eyefortravel.com
"Travel search engine, SideStep, has forged a marketing partnership with Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, the leading hotel company in Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean and the third largest hotelier in Europe. Through this partnership, SideStep will drive consumers directly to Sol Melia's web site to book their travel...
SideStep intends to exchange product, pricing and availability information with Sol Melia via SideStep TotalConnect. With TotalConnect, SideStep can communicate with a partner using the travel provider's preferred protocol, whether this is XML, SOAP, HTTP, CORBA or even EDI."
Monday, January 31, 2005
TravelMole 2005 Web Awards announced - 24-Jan-05.
TravelMole 2005 Web Awards announced - 24-Jan-05.: "Nominations open next week for the TravelMole Travel & Tourism Web Awards 2005."
Travelink adds Galileo content - 28-Jan-05.
Travelink adds Galileo content - 28-Jan-05. Galileo content being incorporated into the Travelink tour operator booking system
Young Brits opt to see the world - 28-Jan-05.
Young Brits opt to see the world - 28-Jan-05.: "Marriage, children and career are being shunned in favour of globe-trotting and adventure by a generation of Brits who would rather set off round the world than settle down."
New US budget airline SkyLink aims for Stansted - 28-Jan-05.
New US budget airline SkyLink aims for Stansted - 28-Jan-05.: "New US budget airline SkyLink aims for Stansted"
Budget Travel increases Internet sales by 3000%
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
"OpenJaw Technologies has successfully delivered an advanced holiday search engine to Budget Travel, a subsidiary of World of TUI. This move forms part of Budget Travel's initiative to maximise Internet sales, and has resulted in an increase of over 3000% in these sales when compared with the same period last year."
"OpenJaw Technologies has successfully delivered an advanced holiday search engine to Budget Travel, a subsidiary of World of TUI. This move forms part of Budget Travel's initiative to maximise Internet sales, and has resulted in an increase of over 3000% in these sales when compared with the same period last year."
Female travellers - Asia’s new spending powerhouse?
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis Asia Travel Tips states that women travellers appear to be Asia’s new spending powerhouse.
Amadeus customises selling tools - 31-Jan-05.
Amadeus customises selling tools - 31-Jan-05.: "Amadeus is to offer tailored systems to the business and lesiure travel sectors.
In what the company claims is a first by the GDS, Amadeus is to offer customised selling tools to agents.
The Vista Business and Vista Leisure components are to be unveiled at this week's Travel Technology and Business Travel shows in London.
Amadeus says it can provide improved access to both GDS and third-party provider content and a single point-of-sale platform through the two Vista offerings."
In what the company claims is a first by the GDS, Amadeus is to offer customised selling tools to agents.
The Vista Business and Vista Leisure components are to be unveiled at this week's Travel Technology and Business Travel shows in London.
Amadeus says it can provide improved access to both GDS and third-party provider content and a single point-of-sale platform through the two Vista offerings."
Ickenham Travel ventures further online - 31-Jan-05.
Ickenham Travel ventures further online - 31-Jan-05.: "Independent agency Ickenham Travel has made a further step online with the creation of an 'online tour operation'.
The company, which recently launched online self-booking business travel system Blueprint, has now develolped a web-based leisure travel arm.
The holiday site - www.letsgo2.com - provides customer with the ability to tailor-make breaks.
Holidays can be dynamically packaged with access to the latest airline and hotel rates.
With bookings also taken by telephone, Ickenham claims letsgo2 provides a combination of flexibility and the ability to speak to a reservations agent to finalise the booking process."
The company, which recently launched online self-booking business travel system Blueprint, has now develolped a web-based leisure travel arm.
The holiday site - www.letsgo2.com - provides customer with the ability to tailor-make breaks.
Holidays can be dynamically packaged with access to the latest airline and hotel rates.
With bookings also taken by telephone, Ickenham claims letsgo2 provides a combination of flexibility and the ability to speak to a reservations agent to finalise the booking process."
Expedia Launches Its Biggest Warm Weather Promotion USA
Yahoo News: "Expedia's warm weather promotion (www.expedia.com/sun) is for travel through March 31, 2005, and, in some cases, as late as April 30"
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Hotel Reservations Click on Brand Sites
Hotel Reservations Click on Brand Sites: "In the world of online hotel bookings, TravelCLICK reports actual brand Web sites are where the majority of online reservations occur.
TravelCLICK's eTRAK report finds that 21.8% of central reservation office (CRO) bookings made at the 30 major hotel brands were made through the brands' Web sites during the first three quarters of 2004, a total which compares to just 3.9% made at retail Web sites and 2.3% made at opaque sites like Priceline.com. Specifically, online bookings at brand sites represented over 71% of centrally booked Internet reservations.
In total, eTRAK finds that during the first three quarters of 2004, just under 66% of CRO hotel bookings were made electronically"
TravelCLICK's eTRAK report finds that 21.8% of central reservation office (CRO) bookings made at the 30 major hotel brands were made through the brands' Web sites during the first three quarters of 2004, a total which compares to just 3.9% made at retail Web sites and 2.3% made at opaque sites like Priceline.com. Specifically, online bookings at brand sites represented over 71% of centrally booked Internet reservations.
In total, eTRAK finds that during the first three quarters of 2004, just under 66% of CRO hotel bookings were made electronically"
Travelocity Flight Navigator
Internet Travel News
"Consumers have long wondered how to decode the mysteries of airfares and the airline industry. And Travelocity has now given travelers a secret weapon - Flight Navigator(SM) - to become more knowledgeable and in control than ever before in making their flight purchases.
Flight Navigator gives consumers unheard-of-until-now information such as: fare and seat availability, flight and fare details/offers, as well as numerous options for saving money by comparing dates and airports "
Reviewed in 2004 in a "report titled "Travelocity's New Flight Navigator Soars" from Henry Harteveldt, Forrester's lead travel analyst, "Travelocity's enhanced flight shopping interface better meets Web travelers' desire for more information and control... The wide-ranging suite of improvements will help Travelocity to favorably distinguish itself from its competitors."
"Consumers have long wondered how to decode the mysteries of airfares and the airline industry. And Travelocity has now given travelers a secret weapon - Flight Navigator(SM) - to become more knowledgeable and in control than ever before in making their flight purchases.
Flight Navigator gives consumers unheard-of-until-now information such as: fare and seat availability, flight and fare details/offers, as well as numerous options for saving money by comparing dates and airports "
Reviewed in 2004 in a "report titled "Travelocity's New Flight Navigator Soars" from Henry Harteveldt, Forrester's lead travel analyst, "Travelocity's enhanced flight shopping interface better meets Web travelers' desire for more information and control... The wide-ranging suite of improvements will help Travelocity to favorably distinguish itself from its competitors."
RyanAir and easyJet's traffic up
Hitwise
January 2005 looks set to be a bumper month for Europe's second biggest discount airline, easyJet. The cut-price airline recently reported a rapid rise in passenger numbers for December, and Hitwise data reveals a similarly sharp rise in online traffic to the easyJet website for the first week of January. While traffic to the site dipped slightly during the holiday period from December 25 to January 1, the week ending January 8 saw a 20% increase in traffic, with the website's market share increasing from just over 10% to more than 12.2% in the Travel - Transport sector in the space of a week.
easyJet's cut-price competitor, RyanAir, also increased its traffic by 18% in the first week of January, with Hitwise weekly data revealing a leap from 5.9% to almost 7% market share of the Travel - Transport sector between January 1 and January 8.
January 2005 looks set to be a bumper month for Europe's second biggest discount airline, easyJet. The cut-price airline recently reported a rapid rise in passenger numbers for December, and Hitwise data reveals a similarly sharp rise in online traffic to the easyJet website for the first week of January. While traffic to the site dipped slightly during the holiday period from December 25 to January 1, the week ending January 8 saw a 20% increase in traffic, with the website's market share increasing from just over 10% to more than 12.2% in the Travel - Transport sector in the space of a week.
easyJet's cut-price competitor, RyanAir, also increased its traffic by 18% in the first week of January, with Hitwise weekly data revealing a leap from 5.9% to almost 7% market share of the Travel - Transport sector between January 1 and January 8.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Hotels.com to launch new Web site, VacationSpot.com
:: Travel Weekly - The National Newspaper of the Travel Industry ::
" Hotels.com was expected Jan. 24 to launch a new Web site, VacationSpot.com, for booking condos, suites, villas and vacation homes.
The Web site is for consumers and agents, who can earn 5% base commission on bookings. In addition, VacationSpot.com offers a travel agent program, providing credits toward agent stays at the properties.
Hotels.com powers the VacationSpot.com Web site and owns it"
" Hotels.com was expected Jan. 24 to launch a new Web site, VacationSpot.com, for booking condos, suites, villas and vacation homes.
The Web site is for consumers and agents, who can earn 5% base commission on bookings. In addition, VacationSpot.com offers a travel agent program, providing credits toward agent stays at the properties.
Hotels.com powers the VacationSpot.com Web site and owns it"
Friday, January 21, 2005
Diller defends Expedia, Citysearch businesses - Jan. 11, 2005
CNN :: LOS ANGELES (Reuters)
"IAC/InterActiveCorp Chief Executive Barry Diller reaffirmed his support for money-losing corporate Web travel and local Internet search businesses Monday, saying both would soon crack profits and grow big...
"Local is the hardest thing to organize, and God knows we know it. We've been doing it for a long time."
He predicted Citysearch would break even at the end of the first or second quarters of this year. When one conference attendee asked if IAC should get rid of Citysearch, he adamantly opposed the idea. Diller said a critical mass of people was just beginning to use the Web to find local services and information."
"IAC/InterActiveCorp Chief Executive Barry Diller reaffirmed his support for money-losing corporate Web travel and local Internet search businesses Monday, saying both would soon crack profits and grow big...
"Local is the hardest thing to organize, and God knows we know it. We've been doing it for a long time."
He predicted Citysearch would break even at the end of the first or second quarters of this year. When one conference attendee asked if IAC should get rid of Citysearch, he adamantly opposed the idea. Diller said a critical mass of people was just beginning to use the Web to find local services and information."
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Summary TD
Times Online - Business Travel
"Transport Direct is a free, online journey planner for all car, bus, coach, train and air travel throughout the UK. Users key in their departure point, destination and time of travel, and the system displays a range of door-to-door travel options, using both public and private transport. For car journeys, the system selects optimum routes on the basis of historic data on traffic levels and road speeds at various times of the day."
"Transport Direct is a free, online journey planner for all car, bus, coach, train and air travel throughout the UK. Users key in their departure point, destination and time of travel, and the system displays a range of door-to-door travel options, using both public and private transport. For car journeys, the system selects optimum routes on the basis of historic data on traffic levels and road speeds at various times of the day."
Internet Travel News - Cendant TDS to Acquire The Away Network
Internet Travel News - Cendant TDS to Acquire The Away Network: "Cendant Travel Distribution Services (TDS) today announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of The Away Network. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed... Cendant Travel Distribution Services augments its ability to drive traffic, capture advertising revenues and reach travelers earlier in the planning cycle, when they are researching their trips using Away's unique content," said Sam Katz, chairman and CEO of TDS. "Furthermore, we expect The Away Network sites to enhance our capabilities to serve attractive specialty travel markets." "
European online travel sales outstripp US
Internet Travel News - High Street Out of Sync with Internet Explosion: "As big retailers such as Woolworths and Marks & Spencer announce disappointing Christmas profits, the webs e-commerce giants including eBay and Amazon anticipate unprecedented sales figures. But research shows it is the travel industry taking the largest pioneering steps.
European online travel sales finally outstripped the US this Christmas and the UK public represent 36% of the buying power. Forrester Research also noted that for the first time, more affluent shoppers have come online to purchase holidays and spearhead an incredible 44% increase in 2004....
Companies like cheapestflights.co.uk thrive on high speed, fully backed up GraphiterackTM servers"
After some discussion of Cheap flights and a trad High Street agent the article concludes "the e-revolution gathers momentum...UKFast predict that as travel sites get more sophisticated and the public confidence grows the high street will suffer major casualties"
European online travel sales finally outstripped the US this Christmas and the UK public represent 36% of the buying power. Forrester Research also noted that for the first time, more affluent shoppers have come online to purchase holidays and spearhead an incredible 44% increase in 2004....
Companies like cheapestflights.co.uk thrive on high speed, fully backed up GraphiterackTM servers"
After some discussion of Cheap flights and a trad High Street agent the article concludes "the e-revolution gathers momentum...UKFast predict that as travel sites get more sophisticated and the public confidence grows the high street will suffer major casualties"
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Internet Millionaire Re-emerges to Integrate Ground Transportation Industry into Online Travel Market
prweb.com
Recognition that transport info on the internet is maybe going to be ever so slightly successful....even though RideOnTime.com only covers taxis and Limos at present not all forms of the ground transportation industry .
Internet millionaire, Rod Underhill, co-founder of MP3, has accepted the Cheif Operating Officer position at RideOnTime.com.
He states “My goal is to drive results at RideOnTime.com that will dwarf my past achievements at MP3.com, including the $525 million dollar IPO and subsequent $320 million dollar acquisition by Vivendi-Universal,” said Mr. Underhill. RideOnTime.com has finally enabled the integration of the ground transportation industry into the online travel market through the real time provision of fare quotes and estimates for travelers utilizing taxi and limousine services. "
"About RideOnTime.com:
Denver-based www.RideOnTime.com is the first to enable the integration of the ground transportation industry into the online travel market. RideOnTime.com calculates the exact cost for taxi, limousine, and courier services via geo-mapping technology and mathematical algorithms. For more information visit www.RideOnTime.com."
Recognition that transport info on the internet is maybe going to be ever so slightly successful....even though RideOnTime.com only covers taxis and Limos at present not all forms of the ground transportation industry .
Internet millionaire, Rod Underhill, co-founder of MP3, has accepted the Cheif Operating Officer position at RideOnTime.com.
He states “My goal is to drive results at RideOnTime.com that will dwarf my past achievements at MP3.com, including the $525 million dollar IPO and subsequent $320 million dollar acquisition by Vivendi-Universal,” said Mr. Underhill. RideOnTime.com has finally enabled the integration of the ground transportation industry into the online travel market through the real time provision of fare quotes and estimates for travelers utilizing taxi and limousine services. "
"About RideOnTime.com:
Denver-based www.RideOnTime.com is the first to enable the integration of the ground transportation industry into the online travel market. RideOnTime.com calculates the exact cost for taxi, limousine, and courier services via geo-mapping technology and mathematical algorithms. For more information visit www.RideOnTime.com."
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
LA Hotel Tax and Online Travel Sites
:: Travel Weekly ::
Update: "Web wholesalers and retailers have encountered problems with tax authorities in several jurisdictions and are negotiating with some, but the Los Angeles case is believed to be the first one to land in court.
“This challenges the opacity of the way fees are levied right now,” said Henry Harteveldt, Forrester Research’s vice president of travel research, referring to the bundling of taxes and fees.
The end result, he said, may be that “the intermediary will be required to list taxes as a line item and fees as another -- and that will mean that the fees will have to come down.”
Online agencies are aware of the dimensions of their potential tax liabilities. InterActiveCorp, Sabre and Orbitz have reserves to deal with the problem. "
Update: "Web wholesalers and retailers have encountered problems with tax authorities in several jurisdictions and are negotiating with some, but the Los Angeles case is believed to be the first one to land in court.
“This challenges the opacity of the way fees are levied right now,” said Henry Harteveldt, Forrester Research’s vice president of travel research, referring to the bundling of taxes and fees.
The end result, he said, may be that “the intermediary will be required to list taxes as a line item and fees as another -- and that will mean that the fees will have to come down.”
Online agencies are aware of the dimensions of their potential tax liabilities. InterActiveCorp, Sabre and Orbitz have reserves to deal with the problem. "
Transport Direct - more
Transport Direct
From the TD website: "Transport Direct is unique in that you can:
Find the quickest car route that takes into account predicted traffic levels at different times of the day so that you can make informed decisions about when to travel and what route to take.
Main features:
Find fares for train and coach journeys.
Buy train and coach tickets from our affiliated retail sites without having to re-enter your details.
Check Live travel information on the live departure boards for all 2500 national rail stations.
Check 'Live travel' information for roadworks and congestion.
Transport Direct is currently available on any browser-enabled device but in future its services will be made available via internet-enabled mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), as well as being embedded in other websites and public touch-screen kiosks."
The site also features "Inspirational Places" which seems designed as an attempt to get search engine listings and traffic by using content which will be added to by users votes. The few listed link out to Visitbritain NB some links are faulty
Transport Direct Live News
Has traffic and travel updates for roads and public transport. A useful feature but is it any better than other updates especially for people in transit?
The other live information is Departure boards which merely links out to bus info for a few areas and National Rail.
Search for train journeys: The train time details are embedded/ own label for branding and has some useful sort features with "print" button available throughout. But the user than has to select a journey from a long page and click through to available ticket sellers - clunky and confusing. More clicks and scrolling than accessing Trainline via Totaltravel
Quick planners are available for
Train, Flight, Coach, Car, City-to-city,Station/Airport
I searched for flights from Manchester airport to Leeds, this is where it is really clunky, most of the information buttons have no info, those that do usually involve another click to a link out and to get from Manchester to Leeds it proposed flying via Heathrow...this may be the "best alternative" by their auto sort but could offer briefs and links to other options rather than just spit out garbage.
Coach planner locked
Trains, again poor page layout and extra clicks needed, action paths not intuitive
I do like the map tab/ feature for journey search results
IndustryWatch post up the article from The Mail on Sunday.
So Does This Dotcom Door-to-Door Route Planner Really Work? ; The Crafty Traveller,REVIEW
Source: Mail on Sunday; London (UK)
Publication date: 2005-01-16
"The idea is that you can plan door-to-door journeys using different forms of public transport, and compare journeys by public transport and by car. The door-to-door planner seems pretty amazing. Pick two points domestic addresses, postcodes or places such as stations and say the time you want to leave or arrive. "
The reviewer notes that: "I thought the website was pretty user-friendly" BUT It's worth going through the detailed Help/ FAQ section before diving in to learn how to get the best out of it"
Hmm, bit of a contradiction and I would add that to use it effectively a high degree of local knowledge is a prerequisite - for visitors Totaltravel provides some such knowledge which is enhanced by the "funky maps" showing attractions, hotels etc. The TD interactive maps have symbols for all types of transport, accommodation and attractions, Health, Education, Public buildings & services but click or hover the majority and there is no further information or links to hotels, attractions etc.
From the TD website: "Transport Direct is unique in that you can:
Find the quickest car route that takes into account predicted traffic levels at different times of the day so that you can make informed decisions about when to travel and what route to take.
Main features:
Find fares for train and coach journeys.
Buy train and coach tickets from our affiliated retail sites without having to re-enter your details.
Check Live travel information on the live departure boards for all 2500 national rail stations.
Check 'Live travel' information for roadworks and congestion.
Transport Direct is currently available on any browser-enabled device but in future its services will be made available via internet-enabled mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), as well as being embedded in other websites and public touch-screen kiosks."
The site also features "Inspirational Places" which seems designed as an attempt to get search engine listings and traffic by using content which will be added to by users votes. The few listed link out to Visitbritain NB some links are faulty
Transport Direct Live News
Has traffic and travel updates for roads and public transport. A useful feature but is it any better than other updates especially for people in transit?
The other live information is Departure boards which merely links out to bus info for a few areas and National Rail.
Search for train journeys: The train time details are embedded/ own label for branding and has some useful sort features with "print" button available throughout. But the user than has to select a journey from a long page and click through to available ticket sellers - clunky and confusing. More clicks and scrolling than accessing Trainline via Totaltravel
Quick planners are available for
Train, Flight, Coach, Car, City-to-city,Station/Airport
I searched for flights from Manchester airport to Leeds, this is where it is really clunky, most of the information buttons have no info, those that do usually involve another click to a link out and to get from Manchester to Leeds it proposed flying via Heathrow...this may be the "best alternative" by their auto sort but could offer briefs and links to other options rather than just spit out garbage.
Coach planner locked
Trains, again poor page layout and extra clicks needed, action paths not intuitive
I do like the map tab/ feature for journey search results
IndustryWatch post up the article from The Mail on Sunday.
So Does This Dotcom Door-to-Door Route Planner Really Work? ; The Crafty Traveller,REVIEW
Source: Mail on Sunday; London (UK)
Publication date: 2005-01-16
"The idea is that you can plan door-to-door journeys using different forms of public transport, and compare journeys by public transport and by car. The door-to-door planner seems pretty amazing. Pick two points domestic addresses, postcodes or places such as stations and say the time you want to leave or arrive. "
The reviewer notes that: "I thought the website was pretty user-friendly" BUT It's worth going through the detailed Help/ FAQ section before diving in to learn how to get the best out of it"
Hmm, bit of a contradiction and I would add that to use it effectively a high degree of local knowledge is a prerequisite - for visitors Totaltravel provides some such knowledge which is enhanced by the "funky maps" showing attractions, hotels etc. The TD interactive maps have symbols for all types of transport, accommodation and attractions, Health, Education, Public buildings & services but click or hover the majority and there is no further information or links to hotels, attractions etc.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Flight Centre launches UK call centre
travelmole.com
"Flight Centre has poached an ebookers executive to head its UK call centre. David Howells was with ebookers for nine years, where he worked his way up from consultant to call centre manager in charge of 80 staff.... Mr Howells will oversee the launch of the New Malden-based centre, which will have 20 staff by the end of March 2005. He will report to UK e-commerce director, Brett Warbrick
The call centre staff will take bookings out of shop hours and will act as sales support for Flight Centre’s high street consultants, as well as dealing with enquiries that come in by email."
"Flight Centre has poached an ebookers executive to head its UK call centre. David Howells was with ebookers for nine years, where he worked his way up from consultant to call centre manager in charge of 80 staff.... Mr Howells will oversee the launch of the New Malden-based centre, which will have 20 staff by the end of March 2005. He will report to UK e-commerce director, Brett Warbrick
The call centre staff will take bookings out of shop hours and will act as sales support for Flight Centre’s high street consultants, as well as dealing with enquiries that come in by email."
Good new year for travel websites - Hitwise
travelmole.com
The following seems to mainly be visits to sites selling European holiday packages although the article also details rises in visitors to Easyjet and Ryanair which reflects higher usage and purchases on online travel sites.
"UK visits to travel websites in the first week of January were up 14% against the same week in 2004. According to online competitive intelligence service Hitwise, travel websites have received a significant boost in traffic as Britons look to escape the dismal winter weather. "
The following seems to mainly be visits to sites selling European holiday packages although the article also details rises in visitors to Easyjet and Ryanair which reflects higher usage and purchases on online travel sites.
"UK visits to travel websites in the first week of January were up 14% against the same week in 2004. According to online competitive intelligence service Hitwise, travel websites have received a significant boost in traffic as Britons look to escape the dismal winter weather. "
Australian Acqi=uisitions news
Travel Daily News
"TQ3Navigant Travel Solutions, a 50% owner of TQ3 Travel Solutions, has agreed to purchase SYNERGI Travel Australia Pty Ltd., Australia`s 4th largest Travel Management Company (TMC), and SYNERGI Travel New Zealand Ltd., New Zealand`s 2nd largest TMC.
These companies will join the TQ3 global network and will provide TQ3 with a strong presence in the key markets of Australia and New Zealand and the wider Pacific region. With a combined turnover of approximately USD$270m, SYNERGI Travel is headquartered in Sydney and Auckland, with offices in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Wellington, Palmerston North and Christchurch. "
"TQ3Navigant Travel Solutions, a 50% owner of TQ3 Travel Solutions, has agreed to purchase SYNERGI Travel Australia Pty Ltd., Australia`s 4th largest Travel Management Company (TMC), and SYNERGI Travel New Zealand Ltd., New Zealand`s 2nd largest TMC.
These companies will join the TQ3 global network and will provide TQ3 with a strong presence in the key markets of Australia and New Zealand and the wider Pacific region. With a combined turnover of approximately USD$270m, SYNERGI Travel is headquartered in Sydney and Auckland, with offices in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Wellington, Palmerston North and Christchurch. "
Cendant buy Away Network
Travel Daily News
"Cendant Travel Distribution Services, announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of The Away Network , a leader in online special interest travel."
Sam Katz, chairman and CEO of TDS said The Away Network would increase their market share with " its ability to drive traffic, capture advertising revenues and reach travelers earlier in the planning cycle, when they are researching their trips using Away’s unique content...Furthermore, we expect The Away Network sites to enhance our capabilities to serve attractive specialty travel markets.”
"Away Network operates three sites: Away.com, GORP.com (Great Outdoor Recreation Pages) and Outside Online, the website of Outside Magazine. Combined, these sites averaged nearly 2 million unique visitors a month in 2004, according to Comscore Media Metrix. Away Network sites offer more than 50,000 pages of travel content, including destination and activity guides and maps, gear reviews and feature articles published by Outside Magazine"
"Cendant Travel Distribution Services, announced that it has acquired substantially all of the assets of The Away Network , a leader in online special interest travel."
Sam Katz, chairman and CEO of TDS said The Away Network would increase their market share with " its ability to drive traffic, capture advertising revenues and reach travelers earlier in the planning cycle, when they are researching their trips using Away’s unique content...Furthermore, we expect The Away Network sites to enhance our capabilities to serve attractive specialty travel markets.”
"Away Network operates three sites: Away.com, GORP.com (Great Outdoor Recreation Pages) and Outside Online, the website of Outside Magazine. Combined, these sites averaged nearly 2 million unique visitors a month in 2004, according to Comscore Media Metrix. Away Network sites offer more than 50,000 pages of travel content, including destination and activity guides and maps, gear reviews and feature articles published by Outside Magazine"
The Comparison-Shopping Shakeout
Forrester Research
This research and conclusion can be applied to travel comparison sites also.
"Use of comparison-shopping sites rose from 2003 to 2004, but problems still lurk on the horizon. Most pressing is comparison-shopping sites' over-reliance on portals for both traffic and revenue. Portal comparison-shopping tools like Yahoo! Shopping and Froogle have the scope and resources to dominate pure plays. This arduous competition means that most pure-play comparison-shopping sites must cozy up to a potential acquirer, focus on a specific niche, or risk extinction. "
This research and conclusion can be applied to travel comparison sites also.
"Use of comparison-shopping sites rose from 2003 to 2004, but problems still lurk on the horizon. Most pressing is comparison-shopping sites' over-reliance on portals for both traffic and revenue. Portal comparison-shopping tools like Yahoo! Shopping and Froogle have the scope and resources to dominate pure plays. This arduous competition means that most pure-play comparison-shopping sites must cozy up to a potential acquirer, focus on a specific niche, or risk extinction. "
Transport Direct comments & reviews
The public launch of Transport Direct (TD) has not passed by un-noticed by me or the mediawith a number of press reviews and tests having already being published.
Peter Connell site states that "The ONLY EFFECTIVE MULTIMODAL NATIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT DATABASE" is his creation Xephos which I reviewed a while ago.
On TD he says: "Ugh! If traveline isn't bad enough for you, then you can always try Transport Direct."
Peter White of www.internet.xephos.com posts his view at Transport 2000 calling attention to the "atrocious waste of time that is Transport Direct. The data is often out of date and its answers usually wrong. Around 50 million of taxpayers` money (mine and yours) is being wasted on this project. Our xephos system (which does work and is much acclaimed in the press) is dying for lack of a finacial backer. Why should this be?"
Tests, views, links to other reviews etc to follow ASAP however from my reading so far the conclusion seems to be that for reliable information it is still best to check with the individual transport suppliers than use TD.
Transport 2000 Mission Statement
"Transport 2000 is the independent national body concerned with sustainable transport. It looks for answers to transport problems and aims to reduce the environmental and social impact of transport by encouraging less use of cars and more use of public transport, walking and cycling.
Transport 2000's vision is of a country where traffic no longer dominates our lives, where many of our journeys can be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport and where you don't need a car to enjoy the countryside or city life."
System Concepts
Presentation with details of testing for accessibility tests with lists of issues and challenges from the development teams perspective as well as users.
"Conclusion – Allison Tynan
The Transport Direct website is continuously evolving. Since we carried out our accessibility work, a new version of the website has been released. We believe that further releases will include the recommendations from the redesign and the resolution of other issues. More accessibility input is planned for 2005."
She especially highlights:
"The importance of considering accessibility early in the design lifecycle
The importance of working cooperatively with other specialists, e.g. accessibility and usability
Ensuring the dissemination and assimilation of accessibility knowledge throughout the development team
Ensuring familiarity with assistive technologies and the appropriate quality standards"
Telegraph | Prescott's 50m travel site is a waste of time By Paul Marston, Transport Correspondent"
Guardian Unlimited
"Farcical advice of Labour's 50m travel website: Mark Townsend, transport correspondent Sunday January 16, 2005: Far from guiding travellers along the fastest route from A to B anywhere in Britain, the planner leaves them camping overnight at remote train stations or stranded for hours at bus stops. Routes that should take two hours can end up taking seven times as long.
Tests by The Observer on a random sample of journeys found that, although some routes could be broadly described as sensible, much of the advice is farcical...
Critics also claim it fails to account for rush-hour congestion. It tells motorists they can negotiate 12 miles from east to west London at 8am on a weekday in 53 minutes, a feat which those who regularly drive the route can only dream of.
Trials of the system last year offered a warning of what may follow, with complaints about its slowness and erratic data leading to major tweaks before its low-key release on New Year's Eve."
Netimperative
Technical details:
"Transport Direct was developed in conjunction with IT and business services company Atos Origin....
Atos designed, built and continues to operate the technology behind the portal.
Atos also co-ordinated the overall project management and led the consortium of suppliers; Microsoft provided the .NET framework, Atkins provided the journey planning software; BBC Technology designed the user front-end; ESRI (UK) delivered the mapping software and solutions; and RTEL supplied air information solutions."
:: PublicTechnology.net ::
Article has further details about Transport Direct: "It has an advisory board, made up of key transport industry players, which oversees the direction and delivery of the Transport Direct programme. There's also a sounding board, comprising senior transport and travel stakeholders, provides operational advice and support.
Also involved, with data, technology, expertise and other essential contributions are transport service operators; all 141 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales; traveline; Ordnance Survey; thetrainline; ATOC; Highways Agency; Traffic Wales; NADICS and orthers.
Functionality-wise, Transport Direct differs to other travel information services by:
> The ability to compare car journeys with available public transport options
> Transport Direct points the way forward in joining up disparate sources of travel information, rather than simply adding to what is already available.
> Transport Direct's road journey plans take into account predicted traffic levels for key roads and, where severe, advise alternative routes.
> Users can buy rail and coach tickets on partners' web sites without re-entering journey details
technical stats include:
> Over 27 million addresses.
> Over 330,000 bus stops.
> Over 3 million road intersections.
> 300 gigabytes of map data.
> Links to railway station departure boards and information pages and bus real-time information sites.
> The ability to set travel preferences (e.g. specifying how fast you are prepared to walk between interchanges) and save favourite journeys.
> Interaction with up to 13 external web sites for each enquiry. "
Peter Connell site states that "The ONLY EFFECTIVE MULTIMODAL NATIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORT DATABASE" is his creation Xephos which I reviewed a while ago.
On TD he says: "Ugh! If traveline isn't bad enough for you, then you can always try Transport Direct."
Peter White of www.internet.xephos.com posts his view at Transport 2000 calling attention to the "atrocious waste of time that is Transport Direct. The data is often out of date and its answers usually wrong. Around 50 million of taxpayers` money (mine and yours) is being wasted on this project. Our xephos system (which does work and is much acclaimed in the press) is dying for lack of a finacial backer. Why should this be?"
Tests, views, links to other reviews etc to follow ASAP however from my reading so far the conclusion seems to be that for reliable information it is still best to check with the individual transport suppliers than use TD.
Transport 2000 Mission Statement
"Transport 2000 is the independent national body concerned with sustainable transport. It looks for answers to transport problems and aims to reduce the environmental and social impact of transport by encouraging less use of cars and more use of public transport, walking and cycling.
Transport 2000's vision is of a country where traffic no longer dominates our lives, where many of our journeys can be made on foot, by cycle or using public transport and where you don't need a car to enjoy the countryside or city life."
System Concepts
Presentation with details of testing for accessibility tests with lists of issues and challenges from the development teams perspective as well as users.
"Conclusion – Allison Tynan
The Transport Direct website is continuously evolving. Since we carried out our accessibility work, a new version of the website has been released. We believe that further releases will include the recommendations from the redesign and the resolution of other issues. More accessibility input is planned for 2005."
She especially highlights:
"The importance of considering accessibility early in the design lifecycle
The importance of working cooperatively with other specialists, e.g. accessibility and usability
Ensuring the dissemination and assimilation of accessibility knowledge throughout the development team
Ensuring familiarity with assistive technologies and the appropriate quality standards"
Telegraph | Prescott's 50m travel site is a waste of time By Paul Marston, Transport Correspondent"
Guardian Unlimited
"Farcical advice of Labour's 50m travel website: Mark Townsend, transport correspondent Sunday January 16, 2005: Far from guiding travellers along the fastest route from A to B anywhere in Britain, the planner leaves them camping overnight at remote train stations or stranded for hours at bus stops. Routes that should take two hours can end up taking seven times as long.
Tests by The Observer on a random sample of journeys found that, although some routes could be broadly described as sensible, much of the advice is farcical...
Critics also claim it fails to account for rush-hour congestion. It tells motorists they can negotiate 12 miles from east to west London at 8am on a weekday in 53 minutes, a feat which those who regularly drive the route can only dream of.
Trials of the system last year offered a warning of what may follow, with complaints about its slowness and erratic data leading to major tweaks before its low-key release on New Year's Eve."
Netimperative
Technical details:
"Transport Direct was developed in conjunction with IT and business services company Atos Origin....
Atos designed, built and continues to operate the technology behind the portal.
Atos also co-ordinated the overall project management and led the consortium of suppliers; Microsoft provided the .NET framework, Atkins provided the journey planning software; BBC Technology designed the user front-end; ESRI (UK) delivered the mapping software and solutions; and RTEL supplied air information solutions."
:: PublicTechnology.net ::
Article has further details about Transport Direct: "It has an advisory board, made up of key transport industry players, which oversees the direction and delivery of the Transport Direct programme. There's also a sounding board, comprising senior transport and travel stakeholders, provides operational advice and support.
Also involved, with data, technology, expertise and other essential contributions are transport service operators; all 141 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales; traveline; Ordnance Survey; thetrainline; ATOC; Highways Agency; Traffic Wales; NADICS and orthers.
Functionality-wise, Transport Direct differs to other travel information services by:
> The ability to compare car journeys with available public transport options
> Transport Direct points the way forward in joining up disparate sources of travel information, rather than simply adding to what is already available.
> Transport Direct's road journey plans take into account predicted traffic levels for key roads and, where severe, advise alternative routes.
> Users can buy rail and coach tickets on partners' web sites without re-entering journey details
technical stats include:
> Over 27 million addresses.
> Over 330,000 bus stops.
> Over 3 million road intersections.
> 300 gigabytes of map data.
> Links to railway station departure boards and information pages and bus real-time information sites.
> The ability to set travel preferences (e.g. specifying how fast you are prepared to walk between interchanges) and save favourite journeys.
> Interaction with up to 13 external web sites for each enquiry. "
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Virgin Express Airline to drop commissions to travel agents
cbs.marketwatch NewsFinder
"Brussels-based European chartered airline group Virgin Express said it will stop paying commissions to travel agents starting on April 1. 'In recent months most of our competitors have reduced their commission levels to 0 percent. This important change in conditions in a very competitive market forces us to move away from our previous practices,' it said."
"Brussels-based European chartered airline group Virgin Express said it will stop paying commissions to travel agents starting on April 1. 'In recent months most of our competitors have reduced their commission levels to 0 percent. This important change in conditions in a very competitive market forces us to move away from our previous practices,' it said."
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Amadeus: Worldspan merger out of picture for now
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
"According to business travel newswire, The Beat, Amadeus has confirmed that its major owners agreed with British private equity firms, BC Partners and Cinven, to take the Spanish global distribution system provider private."
"Word is that the merger of Amadeus and Worldspan will happen eventually - "questions revolve around who would control the merged company and what they would pay...
For further information on this development, you will need to access The Beat at www.businesstravelbeat.com."
J: Trial available at the Beat
"According to business travel newswire, The Beat, Amadeus has confirmed that its major owners agreed with British private equity firms, BC Partners and Cinven, to take the Spanish global distribution system provider private."
"Word is that the merger of Amadeus and Worldspan will happen eventually - "questions revolve around who would control the merged company and what they would pay...
For further information on this development, you will need to access The Beat at www.businesstravelbeat.com."
J: Trial available at the Beat
Travel Lists - Chat with an editor
travmedia.com Publish Travel Lists press release which states that "Travel-Lists subscribers can chat live to an editor while researching travel companies"
Trav Media notes "Travel-Lists is a subscription-driven consumer travel directory with over 150 lists of travel companies and organisations in the UK and overseas. Users pay £5.99 per annum for access to the premium pages.
Unlike all other directories, Travel-Lists does not offer automatic paid-for inclusion, does not charge for reviewing site submissions, does not directly accept advertising, does not enter into affiliations nor accept commissions on referrals, and does not engage in link exchanges - making it ‘the only truly independent travel directory on the Internet’."
Travel Lists - Expert directory of holiday tour operators & travel companies
Describe themselves as "
a subscription-based Expert Directory for British holiday-makers and travellers who want a simple, accurate & comprehensive list of the most relevant travel companies to browse"
Site descrition reads: " Travel News and Ideas for British Business & Leisure Travellers. News briefs on tourism, destinations, airlines, hotels, resorts, ferries, tour operators, attractions, cruises, and ski."
Live chat provided by providesupport.com
Subscription for access to full lists is £5.99 (inc VAT) per year (Users)
Under the heading "Independence" they state "Companies cannot pay to be listed in our directory, or to submit themselves for consideration."
In the next paragraph "Expertise" they state "Some companies that have submitted themselves for inclusion will be rejected because we're not satisfied about their bonding or their status as travel suppliers"
To advertise "Banner advertisements on this site are sold through our default supplier, Valueclick
Contact about any advertising proposal "Only if you have easy-to-use remnant campaigns offering UK-only, travel/tourism-relevant ads."
They do not "do reciprocal links. It's a policy that damages our search-engine rankings, but we feel it injures our credibility and independence worse."
Editorial policy states "Online Agencies. Must be aimed at, or appropriate for, British travellers. The dividing line between a travel agency that has a website and an online travel agency can be a little fuzzy. We really looking for travel websites that have a distinct online brand identity. The ability to complete a transaction online is important but not crucial."
And: "We do look for financial protection schemes (eg. ATOL, AITO Trust, ABTA). An operator or agent without any visible trust protection is unlikely to appear in our lists."
Finally: "You can make submissions to... newsdesk@travel-lists.co.uk Due to the large number of submissions we cannot always guarantee a reply, and we will not enter into correspondence."
Confusingly the top list of destinations does not appear to have UK domestic listings....but if select a category they do - try cnalboats for example.
Check out
http://www.travel-lists.co.uk/linktous.htm
http://www.travel-lists.co.uk/sitemap.htm
for some interesting products and policies...
Trav Media notes "Travel-Lists is a subscription-driven consumer travel directory with over 150 lists of travel companies and organisations in the UK and overseas. Users pay £5.99 per annum for access to the premium pages.
Unlike all other directories, Travel-Lists does not offer automatic paid-for inclusion, does not charge for reviewing site submissions, does not directly accept advertising, does not enter into affiliations nor accept commissions on referrals, and does not engage in link exchanges - making it ‘the only truly independent travel directory on the Internet’."
Travel Lists - Expert directory of holiday tour operators & travel companies
Describe themselves as "
a subscription-based Expert Directory for British holiday-makers and travellers who want a simple, accurate & comprehensive list of the most relevant travel companies to browse"
Site descrition reads: " Travel News and Ideas for British Business & Leisure Travellers. News briefs on tourism, destinations, airlines, hotels, resorts, ferries, tour operators, attractions, cruises, and ski."
Live chat provided by providesupport.com
Subscription for access to full lists is £5.99 (inc VAT) per year (Users)
Under the heading "Independence" they state "Companies cannot pay to be listed in our directory, or to submit themselves for consideration."
In the next paragraph "Expertise" they state "Some companies that have submitted themselves for inclusion will be rejected because we're not satisfied about their bonding or their status as travel suppliers"
To advertise "Banner advertisements on this site are sold through our default supplier, Valueclick
Contact about any advertising proposal "Only if you have easy-to-use remnant campaigns offering UK-only, travel/tourism-relevant ads."
They do not "do reciprocal links. It's a policy that damages our search-engine rankings, but we feel it injures our credibility and independence worse."
Editorial policy states "Online Agencies. Must be aimed at, or appropriate for, British travellers. The dividing line between a travel agency that has a website and an online travel agency can be a little fuzzy. We really looking for travel websites that have a distinct online brand identity. The ability to complete a transaction online is important but not crucial."
And: "We do look for financial protection schemes (eg. ATOL, AITO Trust, ABTA). An operator or agent without any visible trust protection is unlikely to appear in our lists."
Finally: "You can make submissions to... newsdesk@travel-lists.co.uk Due to the large number of submissions we cannot always guarantee a reply, and we will not enter into correspondence."
Confusingly the top list of destinations does not appear to have UK domestic listings....but if select a category they do - try cnalboats for example.
Check out
http://www.travel-lists.co.uk/linktous.htm
http://www.travel-lists.co.uk/sitemap.htm
for some interesting products and policies...
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Expedia and CHA Announce Strategic Relationship
Internet Travel News
"As a Strategic Partner, Expedia will actively participate in the CHA's programs to drive travelers' interest in the group's 849 member hotels, which hail from 36 national hotel associations. Expedia will also have the opportunity to work closely with these hotels, providing them with the tools and information they need to enhance their marketing efforts in the Expedia marketplace"
"As a Strategic Partner, Expedia will actively participate in the CHA's programs to drive travelers' interest in the group's 849 member hotels, which hail from 36 national hotel associations. Expedia will also have the opportunity to work closely with these hotels, providing them with the tools and information they need to enhance their marketing efforts in the Expedia marketplace"
Internet Travel News - iJET Issued Patent for "Intelligent" Travel Information System
Internet Travel News
"The patent concerns the systems developed by iJET in early 2000 that electronically match intelligence with traveler profiles in order to provide value-added services, including pre-trip briefs and real time alerts."
"The patent concerns the systems developed by iJET in early 2000 that electronically match intelligence with traveler profiles in order to provide value-added services, including pre-trip briefs and real time alerts."
Inbound tourism heading towards 2000 levels
travelmole.com
VisitBritain report that: "Inbound tourism to Britain is rising and visitors are spending almost as much as they did during the peak period of 2000, despite the strong pound, according to new statistics. "
VisitBritain report that: "Inbound tourism to Britain is rising and visitors are spending almost as much as they did during the peak period of 2000, despite the strong pound, according to new statistics. "
Worldspan adds real-time access to Global Hotel Reservation Systems
Travel Daily News
"Worldspan, announced that it is the first global distribution system to integrate content from Global Hotel Reservation Systems (GHRS) , a provider of small- and medium-sized properties in major European cities that specialize in Italian properties. GHRS has joined the Worldspan system as a participant in Integrated Hotel Source, Worldspan`s highest level of connectivity providing last-room availability and real-time booking capabilities directly through a hotel company`s internal reservations system.
"
"Worldspan, announced that it is the first global distribution system to integrate content from Global Hotel Reservation Systems (GHRS) , a provider of small- and medium-sized properties in major European cities that specialize in Italian properties. GHRS has joined the Worldspan system as a participant in Integrated Hotel Source, Worldspan`s highest level of connectivity providing last-room availability and real-time booking capabilities directly through a hotel company`s internal reservations system.
"
GroupTravelPlanet.com Signs Partnership Deal with SideStep
Business News from Send2Press Newswire
"GroupTravelPlanet.com Signs Partnership Deal with SideStep
Group Travel Planet, LLC (www.grouptravelplanet.com) and SideStep (www.sidestep.com) have entered into a business development partnership that will allow SideStep customers to book and manage their group hotel rooms of five rooms or more directly online, saving them valuable time and money.
Group Travel Planet and its primary web sites, CoachQuote.com and GroupTravelPlanet.com, provide group consumers a fully-automated group-booking engine that enables them to plan, book and manage all aspects of their group trips online, including their group hotel rooms"
"GroupTravelPlanet.com Signs Partnership Deal with SideStep
Group Travel Planet, LLC (www.grouptravelplanet.com) and SideStep (www.sidestep.com) have entered into a business development partnership that will allow SideStep customers to book and manage their group hotel rooms of five rooms or more directly online, saving them valuable time and money.
Group Travel Planet and its primary web sites, CoachQuote.com and GroupTravelPlanet.com, provide group consumers a fully-automated group-booking engine that enables them to plan, book and manage all aspects of their group trips online, including their group hotel rooms"
Travelocity to provide all travel services to Aetna
cbs.marketwatch NewsFinder
By Steve Goldstein
"Sabre Holdings (TSG) unit Travelocity said Aetna (AET) will use the company to provide all travel management services and travel support for employee travel. Aetna spends approximately $40 million a year on travel, Travelocity said."
By Steve Goldstein
"Sabre Holdings (TSG) unit Travelocity said Aetna (AET) will use the company to provide all travel management services and travel support for employee travel. Aetna spends approximately $40 million a year on travel, Travelocity said."
Amadeus Worldspan merger speculation
:: Travel Weekly ::
"Speculation about an Amadeus Worldspan merger resumed after a company with ties to Worldspan emerged as one of four bidders for a controlling stake in Amadeus. The airline owners of Amadeus appear to be on a fast track to sell a controlling stake in the company and recently received bids from private equity firms Citigroup Venture Capital Equity Partners (U.S.) , the Carlyle Group with Citigroup Venture Capital (Europe), Cinven Group and BC Partners. According to the Wall Street Journal Monday, Cinven and BC Partners teamed to present a new bid Sunday. Musings about an Amadeus-Worldspan marriage come because CVC U.S., along with Teachers' Merchant Bank, created the company that bought Worldspan from Northwest, Delta and American. One industry insider said that if CVC is the winning bidder, it "definitely 100%" would merge Amadeus and Worldspan. He added that Worldspan over the years has conducted detailed planning on how to merge its operations with Amadeus. "CVC didn't get what it wanted out of Worldspan given that the initial public offering failed," the source said. "The only way for CVC to capture the true value of both entities is to tie them together."
"Speculation about an Amadeus Worldspan merger resumed after a company with ties to Worldspan emerged as one of four bidders for a controlling stake in Amadeus. The airline owners of Amadeus appear to be on a fast track to sell a controlling stake in the company and recently received bids from private equity firms Citigroup Venture Capital Equity Partners (U.S.) , the Carlyle Group with Citigroup Venture Capital (Europe), Cinven Group and BC Partners. According to the Wall Street Journal Monday, Cinven and BC Partners teamed to present a new bid Sunday. Musings about an Amadeus-Worldspan marriage come because CVC U.S., along with Teachers' Merchant Bank, created the company that bought Worldspan from Northwest, Delta and American. One industry insider said that if CVC is the winning bidder, it "definitely 100%" would merge Amadeus and Worldspan. He added that Worldspan over the years has conducted detailed planning on how to merge its operations with Amadeus. "CVC didn't get what it wanted out of Worldspan given that the initial public offering failed," the source said. "The only way for CVC to capture the true value of both entities is to tie them together."
Expedia chartering a cruise ship
:: Travel Weekly ::
"Expedia for the first time is chartering a cruise ship, which will play host to a themed The Apprenticecruise this fall...Expedia executives said the charter was a unique move for the Internet agency, as well as something new for “The Apprentice,” which has not done an off-TV event."
"Expedia for the first time is chartering a cruise ship, which will play host to a themed The Apprenticecruise this fall...Expedia executives said the charter was a unique move for the Internet agency, as well as something new for “The Apprentice,” which has not done an off-TV event."
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Overtaking MapQuest a Challenge for Yahoo
LA Times
"Even with features such as traffic and restaurant information, the online giant hasn't had much luck attracting users loyal to its rival"
Yahoo hopes to overcome stubborn brand loyalties especially to mapquest among users maps on the Web. Their main attack is to overlay information, for example, real-time traffic data and local business listings. They also hope to gain and keep a large chunk of the growing local advertising market.
The article cites Yahoo's SmartView..."a free feature that lets users look up addresses, then select categories of services to appear as yellow icons on the map. Clicking on them brings up more information about the business, including the address, phone number and a link to results of a Yahoo Search query on the name.
Someone planning a date can not only find driving directions to a movie theater but also see the closest parking lot, nearby restaurants (organized by cuisine) and florists, and even an ATM to pay for the meal — all overlaid on the map...
While 15.6 million people visited Yahoo Maps in November, up 9% from a year earlier, MapQuest drew 33.1 million individual visitors, a 27% gain over the same period, according to market research firm ComScore Media Metrix.
MapQuest is releasing new features of its own, including a $4 monthly service introduced last week that lets users send color maps and driving directions from their computers to their mobile phones"
Yahoo has an advantage in it's " well-known Web search service. People who enter an address into the search engine are steered to Yahoo Maps."
Google may yet prove to be the most powerful challenger especially if it integrates the local beta with Keyhole Corp. features - aerial and satellite photos to let users zoom in on particular places.
"Combined with Google's local directories, Keyhole could be the next generation of navigation services, analysts say."
Google Search: motels near Boston, MA local beta example. Driving directions by Mapquest
Yahoo! Maps, Driving Directions, and Traffic
Yahoo! Yellow Pages same search goes to Yahoo yellow pages
"Even with features such as traffic and restaurant information, the online giant hasn't had much luck attracting users loyal to its rival"
Yahoo hopes to overcome stubborn brand loyalties especially to mapquest among users maps on the Web. Their main attack is to overlay information, for example, real-time traffic data and local business listings. They also hope to gain and keep a large chunk of the growing local advertising market.
The article cites Yahoo's SmartView..."a free feature that lets users look up addresses, then select categories of services to appear as yellow icons on the map. Clicking on them brings up more information about the business, including the address, phone number and a link to results of a Yahoo Search query on the name.
Someone planning a date can not only find driving directions to a movie theater but also see the closest parking lot, nearby restaurants (organized by cuisine) and florists, and even an ATM to pay for the meal — all overlaid on the map...
While 15.6 million people visited Yahoo Maps in November, up 9% from a year earlier, MapQuest drew 33.1 million individual visitors, a 27% gain over the same period, according to market research firm ComScore Media Metrix.
MapQuest is releasing new features of its own, including a $4 monthly service introduced last week that lets users send color maps and driving directions from their computers to their mobile phones"
Yahoo has an advantage in it's " well-known Web search service. People who enter an address into the search engine are steered to Yahoo Maps."
Google may yet prove to be the most powerful challenger especially if it integrates the local beta with Keyhole Corp. features - aerial and satellite photos to let users zoom in on particular places.
"Combined with Google's local directories, Keyhole could be the next generation of navigation services, analysts say."
Google Search: motels near Boston, MA local beta example. Driving directions by Mapquest
Yahoo! Maps, Driving Directions, and Traffic
Yahoo! Yellow Pages same search goes to Yahoo yellow pages
Monday, January 10, 2005
The Key Differentiator: Maximizing Your Brand Capital
Internet Travel News
Long article with a couple of gems, concludes that "Travel companies that recognize the importance of effective and integrated brand management will be able to distance themselves from their competition and increase their brand capital. If 2005 turns out as positive as we think; this will be the year to maximize your brand capital for the future. A strong brand can fortress your company against volatility."
Long article with a couple of gems, concludes that "Travel companies that recognize the importance of effective and integrated brand management will be able to distance themselves from their competition and increase their brand capital. If 2005 turns out as positive as we think; this will be the year to maximize your brand capital for the future. A strong brand can fortress your company against volatility."
Expedia Warm Weather Promotion
Internet Travel News : "Expedia has announced its biggest warm weather promotion.. for travel through March 31, 2005, and, in some cases, as late as April 30" with additional discounts and savings incentives.
Yahoo! marketing campaign
MediaDailyNews 01-10-05: "Web portal Yahoo! will tout its ability to target online ads to specific audiences in a new trade ad campaign aimed at marketers, media buyers, and ad agencies--set to launch today online and Jan. 17 in print. "
Private-equity firms to bid for Amadeus
eyefortravel.com : "The Wall Street Journal reports today that two London-based private-investment firms, Cinven Group and BC Partners, are close to buying Amadeus Global Travel Distribution SA, for 4.37 billion ($5.7 billion)...
the potential deal comes as Amadeus and the global travel industry's other distribution services are struggling to redefine their role.
“Amadeus caters to traditional travel agents by linking them with services ranging from airline bookings to car rentals and hotels reservations. Some airlines, especially budget carriers, have increasingly sought to bypass traditional systems like Amadeus and reach travel agents directly as a way to reduce their own costs.”
The fact that an increasing number of consumers are buying their own tickets through the web is also putting the industry under pressure."
the potential deal comes as Amadeus and the global travel industry's other distribution services are struggling to redefine their role.
“Amadeus caters to traditional travel agents by linking them with services ranging from airline bookings to car rentals and hotels reservations. Some airlines, especially budget carriers, have increasingly sought to bypass traditional systems like Amadeus and reach travel agents directly as a way to reduce their own costs.”
The fact that an increasing number of consumers are buying their own tickets through the web is also putting the industry under pressure."
Trends in European Internet Distribution - Travel & Tourism
Eye for Travel
Paper "Trends in European Internet Distribution - of Travel and Tourism Services
by Carl H. Marcussen, PhD, Senior Researcher,
Centre for Regional and Tourism Research, Denmark
Updated 7 January 2005
Some conclusions:
- The UK remains the largest online travel market in Europe, with Germany in second place. These two markets accounted for 58% of the EUR 17.0 bn. European online travel market in 2004.
- Growth was very high during 2004, 34%, and a further increase of at least 18% may be expected during 2005.
- The European online travel market (including the ten new EU member countries) may reach EUR 23.0 bn. by 2006, which is about 9.2% of the total market for selected travel and tourism services "
Paper "Trends in European Internet Distribution - of Travel and Tourism Services
by Carl H. Marcussen, PhD, Senior Researcher,
Centre for Regional and Tourism Research, Denmark
Updated 7 January 2005
Some conclusions:
- The UK remains the largest online travel market in Europe, with Germany in second place. These two markets accounted for 58% of the EUR 17.0 bn. European online travel market in 2004.
- Growth was very high during 2004, 34%, and a further increase of at least 18% may be expected during 2005.
- The European online travel market (including the ten new EU member countries) may reach EUR 23.0 bn. by 2006, which is about 9.2% of the total market for selected travel and tourism services "
SiteProNews is a free newsletter and webmaster resource site
SiteProNews
"Search is bigger today than it was twelve months ago in every respect...
most individuals and businesses rely on the free, organic listings. Those listings will remain an important focus for the search engines as they will continue to provide the primary interactive point between home-user and the search engines. The impact of organic placements will obviously be enhanced by the growth of the search "
"Search is bigger today than it was twelve months ago in every respect...
most individuals and businesses rely on the free, organic listings. Those listings will remain an important focus for the search engines as they will continue to provide the primary interactive point between home-user and the search engines. The impact of organic placements will obviously be enhanced by the growth of the search "
High profile exits at lastminute.com - 10-Jan-05.
High profile exits at lastminute.com - 10-Jan-05.: "Three high profile figures have left lastminute.com as the Internet retailer restructures its business...Former group commercial director Simon Terry and group operations director Doug Sawers have resigned and will leave in March...both (were) directors of Holiday Autos and their departures mean that most of the car rental’s management team have gone since it was purchased by lastminute for £40 million less than two years ago. "
Welcome to the United Queendom! - 10-Jan-05.
Travelmole
Article reports that "Tourism chiefs are reportedly trying a new tactic to entice more travellers to Britain’s shores – promoting the country as the “ultimate gay destination”. The Visit Britain campaign is criticised by "Stephen Beeny, editor of the Rainbow Network online magazine, is quoted as saying: “The information it gives is up to date and topical but it uses every cliché possible – one too many. It’s not offensive, but was probably written by a straight person who thinks he’s being terribly clever.” "
Article reports that "Tourism chiefs are reportedly trying a new tactic to entice more travellers to Britain’s shores – promoting the country as the “ultimate gay destination”. The Visit Britain campaign is criticised by "Stephen Beeny, editor of the Rainbow Network online magazine, is quoted as saying: “The information it gives is up to date and topical but it uses every cliché possible – one too many. It’s not offensive, but was probably written by a straight person who thinks he’s being terribly clever.” "
Worldchoice treads through technology �minefield� - 10-Jan-05.
travelmole.com
"Worldchoice claims to have produced a comprehensive review of technology available to agents. The purpose of the review is to cut through the myriad of options and present impartial advice on what is best suited to an individual travel agents business, according to the consortium...It highlights connectivity systems such as ADSL, leased lines, ISDN and dial-up to connect to viewdata reservation and the internet; multi-operator search and booking systems; and front and back office systems."
"Worldchoice claims to have produced a comprehensive review of technology available to agents. The purpose of the review is to cut through the myriad of options and present impartial advice on what is best suited to an individual travel agents business, according to the consortium...It highlights connectivity systems such as ADSL, leased lines, ISDN and dial-up to connect to viewdata reservation and the internet; multi-operator search and booking systems; and front and back office systems."
Package sales rise after two-year slump - 10-Jan-05.
travelmole.com
"At 2,132, the number of licences in force in December was the highest ever, following the introduction of Small Business ATOL arrangements in 2004. Only companies selling less than 500 seats per annum are eligible for these licences.
CAA director of consumer protection Richard Jackson said: “We are very encouraged by the response of small firms to Small Business ATOLs and believe it has made ATOLs more cost effective for firms who would not previously have considered them.” "
"At 2,132, the number of licences in force in December was the highest ever, following the introduction of Small Business ATOL arrangements in 2004. Only companies selling less than 500 seats per annum are eligible for these licences.
CAA director of consumer protection Richard Jackson said: “We are very encouraged by the response of small firms to Small Business ATOLs and believe it has made ATOLs more cost effective for firms who would not previously have considered them.” "
Web site for travel industry relief initiatives
:: Travel Weekly :: "and Travel Guard International have created a clearinghouse Web site for travel industry relief initiatives. Go to TravelCompaniesCare.org to read about industry efforts or to let us know if your company is joining the effort to air victims."
Total Travel Tsunami appeal
Great Britain Total Travel Guide: Research, Plan & Book Hotels, Cars, Ferries
"Tsunami appeal
Please support our effort to raise funds for the tsunami victims. Your contribution will go directly to the Disasters Emergency Commission - Tsunami Earthquake Appeal , the umbrella organisation responsible for co-ordinating the UKs National Appeal. Please remember if you are a UK tax payer to claim Gift Aid, which means the Inland Revenue will reimburse the tax you have already paid on the donation to the DEC. Thank you - every penny will go to alleviate acute suffering."
"Tsunami appeal
Please support our effort to raise funds for the tsunami victims. Your contribution will go directly to the Disasters Emergency Commission - Tsunami Earthquake Appeal , the umbrella organisation responsible for co-ordinating the UKs National Appeal. Please remember if you are a UK tax payer to claim Gift Aid, which means the Inland Revenue will reimburse the tax you have already paid on the donation to the DEC. Thank you - every penny will go to alleviate acute suffering."
Thailand aim to rebuild tourism industry ASAP
:: Travel Weekly -::
"REBUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME. That seems to be the expectation in the areas of Thailand hardest hit by last month’s tsunami....The urgency to rebuild reflects the region’s dependence on tourism. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket alone is losing more than $10 million a day during the peak tourism season. Although 90% of Phuket’s rooms are intact, only 20% of the rooms are occupied, most by rescue and relief workers. Still, Buddhani said the tourism authority is sticking with its projection that tourism will grow by 10% this year to more than 13 million visitors. "
"REBUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME. That seems to be the expectation in the areas of Thailand hardest hit by last month’s tsunami....The urgency to rebuild reflects the region’s dependence on tourism. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket alone is losing more than $10 million a day during the peak tourism season. Although 90% of Phuket’s rooms are intact, only 20% of the rooms are occupied, most by rescue and relief workers. Still, Buddhani said the tourism authority is sticking with its projection that tourism will grow by 10% this year to more than 13 million visitors. "
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism - Ireland - Annual Review
Tourism - Ireland - Homepage
States that: "its mission is:
'to contribute to the economic, social and cultural progress of Irish society and the enrichment of its quality of life through promoting sustainable tourism; encouraging excellence in sporting and artistic achievement; facilitating greater access to sport and the arts; and preservation of our cultural inheritance'. "
Travel Weekly report that John O'Donoghue, The Irish Dept of Tourism minister for arts, sport and tourism, describes 2004 as "a mixed year." While the government noted a strong recovery from the key North American market, traffic from Great Britain and mainland Europe was flat. Still, overseas visitor numbers grew some 3%, to more than 6.35 million."
States that: "its mission is:
'to contribute to the economic, social and cultural progress of Irish society and the enrichment of its quality of life through promoting sustainable tourism; encouraging excellence in sporting and artistic achievement; facilitating greater access to sport and the arts; and preservation of our cultural inheritance'. "
Travel Weekly report that John O'Donoghue, The Irish Dept of Tourism minister for arts, sport and tourism, describes 2004 as "a mixed year." While the government noted a strong recovery from the key North American market, traffic from Great Britain and mainland Europe was flat. Still, overseas visitor numbers grew some 3%, to more than 6.35 million."
L.A. sues travel sites for pocketing hotel tax
CNET News.com
"Internet travel sites are cheating cities on taxes by pocketing the difference between the hotel room tax they pay and the amount collected from consumers, the city of Los Angeles, Calif., said in a recent lawsuit."
"The suit alleges that companies including Priceline.com, InterActiveCorp's Expedia, Cendant's Orbitz and Sabre Holdings' Travelocity have underpaid so-called transient occupancy taxes." They "charge and collect taxes from occupants based on the marked-up rates, but only pay taxes to cities based on the lower, negotiated rates, the lawsuit claims."
Internet Daily
In their coverage, CBS.MW, state that "The good news for long-term Internet investors is that consumer spending patterns in December left little doubt that the lion's share of future sales growth in the retail and travel industries will come online." They predict a flurry of related lawsuits as governments loose tax revenue...
"Internet travel sites are cheating cities on taxes by pocketing the difference between the hotel room tax they pay and the amount collected from consumers, the city of Los Angeles, Calif., said in a recent lawsuit."
"The suit alleges that companies including Priceline.com, InterActiveCorp's Expedia, Cendant's Orbitz and Sabre Holdings' Travelocity have underpaid so-called transient occupancy taxes." They "charge and collect taxes from occupants based on the marked-up rates, but only pay taxes to cities based on the lower, negotiated rates, the lawsuit claims."
Internet Daily
In their coverage, CBS.MW, state that "The good news for long-term Internet investors is that consumer spending patterns in December left little doubt that the lion's share of future sales growth in the retail and travel industries will come online." They predict a flurry of related lawsuits as governments loose tax revenue...
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
SideStep Launches Web Version of the Traveler's Search Engine
Internet Travel News
"SideStep today announced the launch of SideStep.com, the Web-based version of its award-winning travel search offering...
SideStep SmartSort(SM), for example, enables SideStep.com users to instantly filter results by price, number of stops, hotel star rating, neighborhood, and other important attributes. Travelers can then use SideStep ClearView(SM) to see several options right alongside one another, allowing consumers to choose based on the characteristics that matter most to them, such as hotel amenities or flight duration"
"SideStep today announced the launch of SideStep.com, the Web-based version of its award-winning travel search offering...
SideStep SmartSort(SM), for example, enables SideStep.com users to instantly filter results by price, number of stops, hotel star rating, neighborhood, and other important attributes. Travelers can then use SideStep ClearView(SM) to see several options right alongside one another, allowing consumers to choose based on the characteristics that matter most to them, such as hotel amenities or flight duration"
Forbes.com: Update 3: Jury Convicts One Cendant Executive
Forbes.com: Update 3: Jury Convicts One Cendant Executive: "A former top executive at Cendant Corp. was convicted Tuesday of fraud and other charges, but jurors could not reach a decision about the role of another executive in the case.
E. Kirk Shelton, the company's former vice chairman, was convicted of 12 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud...
Shelton, 49, and Forbes, 62, were accused of inflating revenue by $500 million at Cendant's predecessor, CUC International, to drive up the stock price. The fraud was reported in 1998, causing Cendant's market value to drop by $14 billion in one day"
E. Kirk Shelton, the company's former vice chairman, was convicted of 12 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and securities fraud...
Shelton, 49, and Forbes, 62, were accused of inflating revenue by $500 million at Cendant's predecessor, CUC International, to drive up the stock price. The fraud was reported in 1998, causing Cendant's market value to drop by $14 billion in one day"
Tourism sector hopeful about tsunami recovery
Travel Daily News
I can add no more to Theodore Koumelis who quotes "The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, along with the Members and entire international tourism community , has been deeply shocked and saddened by the terrible tsunami that took place on 26 December, causing unprecedented loss of life and damage. The WTO expresses its deepest sympathy to all the victims of the tragedy—local populations and tourists—and offers its heartfelt condolences to their relatives and friends."
I can add no more to Theodore Koumelis who quotes "The World Tourism Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, along with the Members and entire international tourism community , has been deeply shocked and saddened by the terrible tsunami that took place on 26 December, causing unprecedented loss of life and damage. The WTO expresses its deepest sympathy to all the victims of the tragedy—local populations and tourists—and offers its heartfelt condolences to their relatives and friends."
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Kayak.com New Year pay-per-click search campaign
eyefortravel.com
"Kayak.com, will kick off a pay-per-click search campaign at the start of this year, in a drive to develop an audience of interest to advertisers...
The online marketing effort will initially be aimed at encouraging traffic to Kayak.com's own site. By January, the company plans to have a portfolio of 1,000 keywords, which it wants to grow to 3,000 by February and eventually number 20,000 by the end of the first quarter. Text ads are to appear both on Google's network and on Yahoo!'s Overture.
Kayak.com banked $7 million last week in venture capital financing, earmarked for product development and marketing.
It is managing the pay-per-click campaign in-house, and in the first quarter of this year intends to bring on board a Vice President of E-marketing to oversee the initiative.
Kayak.com will manage its portfolio by conversion rate, initially using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. It says it is currently evaluating whether to use bid management software.
The company has already invested in search engine optimization (SEO). It hired iProspect to determine how competitor TripAdvisor had been so successful in ranking highly in organic listings, and to help Kayak.com implement some of those techniques as it developed its own site.
So far, Kayak.com has signed about 20 paying advertisers, which Hafner describes as a ‘who's who’ of travel agencies, hoteliers and airlines. He also contends that the company is without doubt gaining traction."
They are also seeking partnerships, like the one Kayak.com already has with America Online
"Kayak.com, will kick off a pay-per-click search campaign at the start of this year, in a drive to develop an audience of interest to advertisers...
The online marketing effort will initially be aimed at encouraging traffic to Kayak.com's own site. By January, the company plans to have a portfolio of 1,000 keywords, which it wants to grow to 3,000 by February and eventually number 20,000 by the end of the first quarter. Text ads are to appear both on Google's network and on Yahoo!'s Overture.
Kayak.com banked $7 million last week in venture capital financing, earmarked for product development and marketing.
It is managing the pay-per-click campaign in-house, and in the first quarter of this year intends to bring on board a Vice President of E-marketing to oversee the initiative.
Kayak.com will manage its portfolio by conversion rate, initially using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. It says it is currently evaluating whether to use bid management software.
The company has already invested in search engine optimization (SEO). It hired iProspect to determine how competitor TripAdvisor had been so successful in ranking highly in organic listings, and to help Kayak.com implement some of those techniques as it developed its own site.
So far, Kayak.com has signed about 20 paying advertisers, which Hafner describes as a ‘who's who’ of travel agencies, hoteliers and airlines. He also contends that the company is without doubt gaining traction."
They are also seeking partnerships, like the one Kayak.com already has with America Online
MSN Arabia and Octopus Travel PArtner
eyefortravel.com
"MSN Arabia and Octopus Travel have recently signed an agreement to offer access to all the travel packages and offers powered by Octopus Travel on one of the leading online destination in the Middle East. The agreement is being termed as the most informative and extensive Travel Channel in the region. "
"MSN Arabia and Octopus Travel have recently signed an agreement to offer access to all the travel packages and offers powered by Octopus Travel on one of the leading online destination in the Middle East. The agreement is being termed as the most informative and extensive Travel Channel in the region. "
Travelazer
Travelazer
Newcomer TravelLazer.com has publicly unveiled a beta test of its "objective" travel search engine that it claims will leverage a vertical filtering system to narrow down results as it spiders the Net for information limited to travel without returning results that sell services and travel packages.
"TraveLazer is just travel, only travel, nothing but travel," said TraveLazer founder and CEO of Mike DeVolder. "We are the only pure travel search engine out there."
More to come....
Newcomer TravelLazer.com has publicly unveiled a beta test of its "objective" travel search engine that it claims will leverage a vertical filtering system to narrow down results as it spiders the Net for information limited to travel without returning results that sell services and travel packages.
"TraveLazer is just travel, only travel, nothing but travel," said TraveLazer founder and CEO of Mike DeVolder. "We are the only pure travel search engine out there."
More to come....
Amadeus growth strategy
:: Travel Weekly ::
"Amadeus took 100% control of its marketing operation in France, acquiring Air France’s 66% stake in Amadeus France SNC... acquiring distribution partners -- which means the GDS company no longer has to share revenue with a third party - is part of Amadeus’ growth strategy."
"Amadeus took 100% control of its marketing operation in France, acquiring Air France’s 66% stake in Amadeus France SNC... acquiring distribution partners -- which means the GDS company no longer has to share revenue with a third party - is part of Amadeus’ growth strategy."
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