Discovery Travel Systems

(DTS), a technology provider for the tour market, has announced the product launch of
Tour Partner(TM), a stateless, web-based reservation and inventory management
system designed for tour packagers of all sizes.
 
According to John Broughan, president of DTS, Tour Partner(TM) offers a
combination of innovations that gives the system a unique position - and
strong advantage - in the marketplace.  First, with its fully web-enabled and
browser-based interface, travel marketers can package and sell their products,
and manage their inventory `anytime, anywhere.`
 
Tour Partner(TM) also facilitates dynamic packaging, allowing travel
packagers to implement new marketing initiatives quickly, combining and
selling any number of travel components including air, hotel, car, activities
and transportation, for any number of people.  And perhaps most important in
this competitive industry, the technology offers a low cost of ownership.
Tour Partner(TM) is offered in as a site license agreement or as an ASP model,
allowing the system to grow as the client`s business grows, without major up-
front investments.
 
The sophisticated technology offers users a vast amount of flexibility
in how they customize their system to enhance profitability and increase
sales.  It supports multi-channel distribution via call centers and the
Internet, provides real time access to all GDS systems, and flexible XML
interfaces to existing systems. Tour Partner(TM) also integrates inventory
management (blocked or on-demand), supplier contracts, pricing and cost, as
well as profitability analysis.
 
Users can shop, compare, quote and book, create packages, make changes
easily, and get back to the business of selling in a wired marketplace.  Tour
Partner(TM) is fully customizable and internationalized.

 
Broughan believes that DTS`s Tour Partner will meet a pent-up demand in
the industry.  “Tour operators and travel marketers have been stuck between
the proverbial rock and hard place,” he says.  “They know they need to be
wired to compete, yet the investment costs have been too high and frankly, the
capabilities just haven`t been there.
 
“From my own experience in tour operations, I saw the need time and time
again for a comprehensive, flexible, web-based reservations and inventory
management system.  The type of system necessary to keep up in today`s
marketplace simply did not exist.”
 
Based on its global success with Cruise Partner(TM), a cruise line
reservations system, and Ship Partner(TM), an onboard property management
system, DTS took on the challenge for the tour market, employing the same
sophisticated inventory and reservations processing capabilities.  “That
experience gave us extensive insight into the complexities of tour operations
and the systems necessary to run them.  We approached the development of Tour
Partner in the same way - as a solution to the tour marketer`s challenges -
and we`ve taken the time to make sure this is the very best answer.”
 
Together with its introduction of Tour Partner, DTS has also re-launched
its company website, which offers detailed information about the system,
including key highlights. 
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