In the news: iGola implements Amadeus technology, Booking.com’s brand campaign in Australia, Cebu Pacific and Limelight Networks partner
TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: CHINESE SEARCH ENGINE IGOLA PARTNERS WITH AMADEUS TO SIMPLIFY TRAVEL SHOPPING
Choosing where to go and when is easier now on iGola platform
Guangzhou-based iGola is implementing Amadeus Extreme Search technology to make it easier for travellers to shop on its platform, as well as enhance the experience.
Igola specialises in international flight tickets and outbound travel products for Chinese tourists. Founded in 2014, the travel smart search engine raised RMB 130 million (US$18.8 million) in series A+ funding round in December last year. The round was led Beijing-based private equity firm Rich Land Capital, with a unit of GF Securities Co., Ltd. also participating.
On iGola’s platform, travellers have three options to shop. ‘Find Flights’ helps travellers who have a specific destination and timeline in mind.
For those with more flexibility, they can select either the ‘Where to go’ or ‘When to go’ options.
‘Where to go’, powered by Amadeus Master Pricer with Extreme Search technology, is for travellers looking for a spontaneous long weekend. After keying where they are flying from and when they want to fly, they can explore an interactive map of the world that can be adjusted for different budgets. It can generate dozens of suitable destinations around the world to suit the travellers’ budget.
‘When to go’ is for those looking to travel to a specific destination at the right price. The traveller enters where he is flying from and where he wants to go, and a chart of prices over time tells he should pack his bags to get the best fare.
iGola said using Amadeus’ technology would further boost innovation and market growth on a global scale.
The metasearch company is also working with Amadeus to develop its new iGolaFares, expected to launch this summer. Using Amadeus virtual interlining technology, the fares will maximise the chance that travellers can find the lowest fare available, thus improving choice, convenience and customer service.
Amadeus virtual interlining uses machine learning to connect flights between carriers, which do not have interlining agreements, to find the best fare based on price and convenience for value-conscious travellers.
“Our goal is to provide travellers around the world real time and accurate information, and the tools they can use to plan their trips easier and faster, so they can spend less time in front of a computer and more time exploring the world,” says George Zhang, CEO of iGola.
DESTINATIONS: BOOKING.COM LAUNCHES ‘BOOKING.YEAH’ CAMPAIGN IN AUSTRALIA
New Booking.com campaign in Australia
Accommodation site, Booking.com, has released the ‘Booking.yeah’ brand campaign in Australia highlighting holiday rentals and apartments.
The company said the campaign’s goal is “to inspire Aussie travellers to further explore the diversity available on Booking.com to ensure their unique needs are met, empowering them to enjoy truly awesome travel experiences — whatever that means for them — each and every time they book.”
The campaign consists of two short online films (one shown below), which will roll out across all of Booking.com online channels, as well as online and on TV networks across the country.
The films by MIKE TEEVEE, a video production service based in Amsterdam, play around the choice, freedom and comfort vacationers look for when they travel.
They show the process families and friends look for and enjoy that “perfect home-from-home, a highlight of any trip.”
AIRLINES: LIMELIGHT NETWORKS HELPS CEBU PACIFIC BOOST ONLINE EXPERIENCE
60% to 80% of Cebu Pacific’s passengers book tickets online. (Image credit: elcabron/iStock)
Cebu Pacific, the largest low cost carrier in the Philippines, is using Limelight Networks’ Content Delivery Network (CDN) to provide a smooth online booking experience for customers across the globe.
Limelight Networks, headquartered in Tempe in Arizona, US, provides global content delivery network services that enable organisations to deliver their digital content to any device anywhere in the world,
Cebu Pacific said between 60% to 80% of its passengers book tickets online. It thus needs its website booking experience to be fast, secure, reliable and able to keep up with increased traffic as the business grows globally.
“Since the vast majority of our customers book their tickets online, any problem with accessibility of our booking site would affect the customer experience,” said Atty. JR Mantaring, vice president for corporate affairs at Cebu Pacific.
He added that its partnership with Limelight Networks enables the airline to increase its website performance.
According to Cebu Pacific, Limelight’s CDN is improving the average web response time in East Asia by 44% and global delivery performance by 61% percent. Its online booking is also faster and more reliable, reducing significantly customer complaints.
• Featured image credit: Abscent84/iStock
