Shopping for and buying
the right trip just got easier with the launch of Expedia`s Shopping Cart
services.
  With the innovative Build Your Own Trip tool and the ability to add
destination services and activities to flight or hotel reservations,
Expedia.com(R)

allows consumers to pick and pack the travel options they want,
breaking new ground in ease-of-use, flexibility, and breadth of travel
services.
 
  Accessible directly from the home page of Expedia.com, the Build Your Own Trip tool sets new standards in design by enabling customers to save time and
money while still retaining their flexibility. Customers are able to choose
which travel components, locations, and dates they need, and can even decide
which hotel, flight, car, or activities they want within those components.
  For those travelers shopping simply for air or lodging, Expedia(R) is now
the first full service online travel agency to allow customers to add
destination services and activities—ranging from theme park tickets and
tours to ground transportation—before completing a flight or hotel
purchase.
  “More important than how you get to your destination is what you do when
you get there,” said Erik Blachford

, president of Expedia, North America.
“For business travelers, it might be as simple as ground transportation so
they can get downtown for their meeting. For leisure travelers, it might be a
variety of activities—from tours of Stonehenge to sea kayaking near San
Diego. By providing the whole trip flexibly, easily, and with cost-savings,
Expedia continues to set new standards in online travel.”
  Expedia`s Shopping Cart services are built on top of Expedia`s Expert
Searching and Pricing (ESP) platform, which dynamically builds and prices
trips. Whether travelers are shopping for flights, accommodations, activities,
or all three, they can see what the price is at every step and make decisions
to match their preferences for dates, times, and supplier brands.
  Adding destination services or activities is as easy as getting mints at
the grocery store checkout counter.  Customers simply select a flight or
hotel, and, before booking, choose from a list of services, tours, and local
attractions. The trip will be re-priced with the added components in real
time, and, after booking, travelers can then view and print the vouchers they
need to complete their activity.
“Nearly every traveler buys multiple travel components, especially when
you consider destination services and activities such as ground
transportation, dining at restaurants, and visiting attractions,” Blachford
said. “And yet, according to PLOG`s 2001 American Travel Survey, just 19
percent of travelers purchase `packages.`  We realized that, by providing
Expedia`s Shopping Cart services atop the ESP platform, we are breaking beyond
the bounds of `packages` and instead providing travelers with flexible and
complete trips.”
Related stories on ITN:

(27/03/2002) New Offering from Expedia

(06/03/2002) New Web Marketing Technology from Expedia.

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