Just round the corner

Thinking about projections. M-travel.com and HotelMarketing.com are reporting on numbers out from Euromonitor stating that India is the fastest growing online travel market in Asia- and by reporting growth numbers of 271.6% between now and 2010, presumably the world also.The online travel retail market in India is expected to boom over the next five years, with Internet-based travel retail transactions increasing by an incredible percentage between 2005 and 2010.

Site59 is no more the name to go with. The Travelocity owned US based last minute travel brand is changing its name to the best last minute travel brand in the Travelocity family - Lastminute.com is what it would be called - click here for detailed coverage.

According to Hotel Interactive - Expedia have told some of their travel suppliers in Spain that they are to launch Expedia.es in April or May this year. New research shows that Spain’s Internet travel market share is growing, in addition to an influx of new online agencies, some of which are successfully promoting online travel in the country. Seeing potential for opportunity, online travel agencies like Expedia and Opodo, have both announced plans to enter the market with local offerings. Currently, Expedia has a small office open in Spain.

The way things are going to be

It has been an amazing last month for one of our very own desi companies having focus in the Travel, Leisure and Hospatility segment.

Mindtree Consulting who have some of the big names in the global travel and leisure industry like Avis Rent-A-Car, Avis Europe, and Cendant’s Vacation Rental Group in Europe went public and has registered a whooping appreciation of nearly 50% in their stocks in a matter of less than a week. Ashok Soota the Chairman and Managing Director claims that 100% of employees are covered by stock options.

Companies like ITC Infotech India Limited, have opened a dedicated development centre for one of its major clients, Finnair, Finland`s biggest airline which has recently started flights to New Delhi.

The Travel& Hospitality industry is a more consumer centric vertical and is managed by a few major players and when it comes to processes that directly produce revenue for the few large global distribution systems (GDS) such as Cendant Travel Distribution Services(TDS) and Sabre Holdings , these firms have been very slow to embrace outsourcing partnerships. The way things are going it should not be too late now - gradually a profound shift in thinking has established a beachhead for potential technology outsourcers. And looking at things how IT/ITES service providers are positioned, big deals might not come as a surprise!!!

Good to Start With...

Off late it has been pretty hectic and I have not found time to get on with my blog. I was down with food poisoning and more-over changes on the professional front. I decided to move on from Valtech into a newer role at Iteamic to pursue better career prospects in a more challenging role.

I also came across an interesting find on Wiki catering to the Travel Technology enthusiasts -hope this article would help in understanding the nuances of how technology in the travel industry is making a difference.