Imagine Holidays has launched a new website that allows consumers to select their departure city, desired date of departure, length of holiday and destination and receive a selection of packages that suit their criteria, with live pricing and availability.
According to a statement issued by Imagine Holidays, the site draws on API feeds in to key travel suppliers’ systems to generate the travel options.
Once the consumer finds the package they are interested in, they can call Imagine Holidays to book the package on their behalf.
“This unique new website empowers South Africans to make holiday selections based on their exact preferences. It does not, as is the case with other holiday websites in South Africa, force consumers to buy a range of products, destinations and dates that the travel agency has selected for them and packaged up on their behalf,” says managing director Robin Deller.
“The new Imagine Holidays site shows consumers what’s possible – the top-selling destination and packages we’re offering – but also takes their holiday decisions to the next level, allowing them to search for and build the holiday package that best suits their destination desires, date of travel, length of stay and facilities,” adds Robin
Garth James, owner of Buchanan Execu Travel, believes this guides the traveller to do their own bookings. “As a business owner in travel, it [feels like] another way for people to move from their agents to do it themselves. I don’t have hard feelings but can’t say it makes me excited for the future of the travel industry,” he says.
What do you think about consumers being given the tools to build their own packages? Post your comments below or let us know by voting in our TNW poll of ETNW’s home page.
