It wasn't so long ago when travel-related web sites were
brushed off as being "static" and "good only for browsing
and getting information" - surely not measuring up to the
services of the traditional bricks-and-mortar travel agent.
Today, however, there are sites that sell you everything
you need for a holiday and more (www.previewtravel.com hawks luggage,
clothes and even gifts in addition to travel) in a secure
environment where online payments can be made.
The sites are hardly static - at www.priceline.com you can state the
price for the product or service you are willing to pay;
take part in message boards or chat rooms which give you a
chance to relive your latest travel tales with fellow
travellers and surfers.
Granted, most such sites exist in the US, offering
domestic bookings within the US only. But Asia has seen
several of its own lately. One of these is
Asiatravelmart.com. Touted as Asia's premier Internet-based
TRS (Travel Reservation System), it is a one-stop travel
shop for flights, hotels, tour packages, transfers, meals
and car rentals.
The site offers more than 20,000 products at the moment
in over 100 countries, is e-commerce enabled and accepts
payment in nine different currencies (more available soon).
Users have instant confirmation of their bookings and can
print out their own receipts and vouchers to redeem their
travel services. Its discounted air fare module is expected
to be launched this month.
AsiaTravelMart.com trades within both the Secure
Electronic Transaction (SET) and the Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) protocols with 128-bit encryption.
Since its inception in 1997, the site has attracted more
than 50,000 registered users.
One of the virtual travel agency's strengths lies in the
trade experience and understanding of founder and chief
Alex Kong (in picture). Kong has worked in the travel
industry almost all his life. From chef to incentive
planner to outbound tour operator, Kong has done it all.
His family business was involved in hotel and travel agency
operations.
"The various experiences I gathered allowed me to see
the industry from many angles. This further fuelled the
fire that was burning in me. I was frustrated with the way
the travel industry worked, which is based on legacy
systems, with its many limitations that drove up the cost
of conducting business. The rule of the industry at that
time was to survive by killing each other.
"I was determined to find a way to overcome the many
limitations and obstacles faced by not just the travel
suppliers, but also by the customers. I knew instinctively
that Internet was the way to go. I was intrigued by the
potential of the Internet. The possibilities were endless.
Imagine having direct access to airline bookings,
accommodation, meal arrangements, vehicle reservation -
plus all the information the tourist needs - and the
convenience of it all at a mouse-click!", says Kong.
Kong got his first break from AsiaTech Ventures which,
after seeing his prototype, saw it fit to pump in
RM700,000(US$200,000). That was the beginning of
Asiatravelmart.com
Now in its fourth year, Asiatravelmart.com is expecting
to sign up its one millionth visitor by year end.
To add credibility and bulk to its site,
Asiatravelmart.com has solicited ePartnerships with major
players in the region. It can now claim names like
LycosAsia, Altavista/Skali, MSN Singapore, JARING,
click2Asia.com and catcha.com as partners. "Our ePartners
programme allows website owners to generate extra income
for themselves. All they have to do is register on
Asiatravelmart.com as our ePartner. Following a simple
procedure, a link will be created from their webpage to
Asiatravelmart.com.
"They can sell all our travel products instantaneously.
Every time their users click onto this link or make any
purchases, the ePartners are empowered to access and track
all the information about the registered users, their
confirmed purchases and all sales track records. Besides
these facilities, our engine also provides the option for
ePartners to personalise and tailor-make the layout, or the
look and feel of their travel site to be consistent with
the overall website, by using simple and user-friendly HTML
code from our engine. In other words, they can brand the
site their own and maintain a consistent identity,"
explains Kong.
Asiatravelmart.com has not been left out in the IPO
frenzy. According to Kong, it is on target for listing on
the NASDAQ index by the fourth quarter of this year. Since
its first round funding of RM700,000, Asiatravelmart has
managed to secure RM13 million and it will soon close its
third round funding with US$20 million (an online travel
reservation system doesn't come cheap).
ASIATRAVELMART.COM NUMBERS
* Revenue to date: RM13 million (US$3.4m) from 1999 to
date
* Projected figure at the time of launch: S$110 million
(US$64m) by 2000.
* Total unique visitors per day: 5,000-8,000
* Over 60 percent of bookings come from US and Europe and
the others from Asia and other parts of the world.
* Flight reservations will be available on the site this
month.
TECHNOLOGY EDITOR'S REPORT CARD
* Usability: Five clicks would get you booked in a hotel.
A lot of features ranging from the general booking
functions to time zone converters and wallpapers for your
computer.
* Presentation: Limited graphics and small font-size text.
Very busy home page but second level pages are clear and
easy to navigate.
* Rate offerings: Competitive rates
* Products: Good range of hotels and tours. Air component
not up at press time.
* Online booking: Yes
* Customer Service: Response to queries by email promised
within 24 hours; call centre within office hours but no
toll-free lines.