Bangkok--10 May--Cendant Travel Distribution Services
Gullivers Travel Associates Delivers New Online Tool to Give Travel Agents
Access to This Lucrative Market in Time to Meet World Cup Demand
Gullivers Travel Associates (gta), the world’s leading wholesaler of ground travel products and services and a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE:CD), has today announced the launch of a new online rail booking tool enabling travel agents in Asia, Australia and the Middle East to easily and instantly book European rail passes for their customers. Agents are gaining access to this tool at a key time given the upcoming World Cup football event to be held in Germany in June 2006 and the resultant demand for travellers from these regions to travel to Europe.
Historically, booking rail passes has typically been laborious and time consuming as agents had to make bookings by phone or fax. With this new online tool, agents will not only save time and increase productivity, but no prior training is required thanks to the self-guided booking process.
According to the Eurail Group, overall demand for European rail passes increased by 24% in 2005, representing a 19.4% increase in revenue. The North America and Asia-Pacific markets drove the majority of this growth.
“Rail is clearly an increasingly popular mode of transport particularly for travellers from the Asia-Pacific markets when travelling in Europe and we wanted to develop a more user friendly and efficient way for travel agents to book these passes,” said David Littlefair, General Manager, Gullivers Travel Associates, Thailand.
“In a world of falling commissions and lower margin travel content, our online rail tool provides a great opportunity for travel agents to increase their revenue,” he added.
“We are delighted to offer our agents this new online booking tool,” said Littlefair. “Agents are typically spending a fair amount of time booking tickets manually and I am confident that with this new tool our agents will be able to offer their customers a more efficient service, as well as simplifying their back office processes.”
Travel agents will be able to access the new online rail tool through the existing gta powered booking systems including Octopus Travel Retail and Wholesale Booking Systems and the Galileo Leisure Portal.
This new online booking tool will complement gta’s existing hotel inventory and their unrivalled ability to secure increasingly scarce accommodation during this year’s World Cup event in Germany. With less than five weeks remaining before the opening match in Munich on 9 June, room availability is tight.
“With many hotels applying strict conditions to bookings during the World Cup period, we have negotiated the most flexible conditions on behalf of our customers, and combined with our existing ground services including airport transfers, sightseeing tours and even concert tickets and restaurant reservations, gta will prove to be an excellent distribution channel of choice,” he concluded.
About GTA
Gullivers Travel Associates (gta) is one of the world’s leading wholesalers of ground travel products and services. gta uses industry-leading online technology to supply tour operators and travel agents with a ‘one-stop-shop’ of content comprising over 21,000 directly contracted hotels and apartments and more than 3 million ground travel items. gta’s vast inventory is available in 27 languages and includes more than 70,000 rooms every night, airport transfers, sightseeing tours and even concert tickets and restaurant reservations. The company was founded in 1975 and employs over 2,300 staff in 31 offices around the world. gta has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cendant Travel Distribution Services since April 2005.
About Travel Distribution Services
Cendant Corporation’s (NYSE: CD) TDS is one of the world’s largest and most geographically diverse collections of travel brands and distribution businesses. The division, employing approximately 8,000 people and operating in nearly 130 countries, includes: leading GDS (global distribution system) Galileo, serving more than 50,000 travel agencies and over 60,000 hotels; GTA, (Gullivers Travel Associates), a leading wholesaler and global online provider of hotels, destination services, travel packages and group tours; and leading online travel agencies including Orbitz?.
For further information, please contact:
Mr George Harb
Marketing Director, Asia
Cendant Travel Distribution Services
Direct: +852 2821 2252 Mobile: +852 9309 5504 Fax: +852 2821 2299
Email: [email protected]
33rd Floor, Vicwood Plaza, 199 Des Voeux Road Central, HK
For media enquiries:
Linda Ho (APAC) Cendant Travel Distribution Services
+852 2821 2388
[email protected]
Steve Lovato/G.E. Mead Incentive Dynamics (S) Pte. Ltd.
+6596253104/+6618507979
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