Traditional travel catches up

Jonathan Bowers, May 17th 2006, 5:25PM

Within the same week, UK travel agent Thomson announces its growing success online and one of the Internet stalwarts Expedia suffers a drastic fall in shares as first quarter results disappoint.

The sector has been very interesting to watch online and I wonder if we are now experiencing the fight back that has been muted for some time. The Internet has changed the model of how we book holidays and in some way what we expect from a holiday, but the holiday experience, the senses and feelings, that traditional travel agents have for years used to lure us into the holiday of a lifetime, are finding their way online. Video streaming is just one of the techniques that Thomson is employing to deliver the desire and it seems to be working.

In every sector now, the next big web challenge is to provide the consumer with a sensory experience in one form or another. So, does it stand to reason that those who are practised offline, will now take the lead online?

Tags: travel
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Yahoo plunders the travel market

Jonathan Bowers, April 12th 2006, 11:06AM

After Google’s Orion project yesterday, it’s good to hear Yahoo promoting a new innovation today.

Although, Yahoo's up coming travel search does not provide new technologies, making it less ‘innovation’ and more ‘filing system’ for its current travel capabilities scattered across its portal.

Yahoo aims to up the anti on established online travel agents by bringing together extra services on a second level page such as travel guides, maps and satellite images.

At present, much of the second level information is collected from other sources - Lonely Planet guides provide background information but it has been muted that Yahoo may use tourist created reviews in the new version.

As consumer distrust of corporate business grows there is no better way to regain trust than by using independent, relevant recommendations. This is why wikitravel is so successful. But with such sites in existence, it suggests that Yahoo is merely copying tried and tested concepts.

However, Yahoo has a strong user base. With over 14 million visitors to Yahoo Travel in February this year, they may well be able to create a very healthy travel environment. Encouraging user interaction may build up consumer content that makes a marked difference, but I suspect consumer spend will always be the key. They will still have to beat the competition on price. After all, 9 out of 10 travel buyers will go with the website offering the cheapest deal and they’re willing to shop around for it.

Tags: travel, yahoo!
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Top level domains

Jonathan Bowers, March 29th 2006, 11:14AM

I'm interested in people's views on how the increasing range of tlds affects business and consumers online.

In particular there's .travel, which attempts to create an online directory incorporating millions of travel websites. As an industry, travel and tourism is a world leader with around 12% of the global market. Online, travel is also a leader. Is this a reason for ICANN to shake up the current system?

Is this a money making exercise for the US travel conglomerate that will act as registrar for the new tld?

Is it a genuine way to create a cream of the crop list? If so, how will this process differ to the way that current search engines work?

I spoke to someone from British Airways last year when the initial sign up process began for .travel and the gist was that they were buying their relevant tlds in order to safeguard them - rather than to actually use them.

But recent reports suggest that 16,000 domains have been registered. What do people think? Will this new directory be taken as seriously as Google and Yahoo! currently are?

I personally suspect that by asking people to opt in you are going to build a directory that represents a small percentage of what is available on the Net. So at best it will be used by the fickle site flicking public as another option in their search for the best deal. My research suggests that people have tried and tested the travel market and many are set on the way they search.

Tags: topleveldomains, travel
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