Orbitz Live Destination Specialists<< Gun shots, nipple rings and falling wings | Main | Delta and Northwest: Fasten your seatbelts, there will be turbulence >> Diane Clarkson | April 08, 2008, 05:46 PM It has been my long held belief that the travel industry has been missing opportunities by approaching destination content from the wrong direction – assuming people have decided on a specific destination rather than mimicking traditional travel agents and offering counseling in destination decisions. We published a report at the end of last year on this subject called “Online Destination Planning: Influencing Undecided Travel Researchers” that concluded travel Web sites’ destination- and date-based format is inappropriate for a significant proportion of online travel researchers. Enter Orbitz and two new initiatives. The first is myidealbeach.com - a stylish offering that gives guidance on beach destinations, personalized by lifestyle, interests, and hotel options. And today Orbitz announced the introduction of Live Destination Specialists to assist travelers in travel planning. These travel specialists are intensively trained and have spent time in their locations. Travelers will be introduced to the destination specialists with a message appearing during sessions browsing vacation packages in Hawaii and parts of Mexico. Travelers can enter their phone number and have a specialist call them right away to answer questions and offer advice. They say everything old is new again. Live advice with robust online content and booking functionality… at the risk of sounding like a CPG label, sometimes it’s new and improved. |
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