Direct Response Marketing

Destination: Internet

1 Nov, 2007 By: Courtney Beth Pugatch Response

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Emerging travel companies on the Internet have given tourists more opportunities for better deals without the headaches.

There is no better experience than a vacation. The thought of sitting on a beach relaxing with a drink in hand is enough to put anyone in the mood to get away for a while.

As the Internet has evolved to become the one-stop travel shop for all vacation necessities, it seems travelers are becoming overwhelmed with all the options for finding the best deals. Whether they're naming their own prices for plane tickets or reserving a hotel and car in a packaged deal, vacation enthusiasts are turning to the Internet to plan their vacations.

In fact, when it comes to the dollar amount of vacations booked online, a recent nation study by Guideline Inc., reveals that nearly 51 percent of luxury travelers are willing to book a $2,000-5,000 vacation package online, with another 29 percent feeling comfortable enough to book a $5,000 or more vacation package.

Today's traveler is Web savvy and looking for the best deals online. Now it's the companies' turn to make it as easy as possible for travelers to cash in on the best deals.

Changing the E-Travel Market

In the fiercely competitive E-commerce travel market, companies specializing in selling airfare, hotels and other packaged travel deals have to work overtime to distinguish themselves from the competition. Whether it's through celebrity spokespersons (Priceline.com's William Shatner) or with memorable site names (such as Travelocity.com), major airline companies and ticket brokers are all vying for a piece of the travel industry's profit pie.

From the traveler's perspective, however, checking all those discount ticket broker and official airline Web sites for the best deals can often be more exhausting and troublesome than it's worth.

Travelzoo's interactive displays attracted much attention at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport. The displays, developed by Monster Media, gave travelers in Concourse D the opportunity to try their luck with Travelzoo slot machines. Travelers of all ages were entertained while being exposed to Travelzoo.

Ralph Bartel found himself in a similar situation when he was disappointed with the "great deals" featured on Internet discount sites. Bartel, who came from Germany, was a travel enthusiast and his excitement for traveling lessened as he tried to take advantage of these deals.

For various reasons Bartel wasn't able to actually get or book these great deals. The deals were often sold out, the traveling dates were incompatible to what he desired, or the prospective hotel rooms weren't in acceptable condition. Bartel knew there had to be a better way for both the supplier and traveler and opted to start Travelzoo Inc., in 1998 with a $5,000 investment from his own pocket.

Bartel, who went on to become the CEO of the company, decided the company would focus on putting together a free weekly E-newsletter of the top 20 travel deals available on the Internet. Nearly 10 years later, Travelzoo has relationships with 600 travel suppliers and the newsletter has 12 million subscribers — which is bigger than the combined readership of USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

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