TDS’ new computer distribution system set to revolutionise travel and tourism

Norm Collins CEO of Melbourne based Travel Distribution Systems Pty Ltd (TDS), who this week has announced that the company is about to release a new computer distribution system, ARENAâ„¢ as a service to members of the Travel and Tourism Industry worldwide, spoke to The Mole today and said, “ARENAâ„¢ will without doubt revolutionise the travel industry and in particular technology and the cost of technology to both travel and tourism sectors.”

He added, “ARENA™ is dynamic web application has been developed to consolidate reservation services and reduce distribution and operational costs for industry members and I have met with a range of thought and industry leaders over recent months and they are “rapped” by ARENA and it is them saying that it will revolutionise the industry, not me!

He said, “What is unique about ARENAâ„¢ is that it consolidates all reservation types through one system and for example, this means that the suppliers can enter their inventor through our inventory management system or XML feed, so this means that it is similar to an GDS and when a consultant looks up a tour they can get an instant comparison of a tour form different suppliers.” 

“Also in a GDS you get range off flights and it is the same for this, but say with Claypso net you have to go into several but with ARENAâ„¢ it is all in front of you and you do not have to swap screens.”

“Another thing about ARENA™ is that it uses the full facilities of Web 2.0, including Ajax which is the dynamic part of the system so when someone is searching for hotel and by letter and say it was the letter “a”, ARENA™ will initially give you all the hotels beginning with “a”, then as you enter more information and letters, it will repopulate and refine the search, with the more that you put in the more it hones down the searching, which is known as dynamic searching, which is amazing to watch and a great time saving and effectiveness tool.

“ARENAâ„¢ also does not look like a regular web application and this is because of the dynamic side of it and it is much smarter than anything else out there, having been designed right now using the latest technologies, as a dedicated reservation system, which makes sure it is right up to date and we have built in very significant scalability and the ability to take on new technology and developments.”  “Most GDS’ were designed and built a number of year ago when technology was way behind where it is today”. 

“Another key aspect of our business models is that we have made a commitment to only deal with the trade.”

“ARENA™’s leading edge technology also very effectively and without hassle, manages the relationship between the supplier and agent so if you have negotiated rates with the supplier or wholesaler, for whatever reason, when you log in, ARENA™ knows you and as a result, you get the best rates, if that is your negotiated rate or not.”

“On the cost side, we made a decision to make ARENA™ free of charge to the agents, but of course somebody has to pay, so we turned the process on its head and the transaction fee is charged to the supplier per transaction, but it is very low indeed.”

“This also opens up the opportunity for smaller suppliers to get into a GDS with previously the costs of getting into a traditional GDS too high for small operators.”   â€œThis opens up the world to suppliers and that is why we stress that we are opening up the to world for travel and tourism.”

“ARENAâ„¢ also opens up lot of opportunities for agents to be more specialised, offering more niche products and they do not have to jump all over internet to source product, because at the touch of a button you can go from car rental to flights and to hotels and more – and here’s the big one, ARENAâ„¢ consolidates everything into one SUPER PNR.”

“ARENA™One is a derivative of ARENA™ and is really the same application but the subtle difference is that the end user cannot see the inventory in a distribution system.”

“ARENAâ„¢ can also be configured to provide in-house reservations and is web based, fully managed, with no software to buy, providing a highly cost effective alternative for companies seeking a new in-house reservation system.  TDS manages the system for the agent and supplier, with very high security between agents suppliers and for transactions.“

I asked Norm if the traditional GDS’ see ARENAâ„¢ as threat?”

“I have spoken with range of them and we have had the odd run in but at the end of the day the market will decide which way they want to go.”  The GDS’ are probably saying we will look and see and perhaps they simply think that we are small to bother with!”

On the airline side we only have Virgin Blue on line at the moment, with many more coming on line as we move forward, but we are also talking with some of the traditional GDS’ about integration with them, in terms of distributing their products which at the end of the day is win/win for all, but in reality, will that happen?…………I think not.”   

ARENAâ„¢ launches in November and both suppliers and retailers can now register for free access to the system at TDS’ website, www.tdsworld.com where you can learn more about this comprehensive system.

For further information contact: Travel Distribution Systems Pty Ltd, Tel: (03) 9874 2280, eMail: [email protected], w: www.tdsworld.com.

A Report by The Mole