Monday, October 23, 2006
e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter
e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter: "An online survey conducted by travel guide and directory TotalTravel.com has shown that Australian travellers are divided over whether airport security checks are tough enough five years after 9/11."
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Totaltravel keeps growing
e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter: "Fast-growing destination website company TotalTravel.com has made its first international move by launching TotalTravel sites in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Marketing Director Paul Fisher said other offshore sites will follow.
�There�ll certainly be others,� he said.
�We�re looking at markets that make sense � English-speaking destinations where people can fly fairly cheaply on Low Cost Carriers.�....
Staff numbers have increased from 12 to 40 in just 12 months, while Hitwise now rates TotalTravel.com as the second most popular “Destination and Accommodation’ website in Australia.
Fisher said it received a record 1.4 million unique site visits during August.
Advertisers are also catching on, particularly as search engine marketing costs increase.
The Australian site now hosts 6500 advertisers – most of them small accommodation business - who generally pay annual subscriptions starting at A$295."
Marketing Director Paul Fisher said other offshore sites will follow.
�There�ll certainly be others,� he said.
�We�re looking at markets that make sense � English-speaking destinations where people can fly fairly cheaply on Low Cost Carriers.�....
Staff numbers have increased from 12 to 40 in just 12 months, while Hitwise now rates TotalTravel.com as the second most popular “Destination and Accommodation’ website in Australia.
Fisher said it received a record 1.4 million unique site visits during August.
Advertisers are also catching on, particularly as search engine marketing costs increase.
The Australian site now hosts 6500 advertisers – most of them small accommodation business - who generally pay annual subscriptions starting at A$295."
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Rail Europe scientific search strategy
Illustrates the ever increasing importance of search engine optimisation ans search engine marketing in the online travel sector:
All Aboard the SEM Train: "Roman Godzich, a man with an incredible sense of wit that is only outweighed by his search engine marketing knowledge. As the vice president of e-business for Rail Europe, Godzich has his search strategy down to a science.
One of the biggest brands you might not have heard of, Rail Europe offers the most comprehensive selection of European rail products to the North American market . Let�s just say that the online business touches about 1 million customers every year. Oh, and his search budget is north of 50 percent of online spending."
He reiterates the holy grail of search ..track, analyse and tweak again again and again
"His golden rule for advertisers: tracking, tracking and more tracking. He adds that there is no point to search if you aren’t measuring. He is also a fan of running tests.
“During the low season I was constantly perturbed by the question of people researching at work and buying at home,” Mr. Godzich said. “So I ran a test. I shut down a set of keywords during the day to see the effect on sales at night.”
He did this three times with the same results. He then ran the same test in reverse, shutting down a set of keywords in the evening. Sure enough, the pattern was clear.
“This leads me to think that engines have a wider reach than we realize,” Mr. Godzich said. “If you want to be present at time of purchase, you have to be there at the time of consideration.” "
Your websites appearance in search results can be crucial to your brand:
"On the subject of branding and engine reach, he points out that natural search results are critical. In addition to ranking high, he urges marketers to make sure the title and description support the brand. He has found that if consumers recognize your brand in that URL, they are much more likely to click on a sponsored link when ready to buy."
All Aboard the SEM Train: "Roman Godzich, a man with an incredible sense of wit that is only outweighed by his search engine marketing knowledge. As the vice president of e-business for Rail Europe, Godzich has his search strategy down to a science.
One of the biggest brands you might not have heard of, Rail Europe offers the most comprehensive selection of European rail products to the North American market . Let�s just say that the online business touches about 1 million customers every year. Oh, and his search budget is north of 50 percent of online spending."
He reiterates the holy grail of search ..track, analyse and tweak again again and again
"His golden rule for advertisers: tracking, tracking and more tracking. He adds that there is no point to search if you aren’t measuring. He is also a fan of running tests.
“During the low season I was constantly perturbed by the question of people researching at work and buying at home,” Mr. Godzich said. “So I ran a test. I shut down a set of keywords during the day to see the effect on sales at night.”
He did this three times with the same results. He then ran the same test in reverse, shutting down a set of keywords in the evening. Sure enough, the pattern was clear.
“This leads me to think that engines have a wider reach than we realize,” Mr. Godzich said. “If you want to be present at time of purchase, you have to be there at the time of consideration.” "
Your websites appearance in search results can be crucial to your brand:
"On the subject of branding and engine reach, he points out that natural search results are critical. In addition to ranking high, he urges marketers to make sure the title and description support the brand. He has found that if consumers recognize your brand in that URL, they are much more likely to click on a sponsored link when ready to buy."
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Staying relevant as competition gets heated
Bambi Francisco, MarketWatch, reckons competition and innovation in the online travel sector is hotting up concluding from her analysis of Cityseearch that "The ones who'll survive in this user-generated glut are those who can keep the users not only on their site, but also producing"
Citysearch touts human touch in local ad competition - MarketWatch: "Citysearch touts human relations: Staying relevant as competition gets heated"
The article reckons Citysearch main strength is that "Citysearch -- unlike other search engines that deify technology -- relies on those good old fashion humans to either create content or establish relationships with local advertisers.
Ask.com is a search engine and not a content site, said Ferguson. At Citysearch's core, it is a search and directory, but it adds layers of editorial and user content -- like ratings and reviews -- that other search engines don't.
She sees Google as entering this competition with Google Co-op, "which is designed to get users to create useful pages about certain topics. The idea behind Google Co-op is to take the Wikipedia model and apply it across various topics, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told me last week.
Morrow said that Citysearch is also playing around with the idea of "user-generated Wikis." Both Morrow and Ferguson said they also plan to introduce new incentives to get users to register and offer up their ratings or reviews or just personal information. Those incentives range from streamlining the registration process to recognizing those who contribute the most."
Citysearch stats and estimates: In "April, Citysearch saw 11.2 million unique visitors, up 122% from a year ago, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. The company also swung to a profit in the first quarter, up from losing money in the year-ago period, on sales that increased by 65%, according to Briggs Ferguson, Citysearch CEO...
Francisco estimates that "gets a ballpark figure that Citysearch generated about $15 million in sales in the first quarter....Citysearch served up 4.1 million search queries in March vs. 254,000 at Ask.com local, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Also, based on traffic figures, Citysearch traffic grew faster than Yahoo which grew its audience base to its local site by 23% in the same period"
Citysearch touts human touch in local ad competition - MarketWatch: "Citysearch touts human relations: Staying relevant as competition gets heated"
The article reckons Citysearch main strength is that "Citysearch -- unlike other search engines that deify technology -- relies on those good old fashion humans to either create content or establish relationships with local advertisers.
Ask.com is a search engine and not a content site, said Ferguson. At Citysearch's core, it is a search and directory, but it adds layers of editorial and user content -- like ratings and reviews -- that other search engines don't.
She sees Google as entering this competition with Google Co-op, "which is designed to get users to create useful pages about certain topics. The idea behind Google Co-op is to take the Wikipedia model and apply it across various topics, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told me last week.
Morrow said that Citysearch is also playing around with the idea of "user-generated Wikis." Both Morrow and Ferguson said they also plan to introduce new incentives to get users to register and offer up their ratings or reviews or just personal information. Those incentives range from streamlining the registration process to recognizing those who contribute the most."
Citysearch stats and estimates: In "April, Citysearch saw 11.2 million unique visitors, up 122% from a year ago, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. The company also swung to a profit in the first quarter, up from losing money in the year-ago period, on sales that increased by 65%, according to Briggs Ferguson, Citysearch CEO...
Francisco estimates that "gets a ballpark figure that Citysearch generated about $15 million in sales in the first quarter....Citysearch served up 4.1 million search queries in March vs. 254,000 at Ask.com local, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Also, based on traffic figures, Citysearch traffic grew faster than Yahoo which grew its audience base to its local site by 23% in the same period"
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Yahoo Improves Travel Planning Via Search And Maps - April 15, 2006
Yahoo steps up its challenge to travel websites....seems to only be for USA....All Headline News - Yahoo Improves Travel Planning Via Search And Maps - April 15, 2006: "Yahoo Inc. is introducing an upgraded travel service Tuesday that blends Yahoo search with handy travel-specific features, stepping up its challenge to dedicated travel sites.
Using Yahoo's central search site, consumers can receive instant airfare and hotel price comparisons, satellite overview maps and user reviews of restaurants and tourist destinations, features that previously existed in different corners of the Yahoo network or elsewhere across the Web."
Using Yahoo's central search site, consumers can receive instant airfare and hotel price comparisons, satellite overview maps and user reviews of restaurants and tourist destinations, features that previously existed in different corners of the Yahoo network or elsewhere across the Web."
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
More travellers book on hotel websites
Booking by telephone continues to drop - a death knell for pay per call perhaps - while branded websites share of direct bookings grows...what does this mean for independent hotels that are not part of a large brand? Answer - get on a merchant website...
Travelers Head to Hotel Websites: "More travelers than ever are booking at hotels' own websites.
Last year, according to TravelCLICK, branded hotel websites gained share over third-party sites and opaque websites (such as Priceline and Hotwire). The volume of reservations made at hotels' own websites grew by 33% in 2005 compared with 2004...
TravelCLICK expects GDS to maintain a share of 30% or more of bookings over the next two years, but voice reservations will continue to decline because of consumers' increasing preference for booking electronically.
eTRAK shows that 35% of reservations came through GDS channels in 2005, while Internet sites also contributed 35%. Voice reservations accounted for the remaining 30%.
In total, over 61 million bookings were made last year for the top 30 brands through the GDS and the Internet.
Online bookings through merchant websites, such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, grew by 34% in 2005 compared with 2004, while Priceline, Hotwire and other opaque sites saw bookings fall by 10.2%."
Travelers Head to Hotel Websites: "More travelers than ever are booking at hotels' own websites. Last year, according to TravelCLICK, branded hotel websites gained share over third-party sites and opaque websites (such as Priceline and Hotwire). The volume of reservations made at hotels' own websites grew by 33% in 2005 compared with 2004...
TravelCLICK expects GDS to maintain a share of 30% or more of bookings over the next two years, but voice reservations will continue to decline because of consumers' increasing preference for booking electronically.
eTRAK shows that 35% of reservations came through GDS channels in 2005, while Internet sites also contributed 35%. Voice reservations accounted for the remaining 30%.
In total, over 61 million bookings were made last year for the top 30 brands through the GDS and the Internet.
Online bookings through merchant websites, such as Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, grew by 34% in 2005 compared with 2004, while Priceline, Hotwire and other opaque sites saw bookings fall by 10.2%."
Web travel bookings cut out middlemen - Breaking News - National - Breaking News
Web travel bookings cut out middlemen - Breaking News - National - Breaking News: "Paul Fisher, a spokesman for travel information website Totaltravel.com, said he believed Australia would follow the trend of the United States because suppliers and consumers were getting smarter and more sophisticated in seeking better rates.
'We are finding that people are going to sites like ours, getting the information they want, and then clicking directly through to the supplier in the hope of saving some money.'
Totaltravel.com had a record month in January, with 885,437 visits to its site, up 33 per cent on the previous month.
Mr Fisher said 46 per cent of visitors to the site took the additional step of clicking through to a featured supplier website, retrieving a phone number or sending an email request directly to a supplier."
'We are finding that people are going to sites like ours, getting the information they want, and then clicking directly through to the supplier in the hope of saving some money.'
Totaltravel.com had a record month in January, with 885,437 visits to its site, up 33 per cent on the previous month.
Mr Fisher said 46 per cent of visitors to the site took the additional step of clicking through to a featured supplier website, retrieving a phone number or sending an email request directly to a supplier."
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
WAP GPS Mapquest
Gear Factor: "MapQuest is showing off a new wireless app that does more than display 2-inch maps on your screen. MapQuest Navigator works with your phone's built-in GPS to give you real-time, turn-by-turn, voice-guided directions to just about any destination. GPS navigation is by no means new to the cellular world, but the launch of a major solution like this by an established mapping service like MapQuest bodes well for mobile users. In addition the the new GPS service, which will launch through major wireless carriers later this year, MapQuest has already launched a new WAP version of its internet mapping service, which you can access immediately from your mobile device at wap.mapquest.com. "
Best Travel Sites - Forbes.com
Best Travel Sites - Forbes.com: "After the dot-com bubble burst five years ago, practically the only Web companies that didn�t vanish were the travel sites....Travelocity had revenue of $830 million on bookings of $7.4 billion in 2005. What bubble?...
...According to Harteveldt, online leisure travel is the largest e-commerce category (excluding porn), and in the U.S. it is projected to generate $74.4 million in sales in 2006, an increase of almost 17% over the $63.6 billion spent in 2005. By 2009, Forrester Research predicts, online travel spending in the U.S. will rise to $110.5 billion.
Overseas, online travel planning is picking up steam even faster than it is in the U.S. Spending on online travel in the U.K. and Western Europe will rise about 42% to €30.7 billion in 2006, or about $36.8 billion, Harteveldt says. By the end of the decade that number will approach €50 billion, or about $60 billion...
We didn’t include Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity, since the general public is mostly already aware of these sites. Instead, we included unusual sites offering something different to the consumer, like FlyerTalk.com, which allows fliers to figure out the savviest uses for their accumulated frequent flier miles. Of course, some well-known sites did make the list, but for less-than-obvious reasons: We listed Priceline.com not for flights, but because it’s the best site we know of for booking luxury hotels cheaply.
We rated the sites according to three criteria: aesthetic appeal, user friendliness and usefulness. In other words, they had to be easy to look at and easy to navigate, and they had to make life easier for you. We hope they do just that..."
All have a particular angle (niche) for example:
HotelChatter.com.....is an uncensored compendium of hotel reviews from all over the world: The good, the bad and the disgusting get equal weight...
Kayak.com...Unlike many of the major travel Web sites, Kayak.com includes flight listings from budget air carriers like Jet Blue and Spirit Airlines. It also has user-friendly features, like remembering your home airport, letting you search more than one airport simultaneously
MyTripJournal.com...Personal travel blogs have overtaken mass e-mails as the tool of choice for staying in touch with family and friends while on the road..
Site59.com’s niche is the last-minute weekend getaway
TravelZoo.com is more effective at offering cheap fares than any other Web site
Priceline.com revolutionized the way consumers bought travel, allowing them to name their own prices for everything from hotels to flights to rental cars....
...According to Harteveldt, online leisure travel is the largest e-commerce category (excluding porn), and in the U.S. it is projected to generate $74.4 million in sales in 2006, an increase of almost 17% over the $63.6 billion spent in 2005. By 2009, Forrester Research predicts, online travel spending in the U.S. will rise to $110.5 billion.
Overseas, online travel planning is picking up steam even faster than it is in the U.S. Spending on online travel in the U.K. and Western Europe will rise about 42% to €30.7 billion in 2006, or about $36.8 billion, Harteveldt says. By the end of the decade that number will approach €50 billion, or about $60 billion...
We didn’t include Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity, since the general public is mostly already aware of these sites. Instead, we included unusual sites offering something different to the consumer, like FlyerTalk.com, which allows fliers to figure out the savviest uses for their accumulated frequent flier miles. Of course, some well-known sites did make the list, but for less-than-obvious reasons: We listed Priceline.com not for flights, but because it’s the best site we know of for booking luxury hotels cheaply.
We rated the sites according to three criteria: aesthetic appeal, user friendliness and usefulness. In other words, they had to be easy to look at and easy to navigate, and they had to make life easier for you. We hope they do just that..."
All have a particular angle (niche) for example:
HotelChatter.com.....is an uncensored compendium of hotel reviews from all over the world: The good, the bad and the disgusting get equal weight...
Kayak.com...Unlike many of the major travel Web sites, Kayak.com includes flight listings from budget air carriers like Jet Blue and Spirit Airlines. It also has user-friendly features, like remembering your home airport, letting you search more than one airport simultaneously
MyTripJournal.com...Personal travel blogs have overtaken mass e-mails as the tool of choice for staying in touch with family and friends while on the road..
Site59.com’s niche is the last-minute weekend getaway
TravelZoo.com is more effective at offering cheap fares than any other Web site
Priceline.com revolutionized the way consumers bought travel, allowing them to name their own prices for everything from hotels to flights to rental cars....
Monday, March 06, 2006
RSS feeds for latest travel deals
Introducing the travel genie - Sunday Times - Times Online: "Let�s say you�re one of the millions who use low-cost airlines. To get the best deals, you need to know when EasyJet, Ryanair or Flybe introduce new routes or special fares. In the past, that meant signing up to each of their e-mail newsletters.
Not any more. Instead, you can go to Cheapflights.co.uk and subscribe to its RSS feed, which has news of the latest deals offered by every low-cost airline in the UK. Sign up at news.cheapflights.co.uk/flights/rss.html and the information will automatically appear on your reader.
Online travel agents and tour operators are also embracing RSS. Lastminute.com has introduced feeds detailing each day�s best hotel discounts, package holidays and theatre deals (to subscribe, visit www.lastminute.com/site/rss).
The giant American travel search engine SideStep.com, which recently launched in the UK, is planning something similar. But RSS needn�t just be about bargains � it can be used to keep you updated about any subject under the sun...
Example: Last week, I subscribed to Lastminute.com’s RSS feeds and several tasty bargains landed straight on my desktop, including a week’s half-board at the five-star Marriott Taba Heights, in Egypt, reduced by 45% to £299."
Not any more. Instead, you can go to Cheapflights.co.uk and subscribe to its RSS feed, which has news of the latest deals offered by every low-cost airline in the UK. Sign up at news.cheapflights.co.uk/flights/rss.html and the information will automatically appear on your reader.
Online travel agents and tour operators are also embracing RSS. Lastminute.com has introduced feeds detailing each day�s best hotel discounts, package holidays and theatre deals (to subscribe, visit www.lastminute.com/site/rss).
The giant American travel search engine SideStep.com, which recently launched in the UK, is planning something similar. But RSS needn�t just be about bargains � it can be used to keep you updated about any subject under the sun...
Example: Last week, I subscribed to Lastminute.com’s RSS feeds and several tasty bargains landed straight on my desktop, including a week’s half-board at the five-star Marriott Taba Heights, in Egypt, reduced by 45% to £299."
Friday, March 03, 2006
Most travel sites 'atrocious', says website expert-ry--J.
Poor navigation worst problem for travel sites...Most travel sites 'atrocious', says website expert-ry--J.: "Most travel sites 'atrocious', says website expert...The vast majority of travel websites are "atrocious" and lose business because they are impossible to navigate, a web specialist has claimed.
Craig Hanna, training director at consultancy firm E-Consultancy, accused 95% of websites of "behaving like the world’s worst high streets shops...
He said six out of ten travel sites have "amnesia" and don’t remember repeat visitors, while in a recent test, 52% of users who were told to book a flight and hotel were unable to do so....Hanna added that websites are not just failing to convert sales but driving business directly to competitors.
"Figures show that 67% click off pages because they encounter difficulties and of those, 35% go direct to competitor sites."
He told delegates at BTTF to "do the mum test". "Watch other people use your webite," he said. "What’s an obvious to you, isn’t obvious to other people. "I always see if my mum use it. That’s the test because if she can use, you should be ok.""
Craig Hanna, training director at consultancy firm E-Consultancy, accused 95% of websites of "behaving like the world’s worst high streets shops...
He said six out of ten travel sites have "amnesia" and don’t remember repeat visitors, while in a recent test, 52% of users who were told to book a flight and hotel were unable to do so....Hanna added that websites are not just failing to convert sales but driving business directly to competitors.
"Figures show that 67% click off pages because they encounter difficulties and of those, 35% go direct to competitor sites."
He told delegates at BTTF to "do the mum test". "Watch other people use your webite," he said. "What’s an obvious to you, isn’t obvious to other people. "I always see if my mum use it. That’s the test because if she can use, you should be ok.""
Monday, February 27, 2006
e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter
e-Travel Blackboard: Australia's Number One Industry Newsletter: "January was a record month for Totaltravel.com registering 885,437 visits to the site, up 33 per cent from the previous month.
"Suppliers are getting better at finding ways to directly access customers, while users have become more sophisticated in seeking better deals,� spokesman of Totaltravel.com, Paul Fisher said....
Consumers are becoming more savvy and realising they can get better deals by going direct to suppliers rather than dealing with anyone that is getting a commission or potentially adding margins...
Holidaymakers are taking shortcuts to make travel bookings directly with suppliers rather than relying on middlemen such as last minute.com or wotif.com, Australia�s leading online travel directory, Totaltravel.com revealed"
"Suppliers are getting better at finding ways to directly access customers, while users have become more sophisticated in seeking better deals,� spokesman of Totaltravel.com, Paul Fisher said....
Consumers are becoming more savvy and realising they can get better deals by going direct to suppliers rather than dealing with anyone that is getting a commission or potentially adding margins...
Holidaymakers are taking shortcuts to make travel bookings directly with suppliers rather than relying on middlemen such as last minute.com or wotif.com, Australia�s leading online travel directory, Totaltravel.com revealed"
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Morgans Hotel founder Schrager getting payday in IPO - MarketWatch
Morgans Hotel founder Schrager getting payday in IPO - MarketWatch: "Morgans Hotel Group founder Ian Schrager will receive about $9 million in stock through an entity he controls as well as money for a jet, a full-time car driver and other perks as the boutique hotel chain goes public on Valentine's Day.
MHGC0.00, 0.00, 0.0%) plans to offer 18 million shares at $19 to $21 per share in a bid to raise $360 million, with underwriter Morgan Stanley.
Schrager, who became a big name in the 1970s as co-owner of storied disco Studio 54, founded Morgans Hotel in 1983 with his first hotel, Morgans, in New York City.
Most of the IPO proceeds will go toward paying down debt, which totaled about $446 million on Sept. 30. For the nine months ending Sept. 30, the hotel chain reported a net loss of $29 million and revenue of $190.2 million. "
MHGC0.00, 0.00, 0.0%) plans to offer 18 million shares at $19 to $21 per share in a bid to raise $360 million, with underwriter Morgan Stanley.
Schrager, who became a big name in the 1970s as co-owner of storied disco Studio 54, founded Morgans Hotel in 1983 with his first hotel, Morgans, in New York City.
Most of the IPO proceeds will go toward paying down debt, which totaled about $446 million on Sept. 30. For the nine months ending Sept. 30, the hotel chain reported a net loss of $29 million and revenue of $190.2 million. "
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Travelocity Meet Me In...online tool
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "Travelocity has added what is being termed as a one-of-a-kind booking feature to its Last Minute Packages portion of the site that will make it easier than ever for family and friends to connect...The patent pending Meet Me In...online tool allows consumers traveling from two departure cities to meet in a common destination through convenient, deeply-discounted travel packages.
The new booking feature helps to eliminate the scheduling and communication challenges associated with coordinating complex travel itineraries from two separate origins. This technology helps eliminate cumbersome coordination by allowing up to four people from two different cities to select itineraries that maximise their time together, stated the company
To celebrate the launch of this new tool, Travelocity is offering its members who book before March 15 an exclusive $75 discount on all Meet Me In... bookings"
The new booking feature helps to eliminate the scheduling and communication challenges associated with coordinating complex travel itineraries from two separate origins. This technology helps eliminate cumbersome coordination by allowing up to four people from two different cities to select itineraries that maximise their time together, stated the company
To celebrate the launch of this new tool, Travelocity is offering its members who book before March 15 an exclusive $75 discount on all Meet Me In... bookings"
Monday, February 06, 2006
VC's invest in 2 Indian online travel Companies
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "VC's invest in 2 Indian online travel Companies
In an another development underlining the burgeoning online travel segment in India, venture capital fund WestBridge Capital Partners has decided to back Travelguru, a technology-enabled travel company....
As per the plans, customers will be able to book their travel across 300 airlines and 55,000 hotels in India and abroad in “a fast, convenient and reliable manner”. Travelguru’s innovative and patented metasearch technology provides travelers with more travel options at better prices than any other player in this space currently, according to an official release...
Travelguru has plans for providing rich hotel related content such as details on nearby attractions, hotel photographs, room facilities and distance form airport/railway stations.
In another development, VC fund Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB) has finally decided to take the plunge with its first investment in India. The VC fund is making an investment in the travel business through a stake in Cleartrip.com , an online travel portal for India, according to financial daily, The Economic Times."
In an another development underlining the burgeoning online travel segment in India, venture capital fund WestBridge Capital Partners has decided to back Travelguru, a technology-enabled travel company....
As per the plans, customers will be able to book their travel across 300 airlines and 55,000 hotels in India and abroad in “a fast, convenient and reliable manner”. Travelguru’s innovative and patented metasearch technology provides travelers with more travel options at better prices than any other player in this space currently, according to an official release...
Travelguru has plans for providing rich hotel related content such as details on nearby attractions, hotel photographs, room facilities and distance form airport/railway stations.
In another development, VC fund Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB) has finally decided to take the plunge with its first investment in India. The VC fund is making an investment in the travel business through a stake in Cleartrip.com , an online travel portal for India, according to financial daily, The Economic Times."
Friday, February 03, 2006
Work time spent researching & booking holidays
channel4.com - News: "Employees spend too much time surfing the internet for holiday bargains, costing the industry �2.5 billion a year in lost productivity, it has been claimed.
And the average British workers checks six different sites before deciding which holiday to choose, the survey said.
And it added that four out of five workers spend an average of 25 hours booking or researching a holiday online. "
And the average British workers checks six different sites before deciding which holiday to choose, the survey said.
And it added that four out of five workers spend an average of 25 hours booking or researching a holiday online. "
Friday, January 13, 2006
Flight's fees model 'outdated' [13jan06]
The Courier-Mail: Flight's fees model 'outdated' [13jan06]: "AILING travel agency group Flight Centre has been dealt another blow, with its former e-commerce chief labelling the commission model its business relies on as outdated.
Paul Fisher, who now works with totaltravel.com, said travel and tourism suppliers were increasingly looking to go directly to the Internet to do business with their customers and the old commission model was therefore unlikely to survive....
"You are already seeing commissions being slashed across the tourism industry, and in turn agents were adding service fees to supplement decreasing margins," Mr Fisher said.
"With accommodation, providers are looking for ways to take back control of their inventory and identity after losing yield and brand equity due to the whole 'last minute' or standby rates discounting phenomenon.
"And at the smaller end of town, individual properties and B&Bs, particularly in regional areas, can't afford to give away their margins to wholesalers and agents with commissions."
Paul Fisher, who now works with totaltravel.com, said travel and tourism suppliers were increasingly looking to go directly to the Internet to do business with their customers and the old commission model was therefore unlikely to survive....
"You are already seeing commissions being slashed across the tourism industry, and in turn agents were adding service fees to supplement decreasing margins," Mr Fisher said.
"With accommodation, providers are looking for ways to take back control of their inventory and identity after losing yield and brand equity due to the whole 'last minute' or standby rates discounting phenomenon.
"And at the smaller end of town, individual properties and B&Bs, particularly in regional areas, can't afford to give away their margins to wholesalers and agents with commissions."
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Totaltravel.com achieves record results-20-Dec-05.
Totaltravel.com achieves record results-20-Dec-05.: "Totaltravel.com, the number one site for Australian's seeking information about destinations, has achieved record results with the highest ever figures for email enquiries and phone number requests and 223,000 click-throughs directly to supplier websites last month"
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