Online Travel Agencies: Time for Creative Marketing

Diane Clarkson | July 02, 2008, 01:55 PM

These may not be easy times for online travel agency marketers, but they are certainly creative times.

Priceline announced today that they are lowering hotel booking fees and eliminating change and cancellation fees.

Last month, Orbitz launched its Price Assurance program to give passengers cash back if another traveler books the same flight itinerary at a lower rate.

Expedia is offering $50 in free gas to travelers booking three or more nights on its site in a MasterCard cross-promotion.
According to BusinessWeek, May saw an 8% increase in visitors to online travel agencies which is consistent with price-sensitive comparison shoppers.

This figure doesn’t tell where travelers purchased.

At this point, it is too early to tell is dipping into their margins will pay off.

But, as a marketer told me last week at the Eye For Travel Marketing conference in Chicago, “It’s not easy. But I’d rather be trying to sell travel than Fords.”