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ClipBlast! to index video content from CompulsiveTraveler.tv

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ClipBlast! will index all current and future video content from CompulsiveTraveler.tv, encompassing professional and user-submitted travel video stories from 65 countries.

Online video figures to play an increasingly important role during the upcoming summer travel season, as recession-wary travelers strive to obtain the most from their travel dollar – especially those keen on the kind of exotic, immersive travel in which CompulsiveTraveler.tv specializes.

In a recent study conducted by AIG Travel Guard, nearly half of all Americans surveyed indicated that they intended to alter their upcoming summer vacation plans in order to save money. According to the Travel Industry Association, 79 million Americans use the Internet when planning travel.

With gas prices going through the roof, everyone’s a budget-conscious traveler.

Originally posted on May 14, 2008 @ 10:46 am

Boston CVB selects Travelocity to power online booking

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The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau announced an agreement with Travelocity Partner Network (TPN) to power their web site booking engine, BostonUSA.com.

Under the terms of the agreement, Travelocity Partner Network will power the booking engine for hotels, with plans to also power air, dynamic packaging and attractions beginning mid-summer. The agreement will make it possible to provide a variety of options for visitors around the world interested in traveling to the greater Boston area.

The Greater Boston CVB is doing a major rebuild of the web site, which will launch in late summer.

Originally posted on April 28, 2008 @ 9:47 am

Iloho launches tool that gives you best airline to take for a route

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iloho.pngIloho, the online tool for travellers, is launching its new flights function, an innovative and unique online database of the world’s airlines, the routes they fly, the services they offer and how they rank with travellers in the know.

Iloho’s flights function offers 360 degree airline and flight information that is easily accessible and quickly navigable. Core route data is augmented by a wealth of service information and user-generated reviews for over seventy of the world’s leading airlines. This data is brought to life by a catalogue of images showing airlines’ on-board and airport amenities, making iloho’s information source as dynamic, original and interactive as possible.

To give the best impression of what it is really like to travel with a certain airline on a specific route, both airlines as a whole and their individual routes are scored. Calculated from user-generated reviews, these scores cover customer service, comfort, in-flight entertainment, food and drink, cabin atmosphere and value for money.* Each of the seventy airlines and every flight has its own detailed information page so it is simple to assess in-depth, route specific information. Expanded user-generated reviews are shown on these flight information pages to give a balanced insight into airlines’ offerings.

Users can search for flights by route, stops and cabin class. Available flights can then be compared against each other, side-by-side, in an array of categories from check-in options to frequent flyer services; results are broken down by class of travel – one airline’s business cabin will not be pitched against another’s economy. The way results are displayed can be tailored according to the priorities of individual passengers by collapsing fields that are not of interest.

Originally posted on April 28, 2008 @ 9:20 am

Study shows today’s generation losing touch with nature on family vacations– Travelocity

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A recent family travel poll conducted by Travelocity revealed that families with children are visiting national parks and other nature sites much less frequently than previous generations. Twenty-five percent of the Silent Generation (born between 1925-1945) report that all of their childhood family vacations included some interaction with nature compared to only 15 percent of families traveling with kids today.

Today’s families take less time to participate in outdoor activities. Instead of hiking, biking and camping, more than twice as many families today focus on activities like shopping than did earlier generations (now 20 percent of family vacations – up from 8 percent during the Silent Generation’s childhood years).

To address what’s being called a nature deficit epidemic, Travelocity launched a “micro-site” offering tips and advice to parents on getting their kids back into nature through travel. The micro-site can be accessed at www.travelocity.com/nature and provides itineraries for nature-oriented family vacations, tips on getting kids excited about nature, and vacation activities for parents and children. The site even features a special tips section from best-selling author Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder).

Travelocity’s poll also found that instead of camping trips, the largest group of respondents (families with kids), frequent major cities (19 percent) and amusement parks (13 percent) as destinations. In contrast, as children the Silent Generation visited major cities 8 percent of the time and amusement parks only 6 percent.

Originally posted on April 26, 2008 @ 6:11 pm

Northwest Airlines unveils fully integrated travel service on nwa.com

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Northwest Airlines announced a complete travel booking tool that allows customers to book car rentals, hotel accommodations and travel insurance, in addition to their flight, all in one easy transaction on nwa.com. WorldPerks members can choose from car and hotel partners, giving them even more ways to earn miles.

Now customers are presented hotel and car rental options as they book their flight, with more than 25,000 hotel properties and six premier car rental companies featured. In May, hundreds of activities and services will be added.

Northwest worked closely with iSeatz, a technology company, to design and implement this new offering that is one of the first of its kind in the travel industry. For customers who have already purchased their airline ticket, they can go back to nwa.com to purchase add-on amenities.

Originally posted on April 22, 2008 @ 11:50 pm