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 | Wednesday, May 03, 2000, updated at 12:19(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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E-commerce Brings Tourism with New OpportunitiesE-commerce, which takes the world by storm in recent years, is bringing new business opportunities to global travel and tourism industry."New technology, e-commerce, space travel -- all of these are taking shape around us. Nearly every day, we hear about business opportunities and solutions that we wouldn't have dreamed of even a year ago," said J. Daniel Burruss, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), at the 49th PATA Annual Conference to close Wednesday in Hong Kong. A survey from Media Metrix, a US leader in Internet and digital media measurement, shows that some 14 million people used the Internet in 1999 to book 7 billion US dollars in travel, and the number of people booking travel is expected to rise to 75 million by the end of this year. With the rising of the Internet boom, the tourist sector would by no means be left behind. Tourism-related institutions and Internet companies are joining hands in tap this potential market. PATA, a recognized authority on Pacific Asia travel and tourism, is committed to develop e-commerce. Just prior to its 49th Annual Conference, PATA signed a memorandum of understanding with 11th Hour Deals.com, which offers last-minute travel specials to businesses and consumers. Through the 11th Hour Deals channel, PATA members are able to distribute a large number of their products to other businesses as well as to consumers. Travelers, as a result, will be able to pick up specially discounted, value-for-money travel bargains and deals. The 11th Hour channel is ideal for the busy executive who is only able to decide at the last minute on their business or leisure travel. Moreover, PATA has become an affiliate of Amazon.com. Pacific Asia travel guides and related books are listed on PATA net, and all other Amazon.com products can also be accessed via PATA site. A WTO report says that people who expect global communication and access to instant information also have the same demands for tourism and travel data, and that they will soon want to obtain this information from their own living room and even their mobile phone. Thanks to the Interactive digital television (IDTV) and wireless application protocol (WAP) technology, their demands are able to become reality. The Americans are by far the biggest group of online buyers. US-based Forrester Research reveals that 38.5 percent of e-transactions in the country are for travel, transport and hotel reservations. Over in France, half of the most commonly visited suppliers on the Internet are in the travel and transport sector, according to a French newspaper Journal du net. Airlines and hotels and many other industry sectors have made enormous investment in improving service and establishing customer loyalty and retention programs. "For airlines, the Internet is another service enhancement," said Jonathan Kiehnau, managing director of Emphasis Custom Media (ECM), a subsidiary of Time Warner. "The best airlines will use the Internet to maximize the inflight experience by improving customer service and providing information whenever people need it. " A report of Airline Business says that about 1.5 billion passengers flew in 1999, and more and more of them are traveling with computers. "It is clear that there is tremendous opportunity to target customers for every travel industry segment," said Kiehnau. "The inflight Internet will an adjunct and complement to traditional diversions such as magazines, movies, newspapers and music. It will replace it," he noted. During the flight, the aircraft will communicate through satellites to a terrestrial base. At regular intervals it will exchange e-mails and other information, like weather, sports and news. He said a passenger can open his computer and log on inflight, and then collecting his own e-mails. The passenger can follow the airline's links to valuable information to help improve this and future trips. "The passenger may be able to order duty free goods by the clicks of a mouse and have his purchases waiting for him at his arrival gate or delivered to his hotel. He might visit a site sponsored by a hotel in his destination city and look for information about recreational activities," Kiehnau explained. Kiehnau also announced at the PATA conference that ECM will have Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's home airline, become the first airline to introduce elements of these remarkable systems in Asia. "The beauty of inflight Internet access is that is serves a dual purpose. It serves as a form of inflight entertainment, and as a bridge between travelers and travel service providers. "It provides an opportunity to leverage various forms of travel services and messages to a targeted audience at the precise moment when they need it most," said Kiehnau. To provide Internet access to business travelers, I-Quest Corporation, founded in 1996, becomes a leading provider of broadband Internet technology for hospitality industry. Worldroom Connect, operated by I-Quest, provides always-on Internet connections for hotels at speeds up to 10 Mpbs. Relying only on existing telephone wires, the company provides simultaneous voice and high-speed data connections in guestrooms, meeting rooms and business centers. As an added benefit to hotels and to guests, Worldroom Connect features customized hotel web pages that offer information on business services, restaurants, special online conference services, local attractions, transportation and shopping. I-Quest has signed agreement with Hyatt International Corporation to install Worldroom Connect at all Hyatt International hotels worldwide. I-Quest's portfolio of hotel partners includes more than 120 leading hotels and 42,500 guestrooms worldwide. Going electronic is not cheap, but it is a necessary investment, according to figures with the travel and tourism industry. Tour operators can use the Internet to reach a global audience. With a world population of some six billion, this is a very rosy prospect. Travel agencies can also expand from a regional base to an international business.
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