Reading about web 2.0 and how it has pushed online travel with funding available so on & forth, it makes one start wondering on some points such as:
There is a phenomenal growth potential & people have embraced online bookings that have grown by more than 100% etc.
• Yes this is true but what were the bookings earlier & what has the 100% growth been.
• When numbers are bandied about, the top line airline & hotel rates look great but what is the bottom line?
Thousands of airline tickets are being sold every day claim all online sites.
• Back of the envelope calculation show that the number of flights (domestic & international) with their carrying capacity spread over 6 months & all the online players as well as offline travel agents would not aggregate to the Thousands.
Hotel Rooms are being booked online like never before.
• Great and this would be happening with those online who have pre booked or off season…. But surprisingly the hotel industry cries itself hoarse with not enough rooms…..Corporate Houses scream at the Pricing…..Wonder why all 3 cannot work together & make money! Seems to be something wrong somewhere.
Discounts, Cash back make it better?
• Not necessarily, though beneficial & economical Yes.
However the most critical element of distribution & access remains unrecognized or avoided by everyone in the industry. All figures/statistics would lead to the TOP 12 – 18 cities. Whilst the pareto principle may apply, & the marketing buck for reach also needs to be considered, the fact that there are more than 65+ cities towns where online travel is still a distant dream, whilst the Brands are still represented by the so called unbranded companies in ways they deem best.
And the Cream is in the B & C towns!
Anaggh
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