ARTAC signs deal with X-TANT for agent access to Traveleye

Consortium negotiates cheap-rate access to Internet-based system

ARTAC signs deal with X-TANT for agent access to Traveleye

Report by TANYAJEFFERIES

ARTAC Worldchoice has secured cheap-rate deals for members who sign up for Traveleye, a new Internet-based booking system from network supplier X-TANT.

The consortium has negotiated a “substantial discount” on normal prices in a bid to get the vast majority of its 800 agents to adopt the system, according to commercial director Keith Wilson.

X-TANT’s published Traveleye rates start at £20 a month per branch, not including call charges. A total of three deals are available to ARTAC members, which are tailored to the requirements of different sized agencies.

Traveleye’s features include Web site facilities, Internet and e-mail access, viewdata and on-line brochures. An optional Easysell feature allows agents to search for availability among up to five tour operators simultaneously (Travel Weekly June 12).

“ARTAC members are keen to harness Web-based selling,” said Wilson. “Traveleye will help them to compete with direct sell and the dot coms. We are already seeing huge interest from members. We expect this to increase over coming months.”

X-TANT beat off competition from rival network suppliers Imminus and Energis to win the deal. Wilson said that around half of ARTAC’s members had deals with X-TANT and the other half with Imminus, so it had been a difficult choice.

X-TANT managing director Daman Singh said it was looking at the possibility of helping agents with Imminus deals to switch supplier quickly.

“One of the great things that ARTAC is bringing to the party is that it is going to promote Traveleye directly to its members,” he said. “Business development executives will be going out to promote it and it will be discussed at regional meetings.”

Singh said X-TANT had around 300, mainly non-ARTAC, agencies signed up to Traveleye, and it hoped to reach a total of at least 500 by the end of the year. He added that 11 X-TANT staff were currently working on Traveleye business and the company was recruiting four more.

Shake on it: celebrating the new deal at Worldchoice’s Peterborough headquarters, from left, are X-TANT managing director Daman Singh; Worldchoice marketing manager Janis Hill; Worldchoice general manager Chris Fife; and X-TANT Traveleye sales manager Stuart Bishop