Can online travel make the leap of faith?
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Can online travel somewhat leapfrog the regular Internet to mobile? This was a topic that came up for discussion at the recent EyeforTravel’s Travel Distribution Summit Asia 2008 conference.
Peter Smith, VP eCommerce, Amadeus, acknowledged that the travel industry has realised the role of technology and is working on making the right technology available to the right travellers.
“Airlines can further explore the benefits of technology and take advantage of new generation solution in order to keep up with the changing travel environment, with technologies such as Web 2.0, which is set to play a pivotal role in the travel industry of the future,” said Smith.
From another GDS’ perspective, Brett Henry, Vice President Agency Marketing, Abacus International, pointed out that the online sector is growing fast with compound average growth rates of around 49% over the recent years and within this, a plethora of new channels including mobile devices, are available for travellers to book and update travel.
“Much of this innovation represents enhancement to the travel buying and travelling experience rather than a fundamental change to the underlying distribution structure,” he said.
Also speaking on the topic, Air Asia X’s CEO Azran Osman-Rani, said he saw it as an information channel that tourism and destination bodies could tap into as well as a service for the airlines to offer schedules, easy check-in, among others.
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