Sunday 27 July 2014

Travel Portal Software & Travel Mobile App, must for small and medium travel agencies.






Travel portal software is a web based reservation system, which is used for online flight booking, hotel booking, car booking and other travel deals. As reports suggest, more and more travelers, especially the youngsters, tend to book their flights and hotels through their smartphones and thus responsive travel portal software and travel mobile apps have become a necessity for small and medium travel agencies.

In July 2014, a leading travel company released a report stating the impact of mobile in the managed travel space. It predicts travel bookings through mobile will greatly increase in the next ten years. Travel agencies will use latest mobile technology to deal with their travelers. By 2017, mobile booking will increase to 25%.

Benefits of mobile are hassle-free, fast and efficient running of travel business, more productivity and profits and travelers’ wellbeing. Travel agencies want travel technology companies to supply a one-stop-shop app which cater to all their needs as well as of their customers.

Travel technology companies in India, who supply responsive travel portal software / travel portal development projects and customized mobile apps to travel managing companies in different parts of the world like Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Nairobi, Copenhagen, Dhaka, USA and Brussels. Their travel portal software are now equipped with travel alert features, besides flight status updates and itinerary information. Indian travel software companies emphasize on productivity and compliance to laws in respective countries when they design and develop apps and websites for travel agencies in European countries such as Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and Britain. When the global travel companies offshore their travel software development to India, they know that they are going to get a best in class travel web portal to offer unmatched services and great user experience to their clients.

Regarding Author:

Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel portal development and marketing strategy implementation.

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Tuesday 22 July 2014

How to utilize GDS Global Distribution System?






GDS global distribution system has a history starting from 1960s. First it was a method to track flight schedules, availability and fares. The first landmark in its history was when, Sabre and Apollo installed their GDS technology. This led to travel agencies generating their own flight bookings for their customers, while giving airlines more exposure for sales.

Then came the internet, which led to an avalanche of travel portals and travel websites. The main GDS providers (Amadeus, Sabre, Worldspan, Galileo and Travelport) built their own system to consolidate travel related data. GDS – Global Distribution Systems are shared their web services to travel agencies and travel technology companies to develop online travel portals, which can be accessed by B2C users, agents and corporate companies as well.

What are the advantages of joining the GDS Global Distribution System network?

It facilitates an unmatched virtual marketplace for travel inventory sellers like hotels, airlines, holiday package providers and car rental systems. GDS gives opportunity to even budget airlines and small hotels unprecedented sales exposure. Since more and more travelers’ book travel products and services online, GDS has acquired a big status in world travel industry.

In the present scenario, nearly 700,000 travel agents plug into a GDS daily to book flights, hotels, car rentals and holiday packages. GDS is now an international medium connecting travel bookers and providers. It instantly gives real time information on products, price and availability to travel agents and online booking engines, and facilitates automated transactions. The advent of online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Booking.com and Wotif has enhanced the importance and relevance of GDS.

A global distribution system can enhance hotel room bookings by corporate as well as leisure travelers, and, thereby, income by placing hotels on more travel supermarkets worldwide. Real-time rates and availability are continuously sent directly to the GDS. It’s a boon to larger hotels and resorts located in attractive regions that offer standard room types such as single rooms, double rooms, luxury suites, etc. The technology behind the GDS is older, there are constraints on the total number of unit types that can be dealt in the system.

In addition to GDS, you should also have a well-designed travel website and user-friendly navigation encouraging customers to book online. GDS global distribution system can be the backbone for inventory.

Regarding Author:

Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel portal development and marketing strategy implementation.

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Saturday 19 July 2014

Travel Technology Companies are helping global travel agents rule the roost.






With the advent of online travel software and booking engines some years ago, many feared that was the end of the creed called travel agents. They’d soon become a part of history, many predicted. Years have passed since these pessimistic predictions, but still many travelers rely on their travel agents to give the best experience of business and leisure travel.

Travel technology companies have really made that difference and stood firmly with their clients, travel agents – agencies and management companies. The best in class travel agency software and travel CRM have ensured that travelers get the best. That’s why in contrast to the fears that travel agents would be an extinct species, travel agents are still here and have boosted their business utilizing the online travel software and reservation tools! Moreover, unlike the gigantic travel booking sites out there, the travel agent gives the customer a human touch to the travel bookings. The agent gives you a sense of guardianship and reliability during your travel to far-off places. By logging on to the travel agent’s website, the traveler gets a touch intimacy in the human-to-computer interaction. All the information on hotels, flights, etc are instantly available on the net, but it can’t give the security of human guidance provided by the travel agent. With the top travel crm systems, travel technology companies have made sure that travel agencies are offering the best to their clients.

When a travel agent begins to do business online too, he can give a comprehensive experience to the customer: human care plus rapid and efficient service. The agent’s personal influence can help the traveler a lot at many places during the travel.
Travel websites favors the lower and middle end of the market and give only a little space to the luxury segment. Online ratings in the websites may not be correct. Experienced travel agent equipped with his own travel portal can guide you in your travel a lot and cater to your preferences. Only a travel agent can give the traveler personalized service.

When you go to a far off place, you browse the net to gather all the information about hotels, food of our choice, sightseeing etc. But when you reach there, we are shocked to find some information was terribly wrong or misleading. You are shocked to realize some reviews you read were manipulated, some good restaurants are not in the Google or hidden so deep in the Internet. We discover many surprises there not mentioned in the Internet. If you had consulted a travel agent familiar with that place, he could have guided you better.
A travel agent with his own travel software system and website in place, can give you a collaborative, personalized and flexible travel experience. He can help you to choose the best place to go during your next vacation lest you will be misled by all the hype in the net. If you are a regular customer of him, he can prescribe the place perfectly suited to you. The travel agent’s years-long experience will be of great help to you. He can provide you many subtleties to you which you’ll cherish forever.

Regarding Author:

Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel portal development and marketing strategy implementation.

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Tuesday 15 July 2014

How to start an Online Travel Agency




People are travelling more and more, for business, leisure and even just for the sake of it. All, for various reasons, don’t always approach the bog travel agencies to book their flight tickets and reserve hotel rooms. Many resort to local and independent travel agents whom they know well. But the small and medium players have to keep pace with the ever-changing trends in the travel industry. If you are aspiring to start an online travel agency of your own or to expand your present travel business, below are some important points -

Travel business has changed a lot in recent times. The travel agencies no longer just informs the customer about the availability of the flights, their schedule, issue the ticket and get commission from the airline. Now with the online travel agency software, customers can book online. That’s why most of the travel startups are actually following the OTA model.

With these online travel software, new doors leading to profit have been opened for travel agencies. You can turn to customized package tours, holiday packages, cruises, hotel packages, tours for your locale or some specific places, and so on. You can work on your own or for another agency. You can specialize in pilgrimages, leisure travel, business travel or any niche ones. You select your sector and then you can start your own travel agency with your niche offerings.

Focusing on what best you can offer, is the key to success. Best hotels in a specific geography, top sightseeing and transfer tours. You can give them personalized service. This will make the customer take you as a reliable agency and they will feel more secure during their travel. Your customers should feel confident that you will arrange everything possible for them: hire a car, find their favorite cuisine, and so on.

Here are some points in starting a new travel agency:

Register your agency’s name and take license as per your local laws
Take membership in IATA or any other reputed travel organization
Learn about the travel industry thoroughly
Start and get your travel website development done by a professional company. You can also get a top travel software integrated.
Give maximum publicity to your new firm.
Offer the deals, which are focusing to a specific geography. Focusing on niche will bring the accolades quickly.

Regarding Author:

Author is a senior business analyst and an expert in travel software development and marketing strategy implementation.

Resources: