TRAVDEX

TRAVDEX® AND SOUTHEAST TOURISM SOCIETY PARTNER ON TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY TRADE SHOW

TRAVDEX — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:47:20 +0000

Sherman, Conn. USA, February 4, 2010—TRAVDEX®, the one-stop shopping trade show for travel technology, announced today a partnership with the Southeast Tourism Society, an organization that promotes travel and sustainable tourism in 12 southeastern states, to promote a groundbreaking summit of leading travel industry trade organizations at the inaugural TRAVDEX in May 2010.

“Southeast Tourism Society is always on the lookout for new and novel ways for its members to be kept up-to-date with the latest technology,” said Bill Hardman, president and CEO, Southeast Tourism Society. “With PhoCusWright holding TRAVDEX in the southeast, it allows our members to keep abreast of cutting edge expertise right in their own backyard. It is a win-win for our members and TRAVDEX.”

TRAVDEX brings together travel technology sellers and travel industry suppliers, intermediaries and other technology purchasers in a global trade show. TRAVDEX debuts May 5-7, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. TRAVDEX is produced by PhoCusWright Inc., the leading authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect.

To bolster the success of TRAVDEX, PhoCusWright is offering up to a US$500 credit on future PhoCusWright purchases for attendees and exhibitors that sign up by February 28, 2010. The credit can be used to purchase registration for The PhoCusWright Conference 2010, registration for The PhoCusWright Conference 2010 Online Ticket, Online Events and publications in the PhoCusWright store. Full terms and conditions are available at www.travdex.com/promo.

“This promotion offers great value to our customers,” said Philip C. Wolf, president and CEO of PhoCusWright. “We believe strongly in TRAVDEX and the emerging strength of companies focused on travel technology and innovation. We have found a great partner in the Southeast Tourism Society who shares our passion for travel technology.”

TRAVDEX registration is now open. To purchase a ticket or exhibition space, visit www.travdex.com.

PhoCusWright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use PhoCusWright research for competitive advantage.

To complement its primary research in North America, Europe and Asia, PhoCusWright produces several high-profile conferences in the U.S. and Germany, and partners with conferences in the U.K., China and Singapore. Industry leaders and company analysts bring this intelligence to life by debating issues, sharing ideas and defining the ever-evolving reality of travel commerce.

The company is headquartered in the United States, with offices in Germany and India.

About TRAVDEX®
TRAVDEX is the one-stop shopping trade show for travel technology products, solutions and professional services targeting the global travel tourism and hospitality industry. TRAVDEX is produced by PhoCusWright Inc., the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. The trade show features buyer-seller appointments, exhibition space, sponsored events and business networking opportunities for companies that sell technology products, solutions and professional services to the global travel industry. The inaugural TRAVDEX will be held May 5-7, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

About Southeast Tourism Society
Southeast Tourism Society (STS) promotes travel, sustainable tourism and the importance of the travel and tourism industry in 12 southeastern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia). Its 900 members represent all facets of the travel industry and work cooperatively to strengthen the region as a travel destination. STS was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

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TRAVDEX® AND SOUTHEAST TOURISM SOCIETY PARTNER ON TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY TRADE SHOW

TRAVDEX — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:13:59 +0000

TRAVDEX registration is now open. To purchase a ticket or exhibition space, visit www.travdex.com.

The company is headquartered in the United States, with offices in Germany and India.

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© 2010 PhoCusWright Inc., Sherman, CT United States
+1 860 350-4084 www.phocuswright.com

The Role of the GDSs in the Global Travel Industry

TRAVDEX — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:54:52 +0000

An Excerpt

The e-commerce revolution of the 1990s brought about a breakthrough in business and a deep and lasting transformation in the way consumers research, shop and buy. From music to mortgages, discount toys to high-end electronics, just about anything and everything is available for purchase online.

Most people associate the birth of electronic travel distribution with the advent of the Internet and the explosion in e-commerce in the late 1990s. But in fact, electronic commerce in travel pre-dates the “dot-com” boom by some three decades and had become quite commonplace by the mid-1980s. The technology systems powering electronic travel commerce were then referred to as CRSs, or computerized reservation systems. They were the predecessors of today’s global distribution systems, or GDSs.

The GDSs have traveled far in the past four-plus decades. The three major GDS companies today power the critical reservations and technology infrastructure of over 163,000 travel agency locations and enable bookings by nearly half a million travel agents around the globe.

The GDSs generated more than $9.6 billion in revenue and more than 1.1 billion transactions in 2008. That equates to just over 2,100 transactions per minute. The GDSs are most often thought of as a distribution environment for airlines; more than 550 airlines and the overwhelming majority of commercial airline fares and inventory are accessible via the GDSs. However, they also deliver an ever-expanding array of content to online travel agencies and traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies. More than 90,000 hotel properties, the world’s largest car rental companies, hundreds of tour operators and the major cruise lines distribute their products to travel agencies via the GDSs.

Key Findings
• The transactions processed by the GDS represent a significant share of the global travel industry:
• The GDSs processed more than 1.1 billion transactions in 2008, representing over $268 billion in global travel sales.
• In the U.S., GDS transaction value represented more than one-third of all travel supplier revenue in 2008; • GDS air transactions accounted for nearly two-thirds of all airline passenger revenue in 2008.
• GDS transaction value in Europe represented more than one-fifth of all traveler supplier revenue in 2008; • GDS air transactions accounted for nearly half of all airline passenger revenue in 2008.

• The GDSs play a central role in the online travel agency and traditional agency business model. These travel intermediaries account for nearly half of all travel industry sales in U.S., and a substantial portion of all travel sold in Europe, which varies widely by country.
• More U.S. and European travelers cite intermediaries as their usual channel for travel shopping and purchasing.
• The GDSs provide essential and efficient business infrastructure for 163,000 travel agencies, which employ or contract nearly half a million travel agents worldwide.
OTAs have played a major role in improving the travel shopping experience and convenience for consumers as well as increasing pricing transparency.
• In the U.S., the GDSs processed $98.7 billion in travel agency and OTA bookings in 2008, representing 72% of the nearly $137 billion in travel booked through intermediaries. GDS share of traditional travel agencies is higher at 75%.

• The GDSs account for a significant share of the nearly $78 billion in U.S. corporate travel booked via intermediaries, which represents a much higher average yield per transaction for travel suppliers.
• The average fare booked via a traditional travel agency is significantly higher than the average fare booked via online travel agencies.
• GDSs are the preferred booking method of corporate travel agents, who require not only access to travel content for booking but also a range of technologies and services to ensure efficient management of corporate travel programs.

•The GDSs have adapted to the challenge of content fragmentation by introducing new financial models for airlines and travel agencies and investing in new technology to support airline merchandising and sales of optional services.

• Should penetration of the pay-for-content model spread, whereby airlines will compel OTAs and travel agencies to pay for access to some or all of their content via the GDS, the risk is high that this could lead to significant downstream distribution costs for intermediaries and consumers.

• GDS share of the total travel market is projected to increase slightly in 2009 and 2010 because of two main trends: OTAs’ counter cyclical lift amid the recession and the growing trend by corporate travel buyers and TMCs to drive more travel spend under management and via the GDS.

• The GDSs today play a major role in both leisure and corporate travel distribution, but they are also beset by a range of challenges – from the rise on supplier direct bookings to changes in airline products (optional services) and distribution pricing models. But if they continue to innovate and adapt to meet the evolving needs of travel suppliers, distributors, and ultimately travelers themselves, they will continue to shape travel distribution for years to come.

For Full Report

TRAVDEX AND BLLA PARTNER ON INDUSTRY SUMMIT

TRAVDEX — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:37:55 +0000

Sherman, Conn. USA, January 13, 2010— TRAVDEX, the one-stop shopping trade show for travel technology, announced today a partnership with Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association, the association focused on expanding marketing initiatives for boutique lodging members, to promote a groundbreaking summit of leading travel industry trade organizations at the inaugural TRAVDEX in May 2010.
“It makes perfect sense for Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association to partner with and help to promote TRAVDEX,” says Frances Kiradjian, founder, Chair and Publisher of
BLLA. “Our members are highly interested in new technology and marketing solutions that will help them become more successful in their endeavors. TRAVDEX is the perfect fit for that.”
TRAVDEX brings together travel technology sellers and travel industry suppliers, intermediaries and other technology purchasers in a global trade show. TRAVDEX debuts May 5-7, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta and is produced by PhoCusWright Inc., the leading authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect.
“Technology enables innovation, and TRAVDEX showcases the best and the brightest players in travel technology,” said Philip C. Wolf, president and CEO of PhoCusWright. “We are thrilled to be working with BLLA and their participating members will enhance the experience at this premier travel technology event.”
TRAVDEX registration is now open. To purchase a ticket or exhibition space, visit www.travdex.com. Early pricing is in effect through January 31.

About PhoCusWright Inc. PhoCusWright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, PhoCusWright fosters smart strategic planning and tactical decision-making.
PhoCusWright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use PhoCusWright research for competitive advantage.
To complement its primary research in North America, Europe and Asia, PhoCusWright produces several high-profile conferences in the U.S. and Germany, and partners with conferences in the U.K., China and Singapore. Industry leaders and company analysts bring this intelligence to life by debating issues, sharing ideas and defining the ever-evolving reality of travel commerce.
The company is headquartered in the United States, with offices in Germany and India.
About TRAVDEX is the one-stop shopping trade show for travel technology products, solutions and professional services targeting the global travel tourism and hospitality industry. TRAVDEX is produced by PhoCusWright Inc., the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. The trade show features buyer-seller appointments, exhibition space, sponsored events and business networking opportunities for companies that sell technology products, solutions and professional services to the global travel industry. The inaugural TRAVDEX will be held May 5-7, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. See TRAVDEX on Twitter.

BLLA was created to be the unifying voice of this unique sector within the hospitality industry. It will be the “One Place” to find and book all boutique & lifestyle hotels for the consumer as well as for the agency communityBy pooling resources, independent owners and groups have the opportunity to successfully compete on a level playing field with major hotel companies, and market themselves to meet the ever-increasing demand from discerning boutique-seeking clients.

Our association members and contributors will benefit from a number of powerful distribution channels that will deliver incremental upscale revenue streams In addition to the advantage of incremental business from extra distribution channels, members benefit from access to research papers, webinars, industry reports and a whole host of helpful and practical education and business development resources. Members include brands and properties (owners/managers/staff), suppliers who desire to reach this hospitality sector, travel agents and corporate travel managers, individuals, hotel corporate offices, hospitality students and the press. Click here to become an official Member of the Association.

Lastly and significantly, we’re giving members the chance to take control of their industry – how it’s defined and represented, and how it will grow and evolve in the future – to ensure the boutique and lifestyle sector reaps the rewards it deserves.

BLLA is headquartered in the U.S. with offices in Madrid.
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Why did Singapore invest in Travelport

TRAVDEX — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:33:32 +0000

By Ram Badrinathan

The Singapore government’s decision to invest US$ 225 million in Travelport for a 7% stakes seems to be completely out of the blue and has taken travel industry analysts by surprise. The Government of Singapore Investment Corp (GIC) has been a traditionally conservative portfolio management company managing more than a billion dollars owned and run by Singapore elite including the ruling family. GIC has to be careful since it is the Singapore’s version of the U.S. social security fund and it is literally investing the pension and retirement money of Singapore’s Citizens.

In my opinion, GIC’s investment has nothing to do with Travelport or the travel distributionbusiness and more to do with Blackstone, the private equity group that owns 70% of Travelport. GIC has invested in Blackstone and this deal might be driven by financial considerations rather than Travelport’s strategic choices in APAC. The investment has less to do with travel, GDS, and product development and could be focused purely on making the Travelport IPO more attractive. The investment also generates a $3 billion valuation which will assist Travelport in raising an estimated $1.78 billion through IPO – that money will help in today’s tough markets.

The private equity firms will still be in control even after the IPO, but it will be interesting to see if the dilution of power leads to more control for the professionals who run the business.

PhoCusWright’s study on Global Distribution Systems (GDS) is available for free here

What is TRAVDEX?

TRAVDEX — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:19:10 +0000

TRAVDEX, is the travel technology trade show of 2010. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet with buyers and sellers of travel technology. TRAVDEX is produced by PhoCusWright, the travel research authority and host of the industry’s annual go to event.

TRAVDEX™ AND I-MEET PARTNER ON INDUSTRY SUMMIT

TRAVDEX — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:59:20 +0000

Sherman, Conn. USA, Dec 7, 2009—TRAVDEX™, the one-stop shopping trade show for travel technology, announced today a partnership with i-Meet, the online social network for the meetings, events and hospitality industries, to promote a groundbreaking summit of leading travel industry trade organizations at the inaugural TRAVDEX™ in May 2010.

“It makes perfect sense that i-Meet, a new technology company itself, would participate in and help to promote TRAVDEX™,” says John Pino, founder, chairman and CEO of i-Meet. “As a rapidly growing community of over 15,000 members in just our first year, i-Meet is an excellent platform to reach prospective attendees. TRAVDEX™ is so inclusive in its approach, there is literally something for everyone in the broader travel industry, including meeting planners and hospitality professionals.”

TRAVDEX™ brings together travel technology sellers and travel industry suppliers, intermediaries and other technology purchasers in a global trade show. TRAVDEX™ debuts May 5-7, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. TRAVDEX™ is produced by PhoCusWright Inc., the leading authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect.

“Technology enables innovation, and TRAVDEX™ showcases the best and the brightest players in travel technology,” said Philip C. Wolf, president and CEO of PhoCusWright. “We are thrilled to be working with i-Meet and their participating members will enhance the experience at this premier travel technology event.”

TRAVDEX™ registration is now open. To purchase a ticket or exhibition space, visit www.travdex.com. Early bird pricing is in effect through December 31.

About PhoCusWright Inc.
PhoCusWright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, PhoCusWright fosters smart strategic planning and tactical decision-making.

The company is headquartered in the United States, with offices in Germany and India.

About TRAVDEX™
TRAVDEX™ is the one-stop shopping trade show for travel technology products, solutions and professional services targeting the global travel tourism and hospitality industry. TRAVDEX™ is produced by PhoCusWright Inc., the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. The trade show features buyer-seller appointments, exhibition space, sponsored events and business networking opportunities for companies that sell technology products, solutions and professional services to the global travel industry. The inaugural TRAVDEX™ will be held May 5-7, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

About i-Meet
Created by the founder of StarCite, i-Meet is focused on building the industry’s most relevant worldwide online community for the meeting and event industry. With 15,000 members from 120 countries around the world to date, i-Meet brings social networking, Web 2.0 tools, workflow and relationship opportunities, and industry intelligence to its members and suppliers.

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Philip C. Wolf, President & CEO, PhoCusWright

TRAVDEX — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:35:22 +0000

Philip C. Wolf, President & CEO PhoCusWright discusses the benefits to TRAVDEX, the travel technology trade show

George Lambert, GoldenWare, VP Engineering

TRAVDEX — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:28:32 +0000

George Lambert, GoldenWare, VP Engineering discusses online travel solutions with Bruce Rosard of PhoCusWright

Tim Fahy, ITA Software, VP Business Development

TRAVDEX — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:25:31 +0000

Tim Fahy, ITA Software, VP Business Development discusses GDS solutions with Bruce Rosard of PhoCusWright