Post on 15-Jul-2015
What does this tell us for eachtourism sector?
• Airlines develop their own online bookings systems and areeffective at directing bookings to their websites.
• Accommodation is much more fragmented but is continuallyincreasing online bookings. They rely heavily on travel websites.
• Car Rental companies benefit from bookings through bothonline travel agencies and their own websites.
• Dynamic Packaging will increase as online travel agenciesdevelop their online strategies more.
• Tour & Activity operators suffer from lack of online bookingtechnology and traveller reluctance to book in advance online.
ADEPT
ADEPT
How to get bookings from your own website
• “If you build it, they will come” - not always true forwebsites…search engine rankings are important
• List on as many travel and directory websites asyou can to direct traffic to your own siteMore listings = More Traffic = More bookings
• Show your availability for bookings
• Email booking requests are now common but notinstant…consider REALTIME online booking tools
• Managing your internet presence does take timebut it is cost effective
ADEPT
What online booking systems can offer
• Secure instant booking and payment tools for your ownwebsite
• Funds Management of bookings - payments and refunds
• Automated updates of availability and pricing from yourown system
• Listings on their own travel websites or partner websites
• Easy set up and cost effective
• Charge monthly fees or % fees on bookings
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Updating of booking websites
• “Channel Managers” like Siteminder and EZ Yield can help saveyou time
• They distribute your availability and pricing information to avariety of online booking websites
• You don’t need your own reservation system or online bookingtool to use a channel manager
• Tend to charge monthly fees
ADEPT
Travel Websites
• Mix of travel organisations, last minute websites, niche andregional sites, directories and maps
• There is a lot of choice and competition for share of onlineaccommodation bookings. Initially 28 days focused, now aswing towards 12 months
• Research the relative costs and traffic of each provider,especially if you have to pay to list
• Judge which options suit your business best in terms of targetmarket, budget, system links, and time commitment
• They will all direct traffic to your own website
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Summary
• The online travel market is growing and continually evolving
• Managing your online presence and bookings is now an integralpart of your marketing mix
• There is not one perfect solution - the more exposure you canget online the better.
• People increasingly want “instant” answers
• Research the options - if you’re not confident seek advice