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Travel industry embraces the Web
Friday, March 02 2001
by Matthew Clark


The hotel, travel and holiday industries are using the Internet both as resource
to contact on-line consumers and as a product to entice potential customers.



In survey published by Amarach Consulting in October of 2000, nearly four in ten
consumers who made purchases on-line purchased travel services, representing 39
percent of the 1000 individuals questioned. Travel came second to books in the
survey.

 Almost all aspects of the travel industry have capitalised on the ability of
the Internet to reach the consumer, including airlines, travel agents and housing
accommodation companies. 

Last month Ryanair reported that 65 percent of its bookings were through its Web
site at Ryanair.com. 

Bord Failte's Web site has had 5.2 million hits since it launched in 1996,
however 2.6 million came in the last year, according to Damien O'Brien, on-line
marketing and communication manager for Bord Failte. "Any property in Ireland
would theoretically be registered with us," he said. Which means that consumers
should be able to book any  accommodation in Ireland on-line.

This year Michael Stein Travel launched its Web site at www.e-travel.ie, which
lets users book holidays on-line. Barbara Wallace, Web site co-ordinator for
Michael Stein Travel cites convenience as the primary reason for the popularity
of the company's site. 

"A lot of them wouldn't have the facility that you can book on-line...but there
catching up on us fast," Wallace said in regard to other off-line travel
agencies in Ireland that have Web sites.

According to a report in the Irish Independent, Michael Stein spent close to
IEP0.5 million on the site.

Wallace said it was difficult for the company to estimate the impact of the site
on the company's sales because many customers find the holiday they want and book
it over the phone rather than on-line.

Lynch Hotels is looking to establish itself on-line with the introduction of its
second Web site, Whichotel.com, due to launch this spring. Lynch Hotels is
located in Ennis, the Information Age Town, and the Web site is expected to offer
consumers the ability to book accommodation on-line. 

The Internet seems to have been a powerful tool for the travel industry and now
the industry is using Internet access as a service it can market alongside pool
access, free meals, complimentary local calls or cable television.

Airlines around the world have been devising different methods for consumers to
get on-line while in flight and more recently hotels are trying to find different
ways to do the same. 

Internet Ireland, the ISP and network consultancy company, was recently awarded
the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) Innovation Award for its product, NetHotel.

NetHotel is a solution for hotels that wish to offer visitors on-line access. It
is the hardware and software the hotels need and it allows access via laptops or
televisions and only requires a cable TV system to work. According to a spokesman
for Internet Ireland, the system cost hotels between IEP500 to IEP1,000 for
installation. The company has already installed the system in the Fitzwilliam
Hotel and expects more installations in the coming weeks.

"What was a basic requirement for sophisticated travellers is becoming a basic
requirement for basic travellers," said Mary Fitzgerald, president of the Irish
Hotel Federation. She also said the system will be a revenue generator for hotels
and she expects it to become an industry standard.