BUSINESS travellers are increasingly turning to the Internet for itineraries, tickets and travel information, according to the latest industry statistics.
Research by the British Market Research Bureau shows that 9% of all on-line purchases are for travel tickets, 37% of all Internet users looked at travel sites as a source of information, and 47% of this activity took place at work.
And in its Year 2000 Travel Trends Survey, American Express Travel found that 69% of corporate travellers expect to book a business trip over the Internet next year, with many believing that self-booking will be the most important new technology in the next few months. This trend has led to established agencies embracing Internet technology in order to keep their customers happy, as well as the emergence of new recruits to travel getting in on the act.
Seaforths Travel
The Norwich-based corporate travel agency has its own on-line service, called Seaforths Online, which allows individual business travellers to book their own air tickets.
It is aimed at small businesses which do not use a travel agent because they only need to travel a few times a year.
There is no charge to business travellers to use the system, which can be accessed using a laptop but Seaforths charges for issuing the ticket.
The site is at: www.telmetravelclub.com
American Express Travel
Amex launched its on-line booking system, AXI Travel, last year. It allows users to compare published and negotiated fares, calculates the best flight option, highlights hotel locations in relation to local amenities and major attractions and has a currency converter to allow users to compare travel costs across different markets.
A recent study by Amex shows that the average ticket booked by travellers using AXI Travel was 20% below the average price of a ticket booked over the telephone.
Travellers using the system also tended to chose lower-priced tickets more often than with traditional bookings, using more connecting flights and more non-refundable fares.
In September 1999, it further strengthened its position in the Internet market by signing a strategic alliance with on-line travel network company GetThere.com
The two organisations are working together to develop e-commerce solutions for the travel industry.
BTI UK
Parent company Hogg Robinson is currently working on a number of developments for Web-based travel services after acquiring a 20% stake in US company WT Technologies in November 1999.
Hogg Robinson paid $20m for its share in the company which has a number of subsidiaries, including Online Fulfilment Services and International Software Products. One of its main products is ResAssist, an automated Internet-based reservations tool for corporate travellers who want to book air fare, car hire or hotels.
Rosenbluth International
Rosenbluth acquired on-line agency Biztravel.com (see above) for an undisclosed sum in September 1999 and at the same time set up a separate company, called Rosenbluth Interactive.
It is currently working on a second Internet travel site which has not yet been named, which will allow Rosenbluth customers to book discounted fares for their families for leisure travel.
Equator-Net
Former Air 2000 commercial director Bill Kirkwood believes there is so much information available to business travellers, they don’t have any need for traditionalagencies.
His on-line agency uses the reservation capability of the Galileo global distribution system and the fares database of consolidator Hamilton Travel, which also distributes tickets.
Equator-Net is aimed at small to medium-size companies and there is a separate division, Equator Corporate, for companies with an annual travel spend of £500,000 upwards.
The site is at:wwwequator-net.co.uk
Travelstore.com
Founder Darrel Mattocks’ background is in the written word, not travel. He was one of the first to set up an Internet bookshop which quickly proved successful and which he sold on to WH Smith before he branched out into other areas.
Travelstore.com became the first Internet agency to become ABTA bonded last year.
The site is at: www.travelstore.com
Biztravel.com
One of the most comprehensive business travel sites on the Internet, it has benefited from huge investment from Rosenbluth International, which took a majority stake in the company last year.
It enables customers who have made a booking to carry on checking an airline’s inventory and identify lower fare options as they become available up until the day of departure.
If a lower fare becomes available, the customer is refunded the difference.
British Airways took a minority stake in Biztravel.com in September 1999 as part of a strategy to develop the airline’s sales over the Internet.
The site is at: www.biztravel.com
Biztravelclub.com
Not to be confused with biztravel.com, this is an on-line club for corporate travellers, a worldwide service for people who want to make new contacts, find buyers or suppliers or meet with other members.
It was set up by former insurance broker William Westley Richards, who used to travel frequently on business and became fed up with spending evenings dining alone in his hotel room.
The service is proving popular, with over 3,000 members signing up since its launch in October last year.
The club has a virtual members’ lounge, which has business travel news, celebrity travellers’ tips, automatic connection to a local Internet service provider and various information for travellers including language courses, a world clock and weather reports. When travelling, members post their trip itinerary and any message on the club board and can set up meetings with other members who are travelling to the same destination.
Users pay £50 for annual membership to the club.
The site is at:www.biztravelclub.com.
Wcities.com
Frequent business traveller, Tan Rasab, was searching for destination information on the Internet when he came up with the idea of a site which would give visitors inside information on a city, as though they were being shown around by a local.
He set up Wcities.com which has city guides, including shopping, maps, restaurant suggestions and nightlife all written by local people, entertainment listings, live world news and sports, local news, live local weather, local chat rooms and links to hotels and restaurants.
It has information on several UK cities, including London, Manchester and Edinburgh as well as major cities throughout Europe.
Information on cities in the rest of the world will come on-line in the next few months.
Membership is free.
The site is at: www.wcities.com