Sunday, May 30, 2004
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Wired 12.06: The Wired 40
Wired 12.06: The Wired 40: "
21. InterActiveCorp
LITTLE SHOP OF DILLER'S
Last year: 29
By adding dotcom survivors like Expedia and Match.com to core holdings like Ticketmaster and Home Shopping Network, Barry Diller turned InterActiveCorp (formerly USA Interactive) into a mosaic of consumer indulgences. Diller is strong where Amazon isn't: travel, events, dating, and real estate. That makes a solid foundation for a growing ecommerce empire.
Done: Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, and Lending Tree are the newest gems in Diller's collection.
To do: The quickest way to profits is the shortest path to sales. InterActiveCorp needs to put one-click shopping on TV."
23. WPP Group
ADDING IT UP
Last year: 33
CEO Martin Sorrell wants you to take things personally. He's pushing for personalized marketing - mobile, interactive, and direct - instead of traditional ads, which are about as personal as a hug from Dick Cheney. But Sorrell knows that each of the 102 countries where advertising behemoth WPP operates needs to be spoken to in its own special way. The world may soon be hanging on WPP's every word.
Done: The purchase of British agency Cordiant Communications gave WPP a firm foothold in Asia.
To do: Tomorrow's corporate giants in China, India, and Mexico need a global voice today.
34. Ryanair
WING COMMANDER
Last year: 30
In eight years, Dublin-based Ryanair has built a no-frills airline that shuttles 22 million skinflints a year to more than 75 European cities, buffeting the Continent's complacent airline industry. The company keeps costs low by focusing on second-string airports and selling tickets on the Web, completing 95 percent of sales online. Ryanair is now the Internet's favorite way to fly.
Done: No reclining seats. No head rests. No window blinds. Ryanair's cost-cutting has been ruthless.
To do: The carrier has a golden opportunity to extend the budget-airline business to developing countries with a growing middle class.
21. InterActiveCorp
LITTLE SHOP OF DILLER'S
Last year: 29
By adding dotcom survivors like Expedia and Match.com to core holdings like Ticketmaster and Home Shopping Network, Barry Diller turned InterActiveCorp (formerly USA Interactive) into a mosaic of consumer indulgences. Diller is strong where Amazon isn't: travel, events, dating, and real estate. That makes a solid foundation for a growing ecommerce empire.
Done: Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, and Lending Tree are the newest gems in Diller's collection.
To do: The quickest way to profits is the shortest path to sales. InterActiveCorp needs to put one-click shopping on TV."
23. WPP Group
ADDING IT UP
Last year: 33
CEO Martin Sorrell wants you to take things personally. He's pushing for personalized marketing - mobile, interactive, and direct - instead of traditional ads, which are about as personal as a hug from Dick Cheney. But Sorrell knows that each of the 102 countries where advertising behemoth WPP operates needs to be spoken to in its own special way. The world may soon be hanging on WPP's every word.
Done: The purchase of British agency Cordiant Communications gave WPP a firm foothold in Asia.
To do: Tomorrow's corporate giants in China, India, and Mexico need a global voice today.
34. Ryanair
WING COMMANDER
Last year: 30
In eight years, Dublin-based Ryanair has built a no-frills airline that shuttles 22 million skinflints a year to more than 75 European cities, buffeting the Continent's complacent airline industry. The company keeps costs low by focusing on second-string airports and selling tickets on the Web, completing 95 percent of sales online. Ryanair is now the Internet's favorite way to fly.
Done: No reclining seats. No head rests. No window blinds. Ryanair's cost-cutting has been ruthless.
To do: The carrier has a golden opportunity to extend the budget-airline business to developing countries with a growing middle class.
Thomsonfly.com - A new way of seeing Europe... from Coventry Airport - Company
Thomsonfly.com : "Fight is won for Flights to the sun" Coventry Airport has won its court case against Warwick District Council over the use of its interim passenger facility. Customers can now have full confidence in Thomsonfly.com's long term future at Coventry Airport
Online travel sales continues to grow - TW Crossroads
TW Crossroads: "Among active business travelers during the previous 12 months, four in five (80%) went online to reserve hotel accommodations, while seven in 10 (68%) went online to book an airline reservation. Just about half (45%) went online to arrange a car rental. The story is similar for active leisure travelers..."
Search refinements TW Crossroads - competing USA travel directory
TW Crossroads: " Rentalo.com, an Internet search engine focusing on nonstandard accommodations, rolled out an upgrade that allows for more specific and quicker searches.
With new 'sort-by' and 'filter-by' options, the user -- after selecting the destination -- can search by price, size of property, name and type of facility [house vs. apartment etc.]. Rentalo said searchers can hone in further, to sort by amenities, such as cell phones, DVDs, Web access, pet-friendliness, handicapped accessibility, local transportation, pool, Jacuzzi, sports and attractions."
With new 'sort-by' and 'filter-by' options, the user -- after selecting the destination -- can search by price, size of property, name and type of facility [house vs. apartment etc.]. Rentalo said searchers can hone in further, to sort by amenities, such as cell phones, DVDs, Web access, pet-friendliness, handicapped accessibility, local transportation, pool, Jacuzzi, sports and attractions."
"simpler is better" TW Crossroads
TW Crossroads: "Orbitz streamlined its homepage, partitioning it into two areas -- one for people who know when and where they want to travel, and another for those who prefer to browse deals and vacation ideas...
Travelocity kicked off the recent "simpler is better" theme for online agencies in March when the company simplified its homepage. Cheap Tickets also cleaned up the clutter when redesigning its site last week."
Travelocity kicked off the recent "simpler is better" theme for online agencies in March when the company simplified its homepage. Cheap Tickets also cleaned up the clutter when redesigning its site last week."
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
NewsBriefs
Not strictly travel industry but given possibilty of Yahoo & Google being major competitors worth noting their moves... even though IMHO using MSN messenger does not sticky me to any other MSN service....NewsBriefs: "Yahoo! Issues IM Update" Yahoo! released a major re-launch of its instant messaging (IM) application on Monday. Among the new features integrated into the real-time communication program are customizable "avatars," increased ability to play games against other users and easier photo or information sharing. Yahoo Messenger is currently the second most popular IM application, behind AOL Instant Messenger but ahead of Microsoft Messenger; all three companies have issued major updates to their product in recent months.
Review of Flight "Scanners" Sun Telegraph
Telegraph | Travel | Nick Trend's consumer report: Finding flights online takes off: "
Flightmapping.com
Skyscanner.net
Traveljungle.co.uk
Travelsupermarket.com
Flitesite.co.uk"
Interesting one at the bottom of the list:
FLITE SITE
This small two-man operation claims to be the first to break into the market (it has been going for more than two years). It's a slick site with some very good map-based graphics. However, only fare searches for EasyJet are working at the moment. The site's owner, Ian Bailey, says he needs more investment to expand.
Verdict
Could be useful, but not yet fully operational.
Flightmapping.com
Skyscanner.net
Traveljungle.co.uk
Travelsupermarket.com
Flitesite.co.uk"
Interesting one at the bottom of the list:
FLITE SITE
This small two-man operation claims to be the first to break into the market (it has been going for more than two years). It's a slick site with some very good map-based graphics. However, only fare searches for EasyJet are working at the moment. The site's owner, Ian Bailey, says he needs more investment to expand.
Verdict
Could be useful, but not yet fully operational.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Guest comment: What is happening with domestic tourism? - 24-May-04.
Guest comment: What is happening with domestic tourism? - 24-May-04.: "the Government’s long awaited Tourism Prospectus has been slipped out very quietly, and was still not available publicly available...the document only covers marketing, etourism, data, quality and skills and doesn’t explain why the current structure of the tourism industry is such a shambles nor what the government plans to do about it...
the domestic tourism industry needs to find a champion who will persuade the Government that tourism is an important activity, requiring more funding, more permanent government responsibility and a structure that can facilitate industry engagement from a grassroots level."
Anyone have a tame politico in their sights who would take up this gauntlet & promote totaltravel?
the domestic tourism industry needs to find a champion who will persuade the Government that tourism is an important activity, requiring more funding, more permanent government responsibility and a structure that can facilitate industry engagement from a grassroots level."
Anyone have a tame politico in their sights who would take up this gauntlet & promote totaltravel?
Traditional airlines are making progress online in their battle with 'no-frills' rivals
Features: "Traditional airlines are making progress online in their battle with 'no-frills' rivals, according to new research.
Hitwise data for the top 10 no-frills airline websites reveals that visits by UK consumers have increased by 12.5% over the past year. However, the broader Commercial Airlines sector, which includes both traditional and no-frills carriers, has outpaced this growth, with an increase of 19.4% year on year.
The difference in growth is attributable, the company says, to the ever-increasing competition for direct bookings online. In the past 12 months, Hitwise added 44 websites to its Commercial Airlines sector, a 27% growth in the number of websites compared with last year.
By studying the online customer acquisition strategies and business models of the likes of easyJet and Ryanair, companies such as British Airways look to be making up some lost ground. With visits to the online travel industry growing another 27% in the past 12 months, consumers are clearly responding to the flexibility and price transparency that the Internet brings to their travel plans."
In terms of the most popular no-frills airlines, easyJet (www.easyjet.com) is the market leader, accounting for over a third of all visits to the custom sector, followed by Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), which receives a quarter of visits, and BMI Baby (www.bmibaby.com), which saw one in 10 visits to the custom sector.
Hitwise Search Terms shows that for the Commercial Airlines sector, of the top 15 most searched for keywords, over 70% were for no-frills airlines. British Airways is the third most searched for airline brand."
Visit site for charts
Hitwise data for the top 10 no-frills airline websites reveals that visits by UK consumers have increased by 12.5% over the past year. However, the broader Commercial Airlines sector, which includes both traditional and no-frills carriers, has outpaced this growth, with an increase of 19.4% year on year.
The difference in growth is attributable, the company says, to the ever-increasing competition for direct bookings online. In the past 12 months, Hitwise added 44 websites to its Commercial Airlines sector, a 27% growth in the number of websites compared with last year.
By studying the online customer acquisition strategies and business models of the likes of easyJet and Ryanair, companies such as British Airways look to be making up some lost ground. With visits to the online travel industry growing another 27% in the past 12 months, consumers are clearly responding to the flexibility and price transparency that the Internet brings to their travel plans."
In terms of the most popular no-frills airlines, easyJet (www.easyjet.com) is the market leader, accounting for over a third of all visits to the custom sector, followed by Ryanair (www.ryanair.com), which receives a quarter of visits, and BMI Baby (www.bmibaby.com), which saw one in 10 visits to the custom sector.
Hitwise Search Terms shows that for the Commercial Airlines sector, of the top 15 most searched for keywords, over 70% were for no-frills airlines. British Airways is the third most searched for airline brand."
Visit site for charts
Sunday, May 23, 2004
No-frills boom spawns new type of guide book - 20-May-04.
No-frills boom spawns new type of guide book - 20-May-04.:
Rough Guides is launching a new range of guide books to cater for the booming short breaks market...
The first six Directions guides, launched on Thursday 27 May, are Athens, Lisbon, London, Paris, San Francisco and Venice. A further six guides will launch in August for Amsterdam, New York, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Marrakesh and Tenerife and La Gomera. More are scheduled for next year.
The guides contain more pictures and colourful maps as well as a CD that contains the entire guide in pdf format. They cost £6.99 and are sold in bookshops and online through websites like Amazon."
Rough Guides is launching a new range of guide books to cater for the booming short breaks market...
The first six Directions guides, launched on Thursday 27 May, are Athens, Lisbon, London, Paris, San Francisco and Venice. A further six guides will launch in August for Amsterdam, New York, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Marrakesh and Tenerife and La Gomera. More are scheduled for next year.
The guides contain more pictures and colourful maps as well as a CD that contains the entire guide in pdf format. They cost £6.99 and are sold in bookshops and online through websites like Amazon."
New low fares airline launches from Kent - 20-May-04.
New low fares airline launches from Kent - 20-May-04.: "Irish budget carrier EUjet has confirmed a raft of new routes from Kent International Airport."
Hospitality Net - Industry News - No frills on a cheap night - EasyHotel to offer 'capsule' rooms in London for just ?D5 a night
Hospitality Net - Industry News - No frills on a cheap night - EasyHotel to offer 'capsule' rooms in London for just ?D5 a night: "No frills on a cheap night - EasyHotel to offer 'capsule' rooms in London for just ?D5 a night"
Monday, May 17, 2004
The Webby Awards: 2004 Nominees & Winners
The Webby Awards: 2004 Nominees & Winners: "
Webby award winner: IgoUgo www.igougo.com
People's voice winner: Lonely Planet Online www.lonelyplanet.com
Nominees:
Fodors.com http://www.fodors.com
IgoUgo http://www.igougo.com
LonelyPlanet.com http://www.lonelyplanet.com
LuxuryLink.com http://www.luxurylink.com
Pure NZ http://www.newzealand.com "
Webby award winner: IgoUgo www.igougo.com
People's voice winner: Lonely Planet Online www.lonelyplanet.com
Nominees:
Fodors.com http://www.fodors.com
IgoUgo http://www.igougo.com
LonelyPlanet.com http://www.lonelyplanet.com
LuxuryLink.com http://www.luxurylink.com
Pure NZ http://www.newzealand.com "
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Cendant forms partner marketing unit
Cendant forms partner marketing unit: "The Travel Distribution Services (TDS) Division within Cendant Corporation has formed a new global Partner Marketing team."
BBC NEWS | Magazine | The DIY travel guide
BBC NEWS | Magazine | The DIY travel guide: "The internet has changed the way we go on holiday. And now it offers holidaymakers the chance to become contributors to electronic travel guides. "
Travel Execs Get A Glimpse Of Their Future
Web Services Pipeline | News | Travel Execs Get A Glimpse Of Their Future: "Travel Execs Get A Glimpse Of Their Future "
Travel Execs Get A Glimpse Of Their Future
Web Services Pipeline | News | Travel Execs Get A Glimpse Of Their Future: "Travel Execs Get A Glimpse Of Their Future "
Interactive having problems with operators
MSN Money - TheStreet.com: "Travel-site operator faces hotel mutiny"
Interactive having problems with operators
MSN Money - TheStreet.com: "Travel-site operator faces hotel mutiny"
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