develop an interface for each carrier site. For full story click here
Travel Agency Software and Backoffice Systems - Travel Accounting - Dolphin Dynamics Ltd.
: "FlightScanner is a web-based search and booking engine, offered exclusively to travel agents, that allows the user to enter search criteria in a single screen and returns real-time fares and availability from the websites of over 40 low cost, charter and traditional airlines.
FlightScanner goes further than simply searching for fares and can provide a fully automated end-to-end solution for web fares, making booking flights via the web as easy and fast as via the GDS."
The introduction of FlightScanner Internet Booking Engine (IBE), an XML-based search and booking engine, will at last enable third party websites and applications to seamlessly sell “no frills” flights and web fares directly to their customers and as part of dynamic packages. (4/20/2004)
London, 24 February 2004: Dolphin Dynamics Ltd, developers of FlightScanner, the easiest way to book low cost carriers, has announced the availability of FlightScanner Internet Booking Engine (IBE). FlightScanner IBE allows users to book selected “no frills” flights and web fares from a single booking engine without ever having to see the suppliers’ website. Travel Agencies can now offer their customers access to a range of low cost airlines and web-based fares all under their own brand look and feel, without having to develop an interface for each carrier site. For full story click here
Travel Agency Software and Backoffice Systems - Travel Accounting - Dolphin Dynamics Ltd.
: "FlightScanner is a web-based search and booking engine, offered exclusively to travel agents, that allows the user to enter search criteria in a single screen and returns real-time fares and availability from the websites of over 40 low cost, charter and traditional airlines.
FlightScanner goes further than simply searching for fares and can provide a fully automated end-to-end solution for web fares, making booking flights via the web as easy and fast as via the GDS."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "OctopusTravel.com allows retail agents to book chauffeur-driven cars, limousines, minibuses or even a coach to transfer clients to and from the airport, railway station or port, in over 250 cities worldwide."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
Galileo International Inc has announced the introduction of Galileo Optimal Shopping, a robust, new, fare-shopping tool available to Galileo-connected travel agencies in the US and Canada. (4/20/2004)
This new search tool identifies as many as 150 alternative itineraries at a time; includes fares from low-cost carriers and many airlines' Web fares; and uses an intelligent search logic to allow agents to tailor fare searches and solutions to fit the preferences of individual customers, such as focusing a search on the cheapest fare, fastest route or most convenient travel time.
Galileo International Inc has announced the introduction of Galileo Optimal Shopping, a robust, new, fare-shopping tool available to Galileo-connected travel agencies in the US and Canada. (4/20/2004)
This new search tool identifies as many as 150 alternative itineraries at a time; includes fares from low-cost carriers and many airlines' Web fares; and uses an intelligent search logic to allow agents to tailor fare searches and solutions to fit the preferences of individual customers, such as focusing a search on the cheapest fare, fastest route or most convenient travel time.
atp Corporate Traveller
atp Corporate Traveller: "Corporate Traveller receives the 2004 Agent Achievement Award's honor of Best Bookable E-commerce Site"
Hitwise United Kingdom List
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
Top 10 Global "Travel - Agencies" sites for the week ending 17 April, 2004 based on VISITS (4/20/2004)
1. (8.94 %) Expedia.co.uk http://www.expedia.co.uk
2. (6.22 %) lastminute.com http://www.lastminute.com
3. (4.18 %) Airline Network http://www.netflights.com
4. (3.93 %) Opodo UK http://www.opodo.co.uk
5. (3.89 %) MyTravel UK http://www.uk.mytravel.com
6. (2.34 %) Expedia.com http://www.expedia.com
7. (2.23 %) Thomson Holidays http://www.thomson-holidays.com
8. (2.08 %) Cheapflights.co.uk http://www.cheapflights.co.uk
9. (2.05 %) Teletext Holidays http://www.teletextholidays.co.uk
10. (1.87 %) First Choice http://www.firstchoice.co.uk
Top 10 Global "Travel - Agencies" sites for the week ending 17 April, 2004 based on VISITS (4/20/2004)
1. (8.94 %) Expedia.co.uk http://www.expedia.co.uk
2. (6.22 %) lastminute.com http://www.lastminute.com
3. (4.18 %) Airline Network http://www.netflights.com
4. (3.93 %) Opodo UK http://www.opodo.co.uk
5. (3.89 %) MyTravel UK http://www.uk.mytravel.com
6. (2.34 %) Expedia.com http://www.expedia.com
7. (2.23 %) Thomson Holidays http://www.thomson-holidays.com
8. (2.08 %) Cheapflights.co.uk http://www.cheapflights.co.uk
9. (2.05 %) Teletext Holidays http://www.teletextholidays.co.uk
10. (1.87 %) First Choice http://www.firstchoice.co.uk
Friday, April 16, 2004
Lastminute incorporates trains into dynamic packaging - 15-Apr-04.
Lastminute incorporates trains into dynamic packaging - 15-Apr-04.: "Lastminute.com has incorporated Eurostar bookings into its self-packaging tool.
The breakthrough means customers searching the UK website for short breaks to Paris, Brussels and Lille will be offered Eurostar train tickets alongside flights.
Lastminute offers self-packaging on its websites in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The online agent claims that it will be the first online travel portal in the UK to integrate Eurostar tickets into its self-packaging product.
Lastminute head of dynamic packaging, Nicky Denvir said: ?DParis is one of our top shortbreak destinations and we anticipate the Eurostar hotel option will be popular with our users.?D"
The breakthrough means customers searching the UK website for short breaks to Paris, Brussels and Lille will be offered Eurostar train tickets alongside flights.
Lastminute offers self-packaging on its websites in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. The online agent claims that it will be the first online travel portal in the UK to integrate Eurostar tickets into its self-packaging product.
Lastminute head of dynamic packaging, Nicky Denvir said: ?DParis is one of our top shortbreak destinations and we anticipate the Eurostar hotel option will be popular with our users.?D"
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Continental to ditch paper tickets - 14-Apr-04.
Continental to ditch paper tickets - 14-Apr-04. Continental Airlines has announced its intention to scrap paper tickets all together by the end of the year.
The airline claims that 95% of domestic customers are already travelling on e-tickets, and 88% of international customers.
A move to 100% e-tickets will reduce loss, theft and paperwork hassles for the airline and its customers according to Continental. Continental says the scrapping of paper tickets will also include multi-carrier interline paper tickets. This means the airline has had to terminate 50 of its 180 interline and baggage agreements with various carriers that don’t have e-ticket capabilities.
The airline claims that 95% of domestic customers are already travelling on e-tickets, and 88% of international customers.
A move to 100% e-tickets will reduce loss, theft and paperwork hassles for the airline and its customers according to Continental. Continental says the scrapping of paper tickets will also include multi-carrier interline paper tickets. This means the airline has had to terminate 50 of its 180 interline and baggage agreements with various carriers that don’t have e-ticket capabilities.
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Hitwise United Kingdom List
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis:
"Top 10 Global "Travel" sites for the week ending 3 April, 2004 based on VISITS (4/13/2004)
1. (4.57 %) Multimap.com http://www.multimap.com
2. (2.80 %) easyJet http://www.easyjet.co.uk
3. (2.59 %) Expedia.co.uk http://www.expedia.co.uk
4. (2.02 %) lastminute.com http://www.lastminute.com
5. (2.00 %) RyanAir.com http://www.ryanair.com
6. (1.93 %) Streetmap.co.uk http://www.streetmap.co.uk
7. (1.66 %) Opodo UK http://www.opodo.co.uk
8. (1.57 %) The Automobile Association UK http://www.theaa.com
9. (1.51 %) British Airways http://www.britishairways.com
10. (1.27 %) National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk"
"Top 10 Global "Travel" sites for the week ending 3 April, 2004 based on VISITS (4/13/2004)
1. (4.57 %) Multimap.com http://www.multimap.com
2. (2.80 %) easyJet http://www.easyjet.co.uk
3. (2.59 %) Expedia.co.uk http://www.expedia.co.uk
4. (2.02 %) lastminute.com http://www.lastminute.com
5. (2.00 %) RyanAir.com http://www.ryanair.com
6. (1.93 %) Streetmap.co.uk http://www.streetmap.co.uk
7. (1.66 %) Opodo UK http://www.opodo.co.uk
8. (1.57 %) The Automobile Association UK http://www.theaa.com
9. (1.51 %) British Airways http://www.britishairways.com
10. (1.27 %) National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk"
vnunet.com Online transport site on track
vnunet.com Online transport site remains on track: "The government's target of a single portal for all travel information, the Transport Direct Portal, is moving closer after the first stage came online last month.
IT services company Atos Origin has completed stage one of the project, designing a system that can link travel information databases in real time."
IT services company Atos Origin has completed stage one of the project, designing a system that can link travel information databases in real time."
Friday, April 09, 2004
Thursday, April 08, 2004
UK destinations
News: "Data from the MSN Search Trends Barometer released today indicate that UK holidaymakers are choosing UK destinations over foreign options. In the run up to Easter, 13 of the top 100 search terms were UK short break destination favourites such as Edinburgh - the highest placed city - Brighton and York."
Malta a popular destination - on the internet Malta is among the most searched destinations by the British on the internet, according to survey results released yesterday. However, the British are keener to discover the delights of places like Yorkshire than find out what more exotic locations have to offer. The MSN Search Trends Barometer for 2003 showed that Blackpool was the most searched-for place on the internet, followed by Bradford. Prague was in third position followed by Edinburgh and Malta was the only other foreign destination listed, at number five. London did not even make it to the top 10!
Highest Climbers Week ending April 2, 2004 MSN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Glastonbury
2. Easter
3. Blackpool
4. cricket
5. Alton Towers
6. Britney Spears
7. Tenerife
8. Lake District
9. Prague
10. Madonna
thisisDevon : Western Morning News : : "Internet hit parade
CORNWALL is among the most searched-for places in the world on the Internet, survey results released yesterday showed. The MSN Search Trends Barometer for 2003 showed that Blackpool was the most searched-for place, followed by Bradford. Prague was third, followed by Edinburgh, with Malta fifth. Cornwall shared sixth spot with Leeds, Brighton, York and the Lake District."
Malta a popular destination - on the internet Malta is among the most searched destinations by the British on the internet, according to survey results released yesterday. However, the British are keener to discover the delights of places like Yorkshire than find out what more exotic locations have to offer. The MSN Search Trends Barometer for 2003 showed that Blackpool was the most searched-for place on the internet, followed by Bradford. Prague was in third position followed by Edinburgh and Malta was the only other foreign destination listed, at number five. London did not even make it to the top 10!
Highest Climbers Week ending April 2, 2004 MSN
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Glastonbury
2. Easter
3. Blackpool
4. cricket
5. Alton Towers
6. Britney Spears
7. Tenerife
8. Lake District
9. Prague
10. Madonna
thisisDevon : Western Morning News : : "Internet hit parade
CORNWALL is among the most searched-for places in the world on the Internet, survey results released yesterday showed. The MSN Search Trends Barometer for 2003 showed that Blackpool was the most searched-for place, followed by Bradford. Prague was third, followed by Edinburgh, with Malta fifth. Cornwall shared sixth spot with Leeds, Brighton, York and the Lake District."
Top 10 UK 'Aviation' sites
Airlines: Features: "5/April/2004
Top 10 UK 'Aviation' sites for the week ending 27 March, 2004, based on visits.
1. (22.51 %) easyJet http://www.easyjet.co.uk
2. (15.55 %) RyanAir.com http://www.ryanair.com
3. (11.97 %) British Airways http://www.britishairways.com
4. (5.88 %) bmibaby http://www.bmibaby.com
5. (5.17 %) FlyBE.com http://www.flybe.com
6. (4.50 %) BMI British Midlands http://www.flybmi.com
7. (3.22 %) BAA http://www.baa.co.uk
8. (2.80 %) Monarch Airlines http://www.flymonarch.com
9. (2.42 %) Thomson Flights http://www.thomsonflights.com
10. (2.32 %) MyTravelLite.com http://www.mytravellite.com
Provided by Hitwise "
Top 10 UK 'Aviation' sites for the week ending 27 March, 2004, based on visits.
1. (22.51 %) easyJet http://www.easyjet.co.uk
2. (15.55 %) RyanAir.com http://www.ryanair.com
3. (11.97 %) British Airways http://www.britishairways.com
4. (5.88 %) bmibaby http://www.bmibaby.com
5. (5.17 %) FlyBE.com http://www.flybe.com
6. (4.50 %) BMI British Midlands http://www.flybmi.com
7. (3.22 %) BAA http://www.baa.co.uk
8. (2.80 %) Monarch Airlines http://www.flymonarch.com
9. (2.42 %) Thomson Flights http://www.thomsonflights.com
10. (2.32 %) MyTravelLite.com http://www.mytravellite.com
Provided by Hitwise "
National Express Group Announces New Brand Name
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis National Express Group PLC has commenced operation of the new Greater Anglia franchise, incorporating Anglia, Great Eastern, West Anglia and Stansted Express. (4/8/2004)
‘One’, (operated by National Express) will be the new brand name for the franchise to reflect the new integrated and seamless operation which is being introduced across East Anglia operating out of one London terminal (Liverpool Street).
‘One’ is about unity, clear direction and clear responsibilities, and the introduction of one single management structure to lead the new business.
www.nationalexpressgroup.com
‘One’, (operated by National Express) will be the new brand name for the franchise to reflect the new integrated and seamless operation which is being introduced across East Anglia operating out of one London terminal (Liverpool Street).
‘One’ is about unity, clear direction and clear responsibilities, and the introduction of one single management structure to lead the new business.
www.nationalexpressgroup.com
UK inbound tourism prospects improve - 08-Apr-04.
UK inbound tourism prospects improve - 08-Apr-04.: "More than 3.5 million people visited the UK in the first two months of the year, a 10% rise on the same period in 2003, latest figures from VisitBritain show.
The increase came on the back of campaigns by the tourist office and industry partners, including a six-month European short break campaign which attracted 1.75 million potential visitors from 11 countries to website featuring the promotion. A push in the US for out of season trips saw three night city breaks being sold for $278 including return flights.
If demand is maintained then VisitBritain’s forecast of a 3.3% rise in visits and a 3.4% increase in spending this year “look achievable”, according to Mr Wright."
The increase came on the back of campaigns by the tourist office and industry partners, including a six-month European short break campaign which attracted 1.75 million potential visitors from 11 countries to website featuring the promotion. A push in the US for out of season trips saw three night city breaks being sold for $278 including return flights.
If demand is maintained then VisitBritain’s forecast of a 3.3% rise in visits and a 3.4% increase in spending this year “look achievable”, according to Mr Wright."
Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Keeping Tabs on Travel Industry Online
Keeping Tabs on Travel Industry Online
Keynote Systems monitored the transaction response times on and success rates of 25 leading US travel, airline and hotel Web sites during the week of 22 March 2004 and determined that Continental, Southwest and American Airlines’ sites are the most responsive airline sites with response times of 6.97 seconds, 7.87 seconds and 8.61 seconds, respectively..
Travel agency sites displayed longer transaction response times than airline sites, with Hotels.com and Expedia.com leading the pack with respective response times of 18.04 seconds and 22.52 seconds. Helping give some perspective to the Keynote response times, Webmetrics reports this month that with a load time of 0.83 seconds, Google leads all Web sites in page load time. Gator.com follows Google with a load time of 1.31 seconds and AltaVista.com rounds out third place last month, with a load time of 1.48 seconds.
I have the full article off-line...
Keynote Systems monitored the transaction response times on and success rates of 25 leading US travel, airline and hotel Web sites during the week of 22 March 2004 and determined that Continental, Southwest and American Airlines’ sites are the most responsive airline sites with response times of 6.97 seconds, 7.87 seconds and 8.61 seconds, respectively..
Travel agency sites displayed longer transaction response times than airline sites, with Hotels.com and Expedia.com leading the pack with respective response times of 18.04 seconds and 22.52 seconds. Helping give some perspective to the Keynote response times, Webmetrics reports this month that with a load time of 0.83 seconds, Google leads all Web sites in page load time. Gator.com follows Google with a load time of 1.31 seconds and AltaVista.com rounds out third place last month, with a load time of 1.48 seconds.
I have the full article off-line...
Top 10 "Travel - Transport" sites for the week ending 27 March, 2004
eyefortravel.com
1. (10.79 %) easyJet http://www.easyjet.co.uk
2. (7.45 %) RyanAir.com http://www.ryanair.com
3. (5.74 %) British Airways http://www.britishairways.com
4. (5.16 %) National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
5. (3.15 %) The TrainLine http://www.thetrainline.com
6. (2.82 %) bmibaby http://www.bmibaby.com
7. (2.56 %) Thetrainline Store http://www.thetrainlinestore.com
8. (2.48 %) FlyBE.com http://www.flybe.com
9. (2.23 %) RAC http://www.rac.co.uk
10. (2.16 %) BMI British Midlands http://www.flybmi.com
1. (10.79 %) easyJet http://www.easyjet.co.uk
2. (7.45 %) RyanAir.com http://www.ryanair.com
3. (5.74 %) British Airways http://www.britishairways.com
4. (5.16 %) National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
5. (3.15 %) The TrainLine http://www.thetrainline.com
6. (2.82 %) bmibaby http://www.bmibaby.com
7. (2.56 %) Thetrainline Store http://www.thetrainlinestore.com
8. (2.48 %) FlyBE.com http://www.flybe.com
9. (2.23 %) RAC http://www.rac.co.uk
10. (2.16 %) BMI British Midlands http://www.flybmi.com
More acquisitions...Cendant Acquires Flairview Travel
eyefortravel.com - Cendant Acquires Flairview Travel
Cendant TDS will gain access to Flairview Travel’s network of 7,000 hotel partners worldwide and tap into existing distribution channels including 6,000 affiliate partner and 7,000 travel agents.
It will also allow TDS to distribute this rich international hotel content through its many other channels, strengthening value it brings to its customers in key European and Asia Pacific markets.
www.HotelClub.com
www.RatesToGo.com
Cendant TDS will gain access to Flairview Travel’s network of 7,000 hotel partners worldwide and tap into existing distribution channels including 6,000 affiliate partner and 7,000 travel agents.
It will also allow TDS to distribute this rich international hotel content through its many other channels, strengthening value it brings to its customers in key European and Asia Pacific markets.
www.HotelClub.com
www.RatesToGo.com
Monday, April 05, 2004
Cendant FT.com
FT.com / Industries / Internet & e-commerce:
"Cendant, the world's largest franchiser of hotels, capped a week of industry consolidation with the purchase of an Australian online hotel room distributor.
The move follows European acquisitions this week by Expedia and Travelocity, two of the biggest US online travel agencies.
Travel is the largest consumer spending category on the internet. In a new report released this week, Forrester Research said it expected $53bn in online leisure travel sales this year in the US alone. The latest forecast is dramatically higher than the $34bn in 2004 sales that Forrester projected in 2002.
Cendant's announcement came a day after Travelocity said it would acquire German online travel site, travelchannel.de. Last month Travelocity also bought Boomerang Voyages, a French tour operator. Earlier this week Expedia announced the purchase of Egencia, a Paris-based online corporate travel company. The wave of acquisitions signals efforts by US online travel companies to break into new, growing markets.
'This is part of the ongoing attempt to expand abroad. The US market is mature and fairly saturated,' said Henry Harteveldt, analyst with Forrester. 'New growth will take place outside US borders. Europe, Australia and Asia will be the biggest markets.'"
"Cendant, the world's largest franchiser of hotels, capped a week of industry consolidation with the purchase of an Australian online hotel room distributor.
The move follows European acquisitions this week by Expedia and Travelocity, two of the biggest US online travel agencies.
Travel is the largest consumer spending category on the internet. In a new report released this week, Forrester Research said it expected $53bn in online leisure travel sales this year in the US alone. The latest forecast is dramatically higher than the $34bn in 2004 sales that Forrester projected in 2002.
Cendant's announcement came a day after Travelocity said it would acquire German online travel site, travelchannel.de. Last month Travelocity also bought Boomerang Voyages, a French tour operator. Earlier this week Expedia announced the purchase of Egencia, a Paris-based online corporate travel company. The wave of acquisitions signals efforts by US online travel companies to break into new, growing markets.
'This is part of the ongoing attempt to expand abroad. The US market is mature and fairly saturated,' said Henry Harteveldt, analyst with Forrester. 'New growth will take place outside US borders. Europe, Australia and Asia will be the biggest markets.'"
Friday, April 02, 2004
Hitwise Highlights from Online Travel Sector Report
ONLINE TRAVEL AGENCY CATEGORY INCREASES
Leading Agency websites lose share to competition
March 26, 2004 – New York – Hitwise, the world’s leading online competitive intelligence service has released the latest Industry Report on the Online Travel sector. Key highlights from this report include:
· The market share of visits to Travel sites in the U.S. (compared with all Internet sites) has grown over 28% from January 2003 to February 2004. Since December 2003, market share of visits in the Travel category has increased over 38%.
· Growth in market share of visits by sub-category, was led by Destinations and Accommodations with 128% growth from January 2003 to February 2004. The Transport and Agencies sub-categories achieved a 35% and 29% growth in market share during that same period, respectively.
· While the market share of the Travel – Agencies sub-category is increasing, the major agency sites; Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz, are losing market share to sites such as Trip Advisor, Cheap Tickets and Hotwire.
· Over 30% of all visits to sites in the Travel category are referred from other Travel related sites. Over 45% of visits leaving a site within the Travel category are going to another Travel related site.
· The Travel category is recording a relatively small percentage of traffic from Email Services, indicating that online travel vendors are not currently leveraging web-based electronic mail as the primary means of driving visits to their sites.
· The Travel category received 30.7% of visits from Search Engines and Directories
· When looking at the top 30 successful search terms for Travel sub-categories, brands are more prevalent for Destinations & Accommodations and Transport than for Agencies. Less than 50% of the top 30 successful terms for Agencies are brand-related whereas Destinations & Accommodations and Transport have 66% and 86% respectively.
· The predominant demographic in the Travel category is: Female (58.3%), over 35 years of age (69.9%), with household earnings over $75,000 per year (41%).
· Cruise Ships and Domestic Airlines do not follow the same trend as the rest of the Travel category for the period May through July 2003.
Site Market Share of visits to Travel sites
maps.yahoo.com 7.61%
www.expedia.com 6.40%
www.travelocity.com 5.09%
www.mapquest.com 4.55%
www.orbitz.com 4.13%
www.southwest.com 2.55%
www.hotwire.com 2.26%
www.cheaptickets.com 1.82%
www.tripadvisor.com 1.81%
travel.yahoo.com 1.75%
Leading Agency websites lose share to competition
March 26, 2004 – New York – Hitwise, the world’s leading online competitive intelligence service has released the latest Industry Report on the Online Travel sector. Key highlights from this report include:
· The market share of visits to Travel sites in the U.S. (compared with all Internet sites) has grown over 28% from January 2003 to February 2004. Since December 2003, market share of visits in the Travel category has increased over 38%.
· Growth in market share of visits by sub-category, was led by Destinations and Accommodations with 128% growth from January 2003 to February 2004. The Transport and Agencies sub-categories achieved a 35% and 29% growth in market share during that same period, respectively.
· While the market share of the Travel – Agencies sub-category is increasing, the major agency sites; Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz, are losing market share to sites such as Trip Advisor, Cheap Tickets and Hotwire.
· Over 30% of all visits to sites in the Travel category are referred from other Travel related sites. Over 45% of visits leaving a site within the Travel category are going to another Travel related site.
· The Travel category is recording a relatively small percentage of traffic from Email Services, indicating that online travel vendors are not currently leveraging web-based electronic mail as the primary means of driving visits to their sites.
· The Travel category received 30.7% of visits from Search Engines and Directories
· When looking at the top 30 successful search terms for Travel sub-categories, brands are more prevalent for Destinations & Accommodations and Transport than for Agencies. Less than 50% of the top 30 successful terms for Agencies are brand-related whereas Destinations & Accommodations and Transport have 66% and 86% respectively.
· The predominant demographic in the Travel category is: Female (58.3%), over 35 years of age (69.9%), with household earnings over $75,000 per year (41%).
· Cruise Ships and Domestic Airlines do not follow the same trend as the rest of the Travel category for the period May through July 2003.
Site Market Share of visits to Travel sites
maps.yahoo.com 7.61%
www.expedia.com 6.40%
www.travelocity.com 5.09%
www.mapquest.com 4.55%
www.orbitz.com 4.13%
www.southwest.com 2.55%
www.hotwire.com 2.26%
www.cheaptickets.com 1.82%
www.tripadvisor.com 1.81%
travel.yahoo.com 1.75%
Thursday, April 01, 2004
top ten third-party Web sites for hotel bookings
TravelCLICK has released results from their 2003 eTRAK report, demonstrating that major hotel chains continue to receive the majority of their Internet reservations through their own brand sites. (10/10/2003)
eTRAK analyses the booking production of central reservation offices (CRO) for 28 major hotel chains. For the first six months of 2003, total Internet reservations showed a growth of 36 percent compared to the same period in 2002.
eTRAK statistics indicate that voice bookings received at reservation offices continue to decline, now representing less than 39% of total reservations processed by CRO’s. GDS distribution continues to dominate Internet third party distribution totals. GDS reservations represent 35.6% of all CRO reservations, compared to the 8.5% of CRO reservations produced by third party Internet sites.
Results from this study can differ with overall hospitality industry performance on the Internet and GDS because eTRAK reflects only the performance of these 28 brands, and only reflect reservations received through a CRO.
For the first six months of 2003, the top ten third-party Web sites for hotel bookings to brand CRO’s were, in order: Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, TravelNow, USA Hotelguide, Lodging.com, WorldRes, and Southwest. Some well- known third party Web distributors, such as Hotels.com, did not place in the top ten on this list because these sites usually obtain rates and inventory directly from individual properties rather than a brand or chain CRO.
eTRAK analyses the booking production of central reservation offices (CRO) for 28 major hotel chains. For the first six months of 2003, total Internet reservations showed a growth of 36 percent compared to the same period in 2002.
eTRAK statistics indicate that voice bookings received at reservation offices continue to decline, now representing less than 39% of total reservations processed by CRO’s. GDS distribution continues to dominate Internet third party distribution totals. GDS reservations represent 35.6% of all CRO reservations, compared to the 8.5% of CRO reservations produced by third party Internet sites.
Results from this study can differ with overall hospitality industry performance on the Internet and GDS because eTRAK reflects only the performance of these 28 brands, and only reflect reservations received through a CRO.
For the first six months of 2003, the top ten third-party Web sites for hotel bookings to brand CRO’s were, in order: Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, TravelNow, USA Hotelguide, Lodging.com, WorldRes, and Southwest. Some well- known third party Web distributors, such as Hotels.com, did not place in the top ten on this list because these sites usually obtain rates and inventory directly from individual properties rather than a brand or chain CRO.
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