Entrepreneur: The Myths and Realities of Internet Travel
Online travel booking has become a commodity business. How do you decide which of many competing players to use? Do you go direct to online airline, hotel and car rental sites, use online travel agencies or stick with traditional bricks-and-mortar agencies?
“These days, it’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing a catchy ad with a traveling gnome or a hovercraft, extolling the benefits of booking travel online. When ads become as ubiquitous as new car and beer commercials, you know what’s being sold has become a commodity. It’s time to dig deeper, but cutting through the clutter is difficult. As with most facets of the internet, information is everywhere, but knowledge is scarce.
As one might expect, the airlines want you to book your travel directly on their proprietary websites. Online travel agencies up the ante and claim to guarantee the lowest fares and hotel rates. Traditional brick-and-mortar travel agencies still exist too, and they want to help you manage your business travel account.”