Get Your Business Cruising

For decades, the cruise industry has grown at a faster pace than the rest of the travel industry. North America continues to produce more than 50% of the Cruise passengers worldwide, however other regions such as Europe and Australia have shown significant growth as well. Many agencies have capitalized on the growing consumer demand for cruising and have focused their travel agency business on selling cruises.

Years ago, researching and confirming a cruise reservation would require a series of visits or phone calls with a travel agent before knowing which cruise lines had which sailings available. Not to mention the diverse type of cruises available or the different numerous choices in ships and cabin categories. Advances in technology have changed this and today it is simple for anyone to research and book a cruise vacation online. Websites connected to a cruise booking engine can provide customers the ability to research and book their cruise vacations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But with so many options to choose from, how does a consumer decide which is the best cruise line, itinerary or ship is best for them? Travel Agents have always been a great resource to help cruisers sort through the different options and select the right cruise. And quite often, a travel agent will have access to special deals with cruise lines and they can often ensure V.I.P. treatment onboard. A travel agent's help and expertise can certainly can make a trip easier to plan as well as more enjoyable overall.

And while technology has made it easier for consumers to book directly with cruise lines, many consumers are somehow missing out on the benefits and perks that using a travel agent can bring. Savvy travel agents recognized the value of combining their expertise with the ease of internet bookings and many jumped into the world of online booking engines years ago.

Today's travel agent software makes adding a cruise booking engine to an agency's website easy. Many include a vast amount cruise line, cruise ship and cabin descriptions linked to media files & rich content such as cabin photos, ship images and deck plans to assist in the shopping process. Users can view pictures of a particular ship including sample guest cabins.

And for those looking to expand their business internationally, it is critically important to choose a partner familiar with the unique requirements and supplier constraints that many international markets bring. Some travel technology companies have successfully launched their cruise booking engine in many international markets by working closely with Customers and Suppliers to "localize" the product. This includes local market requirements for applications' display as well as the integration of local content sources such as direct connections with Regional General Sales Agents for several of the world's largest cruise lines.

Choosing a travel technology solution with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer with the content they are looking for can be just as important.

Travel Booking Solutions Can Extend Your Reach

Today's travel booking solutions have been designed to automate the sale of multiple travel products and service multiple selling channels. Booking Engines need to be able to serve customers using traditional Business to Business (B2B) tools as well as Business to Consumer (B2C) for those customers who prefer to shop online. These Web based applications are designed to automate processes, increase revenues and reduce time and effort required to complete travel related booking. Many of these online Booking Engine are hosted by a technology provider, however they can be easily customized to maintain a Client's brand identity and provide a seamless online experience for the end user whether a travel agent or consumer. There are even mobile friendly online booking engines uses innovative responsive technology to optimize the presentation and display for various devices, screen sizes and resolution.

As the world seems to become little smaller and the online marketplace opens up new opportunities internationally, many travel technology providers are designing applications with the flexibility to meet the unique requirements of specific markets. These unique market requirements can vary and include specific requirements such as what information and pricing details are required to be included in the actual display, specific supplier content for the market or the ability to easily handle multiple currencies as well as multiple languages. If you are looking to expand your travel business internationally, you'll want to consider a travel technology partner familiar with the unique requirements and supplier constraints that many international markets bring. Some have successfully launched their product in many of these markets by working closely with Customers and Suppliers to "localize" the product as well as integrate local content sources such as direct connections with Regional General Sales Agents for cruise lines. These "state of the art" travel booking solutions deliver flexible & fully scalable applications that allow our travel agents to easily grow their business and expand into new markets while maintaining their own unique brand identity.

To serve today's growing number of consumers using their mobile device to purchase travel products, some travel technology companies are building mobile ready travel booking solutions. Now, regardless of the type of device an agent or consumer uses, solutions are available that will automatically adjust the screen size and layout based on the type of device being used to access the booking engine. Some offer mobile ready applications as part of their existing Booking Engine while some will develop them independently. For example, those travel sellers who prefer to have a dedicated mobile booking App, there are several travel technology companies that can design and develop a custom mobile App for this. Either approach offers consumers the ease and mobility of using a smart phone or tablet

Choosing a travel technology solution with the right combination of options for your business can be a critical decision in determining your overall success. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer with the travel content they are looking for can be just as important.

Airline Systems Continue To Evolve

The days when making a flight reservation with an airline was a time consuming and complex process seems like a distant past. Today just about anyone can make an airline reservation quickly and easily using an online air booking engine. Whether consumers use an airline website or one of the many booking tools offered by an online travel agencies, they are just a few clicks away from having their air travel arrangements confirmed and ticketed. The airline reservation system you choose for your business can be critical with many having been a driving force in the automation of online travel bookings as these systems have evolved over the years.

Today's online booking engines can help your business reduce it's overall administrative costs while expanding your customer base and increasing your revenues. Online sales have proven to be one of the most cost effective ways of serving customers and the tools available today are better than ever. Today's airline reservation system is the result of decades of upgrades and enhancements that now include features like advance and/or preferred seat selection, choice of meal preference and special service requests.

And as the world went crazy embracing mobile technology, so did the airline systems. Travelers can now make their flight arrangements using the device they choose, including their mobile phone or tablet. The increasing popularity of the air mobile app has been driven by a population that is always on the move and prefers not to carry their laptop with them. Mobile Apps can also provide a great "branding" opportunity your business so all your customers need to do today is to download the air booking mobile app on their cell phone and log-in to your booking engine. The features of an air mobile app not only enable any travel agent to cater to their clients on the move, but most mobile apps can take full advantage of the powerful features and functionality offered by an online booking engine.

And it's not only consumers that enjoy these simple to use applications, they are so easy to use that travel agents can be trained quickly and have them selling faster. Gone are the days when an agent had to understand complex GDS formats to check flight availability and price options. The airline reservation systems of today have streamlined this process and reduced the amount of time it takes to complete a booking. Robust business management and reporting tools also give an agency owner the powerful information and control they need to manage their business in today's competitive marketplace.

For those clients who want to control their own User Interfaces while still taking advantage of some of the powerful tools offered by an airline reservation system, Air Booking Engine API options can provide the capability for large, online travel agencies to host all Air booking user interfaces on their own server while using an air booking engine API for business logic as well as live Pricing, Availability & Booking.

Finding an airline reservation system with the right combination of options for your business can be an important decision and critical to the success of your business. Finding a technology partner that will help you reach today's mobile consumer where and how they shop for air travel can be just as important.