25% of travel bookings to be made online in 2013, says travel transactions firm

A significant portion of the Asia-Pacific travel market in 2013 will be scheduled through online bookings, according to an executive of a leading travel technology and transaction processing firm. Amadeus Asia-Pacific president David Brett said on Monday that the region's travel market could reach $357 billion next year, with as much as 25 percent of it conducted through online bookings. Brett said the region is now ready to realize the full potential of e-commerce platforms. “The use of e-commerce technology is playing an increasingly important role in our customers’ business operations. With our extensive customer portfolio of online customers, including MakeMyTrip, Expedia, and Cleartip, travel agencies can draw on our local knowledge and industry expertise to reap the rewards of e-commerce,” Brett said. The official said aside from increasing revenue through additional sales channels, e-commerce also "cements customer loyalty by allowing 24/7 travel reservations and ticketing.”   Amadeus hosted an e-commerce seminar in Makati City that provided Philippine-based travel agencies with new models on how to have a stronger presence online, to see the opportunities it offers, and to see how they could leverage it to drive revenue and expand their businesses.   After the Philippines, the Amadeus e-commerce seminar will move to Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Taiwan with more countries in the region lined up early next year.   Amadeus has several offices in the Asia-PAcific region. It started its Philippine operations in 1997 and is currently the leading solutions provider of travel agencies in the country. — BM, GMA News