OTC Reports Self-Packaging Boom
(OTC) has announced that DIY holidays, now represent a total of 31% of all OTC’s online transactions.
The company, which offers self-packaging technology across its own-brands and 80 partner sites, has also reported that Onlinetravel.com - the brand it launched last summer to capitalise on the boom in self-packaging - has achieved a 96% increase in sales from August 2002 - August 2003.
Paris, Prague and New York have proved Onlinetravel.com’s top three most popular Build-Your-Own (BYO) destinations, confirming the growing appeal to UK consumers of taking an increased number of shorter breaks.
Long-haul destinations are also growing in appeal, with New York the number one BYO destination, while Sydney is market-leader when it comes to flight-only sales.
According to OTC, the pioneer in the self-packaging market on the
web - launching the first ever service in October 2001 - the statistics underline consumers’ ever-increasing willingness to book travel online.
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Mark Jones
, CEO of OTC commented: “Onlinetravel.com’s breathtaking first year highlights the amazing response of UK travellers to DIY holidays and the enormous confidence holidaymakers now have in booking travel online.”
Jones continued: “The industry has witnessed a boom in city break bookings in recent years, as consumers are keen to supplement their traditional summer holiday with short trips, and they’re increasingly booking these online because of the convenience, flexibility and cost-savings the web offers.”
OTC’s self-packaging formula is based on offering consumers the flexibility of tailoring holidays from a comprehensive choice of airfares and accommodation, using discounted flights only otherwise available from tour operators and travel agents as part of package holidays.
Onlinetravel.com has also recently launched a new fare finder facility, which allows users to view all relevant fares recently searched by the website’s user base. Customers can then sort fares by price, arrival airport, departure date/time and number of nights, completing bookings more quickly.
The results:
Onlinetravel.com’s top 10 list of self-packaged destinations
1. Paris 2. Prague 3. New York 4. Barcelona 5. Amsterdam
6. Rome 7. Brussels 8. Madrid 9. Venice 10. Dublin
Onlinetravel.com’s top 10 long-haul self-packaged destinations
1. New York 2. Dubai 3. Chicago 4. Los Angeles 5. Boston
6. Miami 7. Orlando 8. Bangkok 9. San Francisco 10. Barbados
Onlinetravel.com’s top 10 flight-only destinations
1. New York 2. Amsterdam 3. Barcelona 4. Dublin 5. Barcelona
6. Prague 7. Alicante 8. Paris 9. Madrid 10. Sydney
Onlinetravel.com’s top 10 hotel-only destinations
1. Paris 2. London 3. Brussels 4. Prague 5. Barcelona
6. Dublin 7. Amsterdam 8. New York 9. Edinburgh 10. Rome
Related stories on ITN:
(18/08/2003) OTC Signs Car Rental Deal with Hertz
(14/07/2003) OTC Wins Agreement with Leading Golf Publication
(20/06/2003) OTC Launches Youthtravel.com
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