Blog
Travel gateways experience boost in revenues
13/04/2012 08:46
In summer 2007, many Indian online travel Websites have experienced an increase in revenue, which reached to almost 30-50 percent. This increase is primarily attributed to the following factors: sudden increase in the aviations land area, lower airfares, more income to spend, and the growing interest of Indians to go abroad, in addition to the rising value of rupee as well as the escalating temperatures.
In 2007, the travelguru Website reached their highest monthly revenue of Rs 22 crore during the summer season, an increase of 144% from the revenue incurred in 2006, which only amounted to Rs 9 crore.
Another well-known travel site, makemytrip, is also hoping to expand its revenues, from Rs 550 crore in 2006 to Rs 1,200 crore in 2007, a rise of 118%, while the 2006 launched travel site, Yatra, has envisioned a 40% increase in revenues during the summer season.
The online travel business already attracts several new big companies, such as Travelocity and Expedia, which operates worldwide.
Currently, online travel is the fastest rising segment within the e-commerce story.
The local online travel industry is nearly around $800 million (about Rs 3,100 crore) and would bring in suppliers like hotels, carriers and online travel agents.
According to PhoCusWright report, by 2008, online travel industry is expected to increase to $2 billion (about Rs 8,200 crore), this includes the 2.2% revenue from the local travel market.
These amounts are likely to increase more with the massive expansion in the online consumer market.
Your money: Pentagon travel system under attack
12/04/2012 08:38
Being the world's foremost buyer of airline tickets, the United States Department of Defence acquired a booking system of its own known as the defence travel system. Its original function was to purchase the least expensive airline seat and to avoid additional expenses on paperwork and travel agents.
A republican senator from Oklahoma named Tom Coburn, noted that the booking system was already lagging four years behind schedule and at the same time two hundred million dollars over budget.
The Department of Defence's inspector general suggested the botching of the defence travel system four years ago, but its implementation still pushed through. Researchers calculated that about seventy percent of department officials refuse to apply the booking system either because of flawed software or they consider a better price available somewhere else.
Citizens Against Government Waste’s Tom Schatz admitted that in most instances the defence personnel still prefer to book a reservation from travel agents.
Many detractors also stressed that the use of internet websites is much more effective than the new system because numerous travel websites, like Travelocity and Expedia, are now offering cheaper prices.
The developer of the system, Northrup Grumman was nonetheless undeterred, stating that the system will ultimately help the Department of Defence save funds.
Senator Coburn, however, was not satisfied with the company’s forecasts.
Travelling portals target corporate clients
11/04/2012 08:18
With business travels increasingly get hotter and the nation’s corporate sector looks for more economical choices, travel portals have been targeting corporate clients.
Companies like Indiatimes, Makemytrip, Ezeego1, Yatra, Cleartrip and Travelguru are in busy negotiations with corporates that range from big ITs to SMEs.
B2B transactions involve portals that supply products to other portals and offline travel agents, whilst B2E particularly pertains to corporate customers who buy services and products for their workers.
Corporate travels continuous to attract travel portals. “Corporate clients offer high volumes and many last-minute bookings which are usually of high value,” said Neelu Singh, COO of Ezeego1, which recently added its number of clients upon the purchase of approximately five FMCG companies and is currently negotiating with bigger corporates.
Despite that B2E transactions’ volume on portals is low than B2B and B2C transactions, B2E bookings is rapidly increasing. “We have a separate team which handles business travel including incentive tours. Going forward, this business will only grow,” an official at Indiatimes said.
Various models have been developed by portals to provide business houses with services such as offline booking desk at the corporate office of clients, or integration of technology with the company’s intranet.
“We have some key corporate clients such as HCL, Ernst & Young and TV 18. Presently, approximately 8–9% of its business is attributed to corporate travel.
SMEs, which make online bookings as retail business travellers, have been also the target of travel portals. Makemytrip is now focusing on SMEs instead of large corporate.
Yapta to rattle rivals
10/04/2012 07:44
The Seattle startup plans to reveal on Tuesday its online travel service, which has received unanticipated news when its Pioneer Square head office building caught fire early Monday morning.
The incident might postpone major cash-burning start-ups. However, the company, composed of seven people, is pushing through the online service introduction that will aid people in receiving refunds from airlines and track airfares once ticket prices drop under the original purchase cost. Today, it is already included in the list of Seattle Internet startups, along with TripHub and Farecast, which are attempting to make it cheaper and easier for consumers to acquire airline tickets.
Who knows?” said Tom Romary, Yapta’s Chief Executive, who is working on the downtown Seattle’s investor’s office.
Yapta actually stands for ‘Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant’, which joins the online travel market with a novel technology that one analyst says could set conventional business models on fire.
Forrester Research Vice President Henry Harteveldt said Yapta is a potential troubling technology, which could boost travel agencies’ fury online.
Once it catches on, the service of Yapta could shake-up the industry, Romary admitted.
“Any time there is a consumer opportunity and a consumer pain point in a big market, it means there is a chance to disrupt the market and provide an innovative solution,” Romary said.
Civilians are prohibited to Travel beyond the Green Zone
01/04/2012 14:39
US announced Tuesday a suspension of all land travel by civilian officials and US diplomats based in Iraq outside the heavily guarded Green Zone in Baghdad. This is in line with the growing public outrage on the alleged killing by Blackwater USA of civilians.
The move was made despite Iraq’s government backing down from its statements made Monday. The government said Blackwater’s license had been revoked and ordered its staff of 1,000 to leave.
The details of the shootings over the weekend were not released yet but New York Times had reported that a preliminary investigation of Iraq’s Interior Ministry revealed that the violence began when security guards of Blackwater shot the car that did not stop when called by police. It is reported that a couple and their baby were killed.
According to Blackwater, the guards responded to militants who started firing at the personnel while Iraqi police said that a bomb exploded near the convoy of a State department which led to the Blackwater guards shooting.
The Iraqi report has not been seen by State Department Edgar Vasquez, but stressed that they are investigating the matter. In line with the investigation, an order was made to prohibit US officials from travelling outside the Green Zone. This means that the officials will not be able to visit construction sites funded by the US unless by means of a helicopter. There is no definite time on when the suspension would expire.
BHA calls for tourists not to visit Noah's Ark Zoo
31/03/2012 14:20
A group of secular people is requesting that tourism groups stop advocating for a ‘Creationist’ zoo that tends to question the conventional view of evolution.
Located in Wraxall close to Bristol, the Noah’s Ark Zoo has been plagued with accusations by the British Humanist Association (BHA) of misguiding thousands of yearly visitors and ruining public understanding.
The group has sent a letter to the British and Irish Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), Visit Britain and South West England, and North Somerset Council urging them to eliminate Noah’s Ark within their list.
Furthermore, the zoo aims to nullify scientific facts including the fossil record, radio carbon dating, and the speed of light.
The owners claim that they don’t deny their very own religious beliefs but affirm that they follow a different idea from absolute creationists since the zoo exhibits life being created by both evolution and God.
On the zoo’s website, they posted a long section entitled ”Creation Research”, which says Darwin’s theory is ”flawed” and indicates support for a ”creation/evolution debate”.
The signs at Noah’s Ark also explain how the ”three great people groups” might have been originated from the three children of Noah, the ark builder from the Bible.
Andrew Copson, BHA Director of Education and Public Affairs, stated: ''We believe Noah's Ark Farm Zoo misleads the public by not being open about its Creationist agenda in its promotional activities and by advancing misunderstandings of the natural world”.
Barclaycard, TranSys reach agreement for the use of card for public transport
30/03/2012 14:05
British credit card and loan provider giant Barclaycard announced it will start offering debit and credit cards integrated with an Oyster card account, now being used as an electronic ticket on public transport services within London, after signing a three-year contract with TranSys, the consortium of the Oyster card.
This means that starting next summer, Barclaycard credit card and Barclays Bank Connect debit card holders will be able to use their plastics in paying for their rides through the use of swipe readers located throughout London's transport network.
Customers will be able to pre-load their “Oyster card” accounts with cash, as it is under the prevailing separate system, then fares will be deducted from the said balance instead of deducting them from their credit card or bank accounts.
The swipe method will be available at any seller who installs the machines which will read the cards. Barclaycard said that it will be working with Visa, the global credit card giant, in rolling out the machines to retailers in 2007.
Aside from being used in the London public transportation system, Barclaycard added the cards will also be used in coffee shops, fast food restaurants, bars and pubs, car parks and other retail outlets, reducing the need for customers to bring cash.
The said endeavour will initially be a multi-function contact-less debit or credit card in Europe, though the technology has already been in use in some parts of North America.
The new cards will be introduced in association with Visa Europe.
Federal judges now required to have transparency in travels
29/03/2012 10:34
United States Federal judges have agreed on 19 September 2006 to organise a quicker and much more extensive disclosure method of the judiciary’s government-paid travels. The decision stemmed from criticisms that the judges’ trips could weaken the public's trust in a fair judiciary.
The country's two thousand federal judges will also have to apply a certain computer system that is meant to make it easier for them to recognise and avoid cases in which the judges have financial conflict.
The chief justice has also taken advices from a board led by Justice Stephen Breyer. The Judge Breyer-led group detected other problems including the handling by judges of sensational cases against other judges.
The Congress earlier suggested a proposition to strictly monitor judicial ethics in the form of a travel ban or establishment of an ethics overseer for the courts.
Under the newly imposed travel guidelines, trip sponsors must disclose in advance who is shouldering the expenses for a judge's tour to private seminars. As stipulated, the needed data is to be printed on the judicial branch's Web site.
The instruction also provides that judges are not allowed to accept travel provided by sponsors unless such sponsors provide essential information.
The judicial law also requires a 30 day period for judges to publicise in local court websites a report about the travel.
The new regulations however will not be valid to the Supreme Court because it has no official ethics laws and is not currently covered by the Judicial Conference.
TRX acquires a spend management technology developer
21/03/2012 15:42
TRX, a transaction processing company for the travel industry, announced that it acquired Travel Analytics Inc. and its subsidiaries: Tango, an airline-tracking system, and Sierra, a travel-savings calculator.
TRX CEO, Trip Davis, said that the acquisition of the said developer was a logical decision, considering the ever-complicating fees in the travel industry. According to him, Travel Analytics will definitely help a lot in integrating the data the company has gathered over the years.
Davis already announced the company’s intent to acquire Travel Analytics Inc. about three months ago. According to him, the expansion is a bold stroke in tapping the different markets from North America, Asia and Europe.
In addition to these accomplishments, TRX reported its profits during the second quarter, stating that the company has garnered a little less than 1% increase in revenue in 2006. According to the report, the net income for the second quarter of 2006 was 1.8 million US dollars. For the officials of the company, this is a great achievement compared to its 2005 performance during the second quarter, having a net loss of 2.7 million dollars.
Davis said that all of these were made possible thanks to the right allocation and prioritisation of funds. Furthermore, he added that the company’s decision to lean away from marketing via call centres dramatically changed the overall performance of the company, shifting it to a more efficient one.
The different side of space: A blogger’s perspective
07/03/2012 10:40
A blogger describes a different side of aerospace life—an account written in a very simple yet human perspective.
Anousheh Ansari is an American businesswoman who takes up a Masters degree in Astronomy at the Victoria’s Swinburne University of Technology. For her, space is not fun as what she expected.
According to Ansari’s blog, the space smelled like a ‘burned almond cookie.’ Of course, this comment has surprised and entertained the public due to the unusual insight.
In addition to her comments, the blog featured her day-to-day activities in space such as having breakfasts in the morning, washing her hair with the absence of gravity, coping up with the daily routine and several other common human activities. She did not focus on the technical stuff involved in the expedition since this was ‘boring’ for her.
Ansari wrote, nevertheless, her final words in space: “It is hard for me to write tonight.” For her, it was still a privilege to be able to see the other wonders of the universe.
Ansari took the 10-day expedition over space through a Soyuz spacecraft together with US astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov. The vehicle landed yesterday on the Kazakhstan plains.