Search support for agents
Wego, a travel meta-search site, is offering a business opportunity to travel agents to book tickets/rooms with airlines, hotels and OTAs. In conversation with , Jackson Fernandez, MD, Wego.com, elaborates on this aspect.
Wego has recently launched the ‘Wego Affiliate Network’ (WAN.travel) which supports travel businesses by providing the same advanced technology used by Wego, adapting it to suit their own site. “This powerful new platform and set of tools enable travel and tourism companies (through their respective websites) to add flight and hotel search features and generate a significant new revenue stream from resulting activity. This feature has been used by major airports, national tourism boards and large travel portals that have customised and re-branded the Wego experience and offered it as a feature for their own users,” Fernandez pointed out.
WAN.travel provides affiliates with a variety of customised search boxes along with a white-labelled version of Wego’s meta-search product. “Simple point-and-click interfaces allow affiliates to theme, brand and localise the widgets and search result pages to suit their sites,” Fernandez maintained.
He also asserted that the Wego platform is a consolidation of years of data trails left by Wego users, and the company has extended this database to its travel industry partners. “The value for travel businesses is understanding and targetting customers who are more likely to be interested in their products, rather than investing in messaging of no relevance to the user. The recent partnership between Wego and Lotame is an extension of our solution. We have vast knowledge when it comes to the travel purchasing funnel, and can make a significant difference by sharing our knowledge with other online travel service providers,” Fernandez added.
According to him, Wego’s airline, hotel and OTA inventory is growing rapidly both locally and internationally. “Wego continues to welcome new partners throughout all our established markets, growing each region exponentially,” he stressed. Wego is incorporating new travel partnerships into site inventory, which translates into a more comprehensive shopping experience for users and better commercial terms for affiliates using the WAN.travel programme.
“Online travel service providers who join the Wego Affiliate Network enjoy the benefits of a dedicated account manager,” Fernandez underlined.
Services apart, asked about the present market trends visible from their site he shared that Indians today seek out travel experiences beyond the traditional destinations of the past. Especially, long weekends see a spike in search activity as Indians are more frequently making the most of their free time enjoying quick getaways with family or friends.
“Travellers today look beyond price and opt more to value for money. Mobile too, has boosted this spontaneity supported by social media which adds an informative and inspirational motivation to plan trips. For both business and pleasure, mobile connectivity goes hand in hand with the convenience of using metasearch making travel planning simple and fast,” he felt.