News - Hoover's Online: "Expedia, Inc. to Acquire Activity World"
Online travel site Expedia said it would buy Hawaiian tour company
Activity World. The move puts Expedia in position to expand its
services on its Web site. It also allows customers the option of
booking their activities and tours online or through an office at
their vacation destination. The transaction is expected to close next
month.
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Trendsetters.com - 31-Mar-04 :: Trip Hop, flash-mob computing, Wi-Fi in the sky
Trendsetters.com - 31-Mar-04 :: Trip Hop, flash-mob computing, Wi-Fi in the sky: "International travel is rebounding. Between October and February, passport applications shot up 13%, compared to a 1% growth rate in 2003, and declines in 2001 and 2002. And because the Euro is strong, travel to the U.S. is also booming. Get that passport app in soon!"
Friday, March 26, 2004
Travelocity unveils redesign of travel Web site
Travelocity unveils redesign of travel Web site: "CHICAGO, March 25 (Reuters) - Travelocity on Thursday will unveil the first full makeover of its travel Web site since its 1996 launch -- the company's latest attempt to build brand as the top online travel firms vie for market share...
The redesigned site, which operates twice as quickly as the old one, will also feature a new logo with hand-drawn stars -- designed to highlight how stars light a traveler's journey, Jeff Glueck, Travelocity's chief marketing officer, told Reuters.
"One of the things consumers told us was that they perceived all the major Web sites in travel looked alike. We heard that loud and clear," Glueck said. "Stripping away a lot of the clutter enables us to highlight what's most important."
The redesigned site, which operates twice as quickly as the old one, will also feature a new logo with hand-drawn stars -- designed to highlight how stars light a traveler's journey, Jeff Glueck, Travelocity's chief marketing officer, told Reuters.
"One of the things consumers told us was that they perceived all the major Web sites in travel looked alike. We heard that loud and clear," Glueck said. "Stripping away a lot of the clutter enables us to highlight what's most important."
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Mission statement Tralliance Corporation
Tralliance Corporation
Tralliance (an acronym for travel alliance) intends to provide the definitive directory – a comprehensive library of information about travel, tourism, or travel-related products or services – to effectively and efficiently match buyers to sellers. The precise indexing and cataloguing of products and services, to such a degree of detail, will relieve travel consumers’ frustration locating the greatest value, or most tailored, travel offering.
The idea of “concept (activity)-based retrieval” (as opposed to text-based or “free word” retrieval) will help users hone in on the specific products, services, or information that they desire. The end result will be a travel industry directory that will allow for searches that expeditiously produce information that is explicitly bound to the query. For example the query—What is the name of the tour operator that offers submarine tours of the Titanic?— will return tour operators that offers this service.
Highly focused responses—as the Internet continues to grow exponentially over the decades to come—will only be possible through the establishment of directories (complete data sets) like the Directory Tralliance is currently developing.
Tralliance (an acronym for travel alliance) intends to provide the definitive directory – a comprehensive library of information about travel, tourism, or travel-related products or services – to effectively and efficiently match buyers to sellers. The precise indexing and cataloguing of products and services, to such a degree of detail, will relieve travel consumers’ frustration locating the greatest value, or most tailored, travel offering.
The idea of “concept (activity)-based retrieval” (as opposed to text-based or “free word” retrieval) will help users hone in on the specific products, services, or information that they desire. The end result will be a travel industry directory that will allow for searches that expeditiously produce information that is explicitly bound to the query. For example the query—What is the name of the tour operator that offers submarine tours of the Titanic?— will return tour operators that offers this service.
Highly focused responses—as the Internet continues to grow exponentially over the decades to come—will only be possible through the establishment of directories (complete data sets) like the Directory Tralliance is currently developing.
Tralliance Corporation
Tralliance Corporation
The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC), a non-profit corporation, has been formed to promote the addition to the Internet of a new sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) to be known as .travel; and, to recommend policies and practices concerning the administration of the registered domain names in the .travel sTLD.
Open to all bona fide travel and tourism associations, TTPC is a consortium of travel industry bodies representing a broad cross-section of the industry. The actual size of the industry, from the perspective of directory subscribers and domain name holders, is estimated to be in excess of 1,000,000 travel providers, purveyors, and associated entities—a constituency comprised of travel agents, tour operators, airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, bus companies, ferries, rail lines, theme parks, convention bureaus, and national tourism offices.
Tourism’s economic impact is four times as large as global steel exports, 50% larger than the export of clothes and textiles, and equal to the global export of automobiles. Underscoring these statistics, travel and tourism accounts for 10% of all international trade, 5% of total global economic output, and leads all online transactions at 28% of the total.
The Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC), a non-profit corporation, has been formed to promote the addition to the Internet of a new sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) to be known as .travel; and, to recommend policies and practices concerning the administration of the registered domain names in the .travel sTLD.
Open to all bona fide travel and tourism associations, TTPC is a consortium of travel industry bodies representing a broad cross-section of the industry. The actual size of the industry, from the perspective of directory subscribers and domain name holders, is estimated to be in excess of 1,000,000 travel providers, purveyors, and associated entities—a constituency comprised of travel agents, tour operators, airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, bus companies, ferries, rail lines, theme parks, convention bureaus, and national tourism offices.
Tourism’s economic impact is four times as large as global steel exports, 50% larger than the export of clothes and textiles, and equal to the global export of automobiles. Underscoring these statistics, travel and tourism accounts for 10% of all international trade, 5% of total global economic output, and leads all online transactions at 28% of the total.
Dot-travel domains TW Crossroads
TW Crossroads: "Dot-travel again is being considered as a Web address suffix akin to dot-com and dot-net. "
...a New York-based, for-profit company called Tralliance would provide the day-to-day management, and also would create a travel-specific search engine based on a dot-travel directory. That's supposed to make it easier for consumers to find what they want, and for the businesses to get new customers.
Only "verified" travel organizations or businesses would be entitled to register for dot-travel addresses, in an attempt to prevent non-travel businesses from snapping up rights to names to sell to legitimate travel businesses. Travel associations would be involved in authenticating all registrants, and would get "fee revenue" for doing it.
The proposals will be open for public comment from April 1 to April 30, then reviewed by an independent evaluation panel beginning in May. Icann did not specify when it would make its final decision. More information is available on the Web at www.icann.org.
...a New York-based, for-profit company called Tralliance would provide the day-to-day management, and also would create a travel-specific search engine based on a dot-travel directory. That's supposed to make it easier for consumers to find what they want, and for the businesses to get new customers.
Only "verified" travel organizations or businesses would be entitled to register for dot-travel addresses, in an attempt to prevent non-travel businesses from snapping up rights to names to sell to legitimate travel businesses. Travel associations would be involved in authenticating all registrants, and would get "fee revenue" for doing it.
The proposals will be open for public comment from April 1 to April 30, then reviewed by an independent evaluation panel beginning in May. Icann did not specify when it would make its final decision. More information is available on the Web at www.icann.org.
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and AnalysisThe capital’s visitor economy enjoyed three months continuous growth to January 2004, according to the first results of Visit London’s new monthly Visitor Index.
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "A new study by teletextholidays.co.uk shows that over a third of UK holidaymakers are opting for home-grown tourist attractions as an alternative to the treasures of international travel."
Iceland Express seals distribution deal with Active Hotels - 23-Mar-04.
Iceland Express seals distribution deal with Active Hotels - 23-Mar-04.
Active Hotels, Europe’s leading online hotel reservations provider has signed a partnership agreement with Iceland Express, the newly established low fare airline, operating twice daily flights between Iceland, Denmark and the UK.
Active Hotels, Europe’s leading online hotel reservations provider has signed a partnership agreement with Iceland Express, the newly established low fare airline, operating twice daily flights between Iceland, Denmark and the UK.
Hotels forced to undercut internet rivals - 23-Mar-04.
Hotels forced to undercut internet rivals - 23-Mar-04.
More hotels are being booked online than ever before, but consumers are not booking direct with hotel websites because they are finding lower rates elsewhere on the web.
When searching for the cheapest room rate in UK hotels, a survey by KPMG found that 58% of the cheapest rates were offered by an online travel agent rather then by the hotel direct. In Western Europe as a whole the figure is about 45%.
In the US, online agents like Expedia and Travelocity offer the cheapest hotel around 10% of the time, because in 45% of cases a corporate travel agent offered the best rates, according to KPMG.
KPMG’s Global Hotel Distribution Survey 2004 researched room rates through multiple online channels and direct channels (including calls to the hotel and hotel call centre) from 310 hotels in 13 countries.
Only 2% of hotels showed consistent pricing across all direct and indirect channels. According to Mr Pattie, 14% of US hotel bookings were generated from the internet in 2003.
More hotels are being booked online than ever before, but consumers are not booking direct with hotel websites because they are finding lower rates elsewhere on the web.
When searching for the cheapest room rate in UK hotels, a survey by KPMG found that 58% of the cheapest rates were offered by an online travel agent rather then by the hotel direct. In Western Europe as a whole the figure is about 45%.
In the US, online agents like Expedia and Travelocity offer the cheapest hotel around 10% of the time, because in 45% of cases a corporate travel agent offered the best rates, according to KPMG.
KPMG’s Global Hotel Distribution Survey 2004 researched room rates through multiple online channels and direct channels (including calls to the hotel and hotel call centre) from 310 hotels in 13 countries.
Only 2% of hotels showed consistent pricing across all direct and indirect channels. According to Mr Pattie, 14% of US hotel bookings were generated from the internet in 2003.
Friday, March 19, 2004
Hospitality Net - Industry News - More Upside Than Downside For UK Hotel Sector In 2004, But Changing Booking And Buying Patterns May Challenge Hoteliers -
Hospitality Net - Industry News - More Upside Than Downside For UK Hotel Sector In 2004, But Changing Booking And Buying Patterns May Challenge Hoteliers - PricewaterhouseCoopers reports: "'Forecast Alert' also identifies that there appears to have been an overall shift in business and leisure travel patterns. Corporate travellers are now booking later (like leisure travellers), using the internet more and increasingly shopping for better rates as they become more cost conscious. The implication is that the travellers are returning, but the business model may have changed for good.
Robert Milburn, UK Leader for Hospitality & Leisure at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the name of the game for hoteliers in 2004 is revenue maximisation:
'Forecast Alert' also concludes that although London bore the brunt of the downturn in international travel throughout the past three years, it is expected to lead the recovery in the European hotel sector.
Liz Hal, research manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers added:
"There are already signs of a change in fortunes for the capital. For the first time since 1995, London increased its global market share of tourism.We anticipate RevPAR growth of 1.7% in London this year and a further robust gain of 6.4% in 2005.""
Robert Milburn, UK Leader for Hospitality & Leisure at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the name of the game for hoteliers in 2004 is revenue maximisation:
'Forecast Alert' also concludes that although London bore the brunt of the downturn in international travel throughout the past three years, it is expected to lead the recovery in the European hotel sector.
Liz Hal, research manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers added:
"There are already signs of a change in fortunes for the capital. For the first time since 1995, London increased its global market share of tourism.We anticipate RevPAR growth of 1.7% in London this year and a further robust gain of 6.4% in 2005.""
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "WorldRes is to unveil a system at ITB Berlin (12-16 March) that will enable independent hotels to distribute through thousands of websites worldwide.
The extranet solution, due for launch in the fourth quarter of 2004 and code-named 'Project Easy Extranet', will allow hotels to instantly sell through WorldRes, and so enjoy distribution through over 5,000 websites, internet service providers (ISP?Ds), online travel agents, tourist boards and global destination management companies (DMC?Ds) worldwide.Developed in conjunction with PeopleSoft, Inc, the system will be on show as a BETA test version at this year's ITB.
The extranet's inventory management tools will enable hotels to instantly update their rates at any PC, and to track payments and commissions, and will feature statistical analysis tools that will allow hotels to model their marketing strategies to shifts in demand.WorldRes' network creates an online settlement process for hotels, with details of bookings, amendments and final payments available through the internet."
The extranet solution, due for launch in the fourth quarter of 2004 and code-named 'Project Easy Extranet', will allow hotels to instantly sell through WorldRes, and so enjoy distribution through over 5,000 websites, internet service providers (ISP?Ds), online travel agents, tourist boards and global destination management companies (DMC?Ds) worldwide.Developed in conjunction with PeopleSoft, Inc, the system will be on show as a BETA test version at this year's ITB.
The extranet's inventory management tools will enable hotels to instantly update their rates at any PC, and to track payments and commissions, and will feature statistical analysis tools that will allow hotels to model their marketing strategies to shifts in demand.WorldRes' network creates an online settlement process for hotels, with details of bookings, amendments and final payments available through the internet."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "Between 1999 and 2003, the percentage of UK adults taking three or more holidays per year rose from around 11% to over 13%. In a new report released today by leading market intelligence provider Key Note, it is revealed that word of mouth prompts nearly half of all holidays taken in the UK, above television advertising and brochures.
However, it is hard for travel companies operating in the industry to stimulate this type of promotion other than using a 'recommend a friend' type scheme".
The findings show that holiday brochures are a much more powerful prompt for holiday decisions than television programmes. 19% of respondents agreed that their last holiday decision was prompted by holiday brochures compared with only 4% prompted by television programmes. Although these numbers look relatively small, brochures influenced around 27million holidays, and television 6 million, out of the 141.6 million holidays taken during 2002. Holiday programmes are extremely popular and Key Note suggests this is less related to inducing people to take holidays and more related to general public interest in different holiday locations.
The Internet is also having a major impact on the travel industry and the survey indicates that more people obtain information on travel from the Internet than they do through travel agents. Some products such as low cost air services offer incentives to book over the Internet, which result in nearly all bookings coming through this channel.
Over 60% of adults took one holiday in the last year and the average number of holidays taken per person in the UK is well over two per year. The UK holiday market is mature with consumers seeking a greater variety of holiday experiences as lifestyles, employment and attitudes change. Increasingly consumers require more choice and greater value for money. This desire for change and variety means that many people are not content with one similar holiday every year, but would prefer to take holidays more frequently."
However, it is hard for travel companies operating in the industry to stimulate this type of promotion other than using a 'recommend a friend' type scheme".
The findings show that holiday brochures are a much more powerful prompt for holiday decisions than television programmes. 19% of respondents agreed that their last holiday decision was prompted by holiday brochures compared with only 4% prompted by television programmes. Although these numbers look relatively small, brochures influenced around 27million holidays, and television 6 million, out of the 141.6 million holidays taken during 2002. Holiday programmes are extremely popular and Key Note suggests this is less related to inducing people to take holidays and more related to general public interest in different holiday locations.
The Internet is also having a major impact on the travel industry and the survey indicates that more people obtain information on travel from the Internet than they do through travel agents. Some products such as low cost air services offer incentives to book over the Internet, which result in nearly all bookings coming through this channel.
Over 60% of adults took one holiday in the last year and the average number of holidays taken per person in the UK is well over two per year. The UK holiday market is mature with consumers seeking a greater variety of holiday experiences as lifestyles, employment and attitudes change. Increasingly consumers require more choice and greater value for money. This desire for change and variety means that many people are not content with one similar holiday every year, but would prefer to take holidays more frequently."
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis
eyefortravel.com - Travel Distribution News, Events and Analysis: "OctopusTravel.com, the innovative travel company that offers an extensive range of accommodation and sightseeing products on the Internet, today announced that it has signed deals with LTUR, Air Luxor and Freeserve and it has hired Soren Langelund, formerly a senior executive at OPODO"
TUI eyes independent sector with direct sell - 16-Mar-04.
TUI eyes independent sector with direct sell - 16-Mar-04.: "TUI has launched an online channel for selling hotel beds directly in a bid to capture the “independent” travel market.
The travel group has launched www.tui-hotels.com, which will sell nights in the hotels featured in its brochures as well as other hotels that sign up to the site. There will be about 5,000 hotels on the site by the end of the year...
TUI interactive managing director, Michael Ohm said: ?DThe Hotel Portal is a market place for customers who wish to book flexibly, and hoteliers who wish to manage flexibly. We provide hoteliers with a dynamic tool with which to manage their products in line with the market situation.?D "
The travel group has launched www.tui-hotels.com, which will sell nights in the hotels featured in its brochures as well as other hotels that sign up to the site. There will be about 5,000 hotels on the site by the end of the year...
TUI interactive managing director, Michael Ohm said: ?DThe Hotel Portal is a market place for customers who wish to book flexibly, and hoteliers who wish to manage flexibly. We provide hoteliers with a dynamic tool with which to manage their products in line with the market situation.?D "
Insurance opportunity
Travel insurers missing �reckless� skiers - 15-Mar-04.: "Irresponsible skiers who travel without insurance represent a �massive� opportunity for insurers. "
Irresponsible skiers who travel without insurance represent a “massive” opportunity for insurers.
The claim comes from First Rate Travel Services, quoting Foreign Office statistics showing that two out of five UK holidaymakers travel with no insurance or inadequate cover...The company says that the average winter sport claim it receives is for more than £3,000, about six times the price of the average ski holiday, while a week’s winter sports cover costs £22."
Irresponsible skiers who travel without insurance represent a “massive” opportunity for insurers.
The claim comes from First Rate Travel Services, quoting Foreign Office statistics showing that two out of five UK holidaymakers travel with no insurance or inadequate cover...The company says that the average winter sport claim it receives is for more than £3,000, about six times the price of the average ski holiday, while a week’s winter sports cover costs £22."
The end of the package holiday? - 15-Mar-04.
The end of the package holiday? - 15-Mar-04.: "Travellers are turning their backs on traditional beach holidays provided by the leading tour operators, according to a survey from responsibletravel.com. "
The company quotes research from MORI which states that package holidays are declining - it claims that 32% of people are taking "independent holidays" versus 30% on package holidays and 19% going on tailor-made or specialist holidays.
Responsibletravel surveyed more than a thousand adults by phone, and found that 88% of respondents think the big holiday companies have a responsibility to preserve the local environment and culture. The survey also identified a “new breed” of traveller who wants a more authentic and experimental travel experience. The survey found that:
80% disagree with the statement: “I just want to have fun on holiday; I don’t really care about the locals and their environment”;
60% have had enough of crowded beaches on resort-type holidays;
57% say too many holidays only offer chips and Sky football in the sun; and
60% believe big tour companies “just pump out superficial holidays and it is time they changed.
Responsibletravel is encouraging people to sign an online petition saying: “I've had enough of the way mass tourism tramples over local people and cultures, and damages the environment”, and wants people to tell of their “mass tourism holidays and evidence of environmental degradation and of negative impacts on local people and culture”. The petition is at http://www.responsibletravel.com/hadenough.
The company quotes research from MORI which states that package holidays are declining - it claims that 32% of people are taking "independent holidays" versus 30% on package holidays and 19% going on tailor-made or specialist holidays.
Responsibletravel surveyed more than a thousand adults by phone, and found that 88% of respondents think the big holiday companies have a responsibility to preserve the local environment and culture. The survey also identified a “new breed” of traveller who wants a more authentic and experimental travel experience. The survey found that:
80% disagree with the statement: “I just want to have fun on holiday; I don’t really care about the locals and their environment”;
60% have had enough of crowded beaches on resort-type holidays;
57% say too many holidays only offer chips and Sky football in the sun; and
60% believe big tour companies “just pump out superficial holidays and it is time they changed.
Responsibletravel is encouraging people to sign an online petition saying: “I've had enough of the way mass tourism tramples over local people and cultures, and damages the environment”, and wants people to tell of their “mass tourism holidays and evidence of environmental degradation and of negative impacts on local people and culture”. The petition is at http://www.responsibletravel.com/hadenough.
Friday, March 12, 2004
Opodo
Opodo: "ght search"
Opodo bumph...
In December, we launched an all-singing-all-dancing new flight search engine. It could find you one way, return, or multistop flights from over 400 airlines, all at competitively low prices. It could also do lots of other clever things like email flight details to your friends.
Now, we've made it even smarter to save you money. Search for any one of a range of holiday destinations, including mainland Spain, Greece, the Balearics and Canaries and it'll also give you the option to look for charter flights from select UK airports. To find your ideal flight
Opodo bumph...
In December, we launched an all-singing-all-dancing new flight search engine. It could find you one way, return, or multistop flights from over 400 airlines, all at competitively low prices. It could also do lots of other clever things like email flight details to your friends.
Now, we've made it even smarter to save you money. Search for any one of a range of holiday destinations, including mainland Spain, Greece, the Balearics and Canaries and it'll also give you the option to look for charter flights from select UK airports. To find your ideal flight
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