Gray Dawes Travel, a top twenty UK corporate travel agency, has agreed to extend and strengthen its long-standing relationship with Galileo International, by signing a new three-year agreement.
Gray Dawes Travel also agreed to be a launch participant in the European market test of TravelGalileo.com, Galileo`s new B-2-B-2-C travel Web portal. TravelGalileo.com
combines the best of e-commerce with the professional service from a customer`s preferred travel consultant.
Under the new contract, Gray Dawes Travel, which provides nine Financial Times Stock Exchange Top 100 customers with corporate travel services, will deploy Galileo`s Focalpoint 3.5 workstation software as its primary technology solution.
Following its successful US market launch in September with more than 560 agencies now participating, TravelGalileo.com now is undergoing trials in Europe. The official launch of the innovative Web portal is scheduled for the first quarter of 2001. TravelGalileo.com is one of Galileo`s latest Internet initiatives, designed to be an easy-to-implement additional point of presence on the Web for participating agencies, serving as a seamless extension to traditional agency `brick-and-mortar` offices and business processes.
Agencies can register for the portal by contacting their Galileo sales representative. Once registered, Galileo will work with the agency to create a uniquely branded Web site and URL that travellers can access directly by entering the full URL or through the TravelGalileo.com home page.
Participating agencies can promote special packages on their unique sites, as well as promote offers they have negotiated with travel suppliers, incorporating Galileo`s PrivateFares and PrivateFares II. In addition, participating agencies will receive promotional templates from Galileo that can be uniquely branded by each agency and integrated into their marketing programs.
Travellers also enjoy flexibility when working with agencies through TravelGalileo.com. If the traveller`s agency has a presence on the portal, he can work directly with that agency. Travellers also can seek out an agency based on its location using the agency-finder feature on the site. By using TravelGalileo.com in combination with a travel agent, travellers maintain complete control of their travel arrangements in a convenient and efficient manner. They have the ability not only to view air, car and hotel rates and availability 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but also make reservations anytime.
——-