Travel major Cox & Kings plans to launch an online travel marketplace for service providers, tour operators and travel agents to sell their products online.
The online travel sector may comprise a mere 2.2 per cent of the domestic travel market, but it is set to grow from $796 million in 2006 to around $2 billion by 2008, according to a report by PhoCusWright.
Source: Business Standard
September 27, 2006
Cox & Kings may launch an online travel portal
Galileo signs six e-ticketable carriers
Galileo, a leading global distribution system (GDS) and a subsidiary of Travelport Inc., has signed up Aerosvit-Ukranian Airlines, Air Tahiti Nui, El Al, Kingfisher, China Airlines and Royal Air Maroc as new e-ticketable carriers on the GDS, taking the total to 80.
By January 2007, IATA will require 70% of all tickets to be electronic. Galileo is currently ahead of this target with more than 80% of tickets issued so far this year being e-tickets. Aerosvit, Air Tahiti Nui, El Al, Royal Air Maroc and China Airlines were joined on the Galileo system by Kingfisher, as the carrier completed electronic ticketing activation this week.
Galileo's e-ticketing is not limited to point to point journeys. Complex itineraries, across multiple destinations can be e-ticketed.
Source: Breaking Travel News
September 26, 2006
e-Travel Requires a Killer App
Earlier today, I was having a chat with Vernon about the surge in the number of internet users logging on to Online Travel Portals (OTP). It’s relevant to note how different varients of OTP's have spawned into vast numbers in such a short span of time. Not to forget in the least, is the list of VC’s queuing up to fund them. Some interesting stastics are showcased below -
Indian Ventures:
Is the effort really paying off and does the consumer get to be the king??
An emphatic NO at this point in time - looking at some of the OTP's and services being offered, from a layman’s perspective it’s too much of information and too little for a choice. As this article suggests OTP’s are being promoted as an inseparable component of Travel 2.0, the new face of travel portals on Web 2.0
To add to the misery, it’s quite appalling when you get on to the so called travel portal. Every other offering being showcased by these so called OTP, apart from the interface has nothing more to it. Customers are looking for ways to plan, search, and buy travel products from a multitude of sources. The prices, be it for the Hotels or Air Tickets show up the same or vary slightly. Loyalty Programs as a concept is, generally, extinct even so as services such as air travel become commodities.
A recent study from PhoCusWright says the top four online travel agencies, Expedia, Travelocity, Travelport and Priceline grew 29% in the first quarter of this year compared to last year. Decent, but that lagged the e-Travel industry’s total growth.
However considering these as toothing troubles - we also have a brighter side. Next wave of travel meta-search sites find fares more quickly and easily than there older predecessors. These site predicts how airline tickets will fluctuate, helping the buyer purchase when the ticket is cheapest have busted the mundane approach and have given consumers a unique channel.
Lack of innovation and too much of hype around OTP’s is what is currently inhibiting the online travel. A Compelling and User intutive Killer Application is the need of the hour to rejuvinate the current scenerio. Hopefully it would turn out to be a worthwile wait.
September 25, 2006
SideStep Gears Up Its Search With New Syndication Platform
Companies that want to incorporate SideStep’s travel search engine into their own Web sites now have new customization options. As of today, SideStep has made available a new syndication platform, according to a press release.
The platform is “the first of its kind from a travel search engine,” which provides premier partners with customization options that “go far beyond traditionally limited banner changes,” SideStep boasts. The platform incorporates colors, navigation, page configuration and the ability to customize page elements, such as SmartSort defaults and advertising units.
ForbesTraveler.com, a new site also announced today, is the first partner to deploy SideStep’s syndication platform.
Source: SideStep
Pegasus takes distribution award at WTA
Pegasus Solutions has announced it was named "World's Leading Travel Distribution Service" at the 13th annual World Travel Awards.
The award, presented to Pegasus Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, John Davis III, was voted on by 167,000 travel professionals worldwide, including 110,000 travel agents.
"It is an honor to be recognized as the leader in distribution services by the World Travel Awards," said Davis. "Distribution services represent the foundation of what Pegasus was built on and we are extremely proud of all we have accomplished and the innovation we continue to bring to the travel industry."
Pegasus has been recognized as a pioneer in distribution services since it developed the universal electronic reservations switch in the early 1990's. The switch allows for instant connections to GDSs and the Internet giving travel agents the ability to tap into new distribution channels and customers instant access across the globe. Today, Pegasus' distribution services customers include 35 hotel companies with more than 130 hotel brands representing more than 60,000 properties worldwide.
Source: Breaking Travel News
Worldwide electronic hotel revenue up 13.7 percent in Q2 of 2006
According to TravelCLICK’s quarterly eMonitor results indicate continued robust health for the hotel industry based on electronic distribution performance for the second quarter of 2006.
The data shows that worldwide electronic hotel revenue from the GDS and key Internet sites increased 13.7 percent over the second quarter of 2005. The number of electronic room nights booked for the second quarter increased 5.7 percent over the same time last year, while the Average Daily Rate (ADR) increased by 7.6 percent. The average length of stay for the second quarter 2006 was 2.12 nights, nearly the same as last year.
“The proliferation of the Internet drives the aggressive growth of brand website and key merchant sites, while GDS and travel agent related hotel bookings continue to show healthy 5-7 percent growth across global markets,” said TravelCLICK vice president - product management/eMarketing products John Hach.
“Hotels that understand these trends and their impact on hotel performance can build a stronger distribution strategy and execute with confidence to maximize electronic channel presence through integrated distribution technology, marketing and intelligence capabilities,” said Hach.
Observations for the market based on this latest data include: Travel Agency room nights through the GDS will continue its growth trend surpassing 100MM room night by the end of 2006; Bookings through GDS Powered Internet sites will continue to decline as merchant programmes expand their reach globally and technology advancements make it easier for hotels to do business direct with online wholesalers; The GDS will continue its position as one of the highest ADR (Average Daily Rate) channels tracking 30+ percent higher than its Internet counterparts; Top markets including New York, London and Hong Kong will continue to trend with their respective economies while new fast growth markets emerge into 2007, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Delhi and Bangalore.
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