Comtec to launch a consumer site
Travel technology provider Comtec is poised to launch a consumer website at travel.co.uk.
The website will act as a travel comparison site and drive traffic to suppliers websites.
About 40 tour operators are featured on the site as well as charter and low-cost airlines and a small number of bedbanks.
According to Comtec e-commerce director Ed Whiting the company is not planning to invest in marketing the site at this stage.
“The URL naturally gets a certain amount of visitors a day and we have no plans to pay to compete with our customers,” he said.
Comtec is also setting up a virtual travel.co.uk shop within 3-D virtual world Second Life. The technology company has created an exhibition hall within Second Life promoting the suppliers on the website.
According to Whiting, Second Life has more than five million users worldwide of which about 18% are UK based.
“It’s 18 to 40 year olds and it’s growing rapidly. We plan to enhance the exhibition hall and carry out promotions such as parties within Second Life for the residents.”
Whiting is also keen to talk to suppliers about potential revenue and promotional opportunities on the site.
“We have had the URL for 10 years and done nothing with it so we thought we would switch it on and provide free traffic to our suppliers. We will work out a revenue stream in time.”
By Linda Fox
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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