Specialist agents and operators requiring a web presence can now turn their brochures into websites, following the creation of a breakthrough solution by pioneering travel technology company Travel UCD. The company has today launched ‘Hassle Free Websites’, enabling agents and operators to post their brochures and receive a fully transactional website in return.

The service sees Travel UCD build a complete website around the customer’s travel products, with the service addressing all their requirements, including web hosting, design and online marketing. Travel UCD’s charging structure is partly based upon sales completed through each website, ensuring that it is incentivised to produce sites geared
to generating bookings. 

Travel UCD’s goal is to level the online playing field for the industry. In June the company launched TourCMS, an XML-based solution enabling companies to manage their entire web presence and web marketing.

Alex Bainbridge, Travel UCD CEO says: “Online is the industry’s crunch battleground and just as important to agents as operators, with the impact of dynamic packaging increasingly blurring the distinction between them.

“Companies know that to conquer the web is a daunting task, and wish instead to concentrate on their core competence of creating and selling holidays. We’re enabling them to benefit from commercially-focused websites, without being sidetracked by IT issues. We handle all of the problems associated with managing a website.”

Travel UCD believes Hassle Free Websites is the first initiative from a specialist travel technology company that allows agents and operators to instantly outsource creation of online brochures.

The Hassle Free Websites service includes the conversion of an offline brochure to an online transactional website, incorporating all images, text, dates and prices. Each site is bespoke and based on the client’s existing logos, colour schemes and brand design.

Travel UCD helps build its customers online sales, through payment-by-success e-marketing to drive traffic to the site, through pay per click advertising, through its own multi-tour operator websites and through advertising campaigns. 

Each site is created using TourCMS, the only XML-based, off-the-shelf solution allowing operators and agents to manage web bookings, web content, web distribution and web marketing.

Once each website is live, companies enjoy full control of their online presence and can change pictures and information at any time.

The technology provides full back-office bookings management functionality for both online and offline bookings, although companies can also continue to use their existing systems.

Travel UCD’s Hassle Free Websites service is available for a £2500 fixed fee which covers initial web design and full support, plus a £150 per month management fee. Travel UCD will also take 10% commission for all confirmed gross online sales generated from its own online marketing efforts.
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