HOLIDAY Autos is to concentrate on promoting its new Internet capable reservation system HABSthrough the trade, despite having the ability to sell direct to the public.
Launched last month, HABS replaced the company’s viewdata system and allows direct access to the World Wide Web.
In the short term, a restricted access system will operate where only Holiday Autos’ trade partners will be able to get into the reservation system.
At the moment, members of the public who visit theHoliday Autos site are asked for their postcode if they want to book and are directed to their nearest travel agent.
Tony Seaman, Holiday Auto’s UK managing director, said: “The system has got the scope to do all sorts of things and it will allow direct access. For the next five years our plan is deliver sophisticated systems for the trade to book our product with.”
But he added that the company would watch how consumer’s needs develop. “It depends on how people want to buy. We will not push people to book direct but if people want to, we would be silly not to have the facility there for them to do it.”
Since HABS went live in February, the company claims it has prompted an 8% increase in call conversions.
n Holiday Autos and the IT consultant who developed HABS, Phil Edge, are to market the system to tour operators.