The planning and booking of a journey can be time-consuming and unnecessary. Meanwhile, online travel management software does the work for you, giving you more time to focus on other things. Using this software, travelers can also view or amend booking details, download required documentation, or make payments, all via the Internet. This article talks about an online travel management system project.
What Is Online Travel Management?
Online travel management is a web-based marketplace that allows consumers to investigate and book travel products and services directly with travel suppliers, such as hotels, flights, cars, tours, cruises, activities, and more.
Online travel management allows you to reach out to potential guests in locations and volumes that would be difficult to reach through your own marketing efforts. Furthermore, online travel management offers market insights as well as tools for targeting travelers, securing and processing bookings, communicating with guests, and managing customer feedback.
What Is an Online Travel Management System?
An online travel management system helps business travelers book, track, and analyze business travel via the Internet. An online travel management system is typically used to refer to a website that offers travel inventory, travel procedures, as well as travel reporting.
What Is The Most Popular Online Travel Agency?
Booking.com is the most popular online travel agency.
Read Also: ONLINE CONSULTANCY: How to Become an Online Consultant(Updated)
Qualities of an Online Travel Management System
When comparing online travel management systems, it’s important to know which features are most essential. Here are some features that can assist you in managing your travel in a safe, effective, and cost-effective manner.
#1. Customize Your Travel Policies
You should be able to customize your in-app travel policy to meet a variety of criteria. Procedures customized for specific travelers (such as C-level or a department that often has to book last-minute flights). Global policies for the lowest possible domestic and international flight costs.
#2. Customize Workflow
What happens if a trip must be booked that is not covered by your policy? Within the forum, your online travel management system should include approval workflows. Similarly, you should be able to select different approvers for different teams and tailor the level of rigor with which trips violate policy.
#3. Extensive Inventory
Access to inventory is as important as policy and approval workflows in helping you maintain travel compliance around the clock. However, if your travel management system does not include low-cost housing and flight carriers, you are missing out on significant cost-saving opportunities. Given that millennials prefer to book on a budget, you’d be wise to make these options available to them.
#4. Review the Statuses of All Trips in One Place
You need to know what’s going on when you’re in charge of booking travel. You require an instant summary so that you can determine which travelers require additional assistance. When you book a trip, you’ll want to keep all of your proofs, itinerary details, cancellation notices, and so on in one place.
#5. Saving Progress Bookings and Collaborating
The ability to book trips collaboratively can come in handy for a number of different use cases. Just like you can save a draft of a report and revisit it later, you should be able to do the same with a trip booking as you would with a report.
#6. Save Traveller Information
It does not have to take two hours to book business travel. When every traveler’s information is saved in an online travel management system (including legal name, travel document country and number, birthday, and so on), it can take much less time—even minutes.
What Are Examples of OTA?
They include:
- Booking.com.
- Expedia.com.
- Hotels.com.
- Agoda.com.
- Priceline.com.
- HRS.com.
- Airbnb.com.
Online Travel Management Software
An online travel management software provides a forum for users to plan, buy, and record travel costs through the Internet. Companies use this software to make buying decisions easier, centralize employee travel expense records, as well as manage corporate travel budgets. Rather than using individual agents or submitting self-purchased receipts to an expense management product, online travel management software provides users with a tool for booking and automatically reporting their travel purchases.
Furthermore, this software improves visibility between managers and employees regarding corporate travel, as well as allows accountants and managers to run reports and repay employees. It also ensures that employee work-related travel is in accordance with company policy.
Benefits of an Online Travel Management Software
A high-quality online travel management software will significantly improve the quality of your operations. It centralizes key data and decision-making around travel—while also allowing for integration with other parts of your business. By organizing everything in one place, you can reduce the room for errors and make the process easier
In addition, good online travel management software will plug into the wider expense report management system. It will ensure that everything is recorded for quality assurance purposes. This simplification also makes a big difference in terms of remittances and reimbursements when required, plus the benefit of better visibility into key travel budgets.
List of Online Travel Management Software
Below is the list of online travel management software
#1. Travelperk
TravelPerk puts the world’s largest travel inventory in one place. Just like the sites you use in your personal life, TravelPerk also brings different airlines, hotels, trains, and more into its dashboard and mobile app. Tracking bookings and producing reports becomes incredibly simple with this app.
#2. Flightfox
Flightfox is also a business travel management software that uses a network of travel experts to help travelers book the perfect experience every time. Rather than having to go into a travel agent’s office, you enter details online. Reviewopedia says it’s not magic; most of the flights and hotel deals are available easily online.
#3. TripActions
TripAction’s best online travel management software is the only all-in-one travel, corporate card, and expense management solution, providing unprecedented visibility and control over spending to 8,800+ customers worldwide. The TripActions’ Liquid, which is trusted by both travel managers and finance teams, uses real-time data to help companies keep traveling employees safe, reduce spending, and drive productivity.
#4. Kayak
Kayak for Business is a free online travel management software search and booking engine that functions in the same way as its consumer platform, Kayak. Users don’t have access to any customer service functions, and all amendments, cancellations, and also, refunds must be processed via the original provider.
#5. Lola.com
Lola.com is an intuitive, agile travel management solution that people actually want to use. The app also allows you to get 24/7 test-based support from live travel experts. Lola has taken the whole process of booking and managing travel down from three days to ten minutes.
Is Airbnb an OTA?
Vacation rental managers would utilize OTAs that specialize in renting temporary housing to travelers. Some well-known OTAs in this category include Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor Rentals, HomeAway, Vrba, Expedia, and FlipKey.
Online Travel Management System Project
The database is the most important part of the online travel management system project. The database contains information on bus, train, and airplane schedules and availability. An online travel management system is a web-based project that allows users to search for and apply for travel services or packages. The system also allows the user to compare various travel destinations and select the best one for themselves.
The software system checks for user selection before querying the database for various available modes of transportation to that destination. The system then loads all of that data and displays the options to the user. This software system automates the work of a travel agency and allows users to check and book their holidays online through this website. When the user chooses the bus, train, or airplane option, the system also allows the user to book tickets to the destination for the desired day and time.
If necessary, another important feature of this project is that the receipt of holiday booking is sent to the user’s mobile phone upon successful booking of his holiday. This is an optional feature that can be included in the project if necessary.
Benefits of Online Travel Management System Project
Below are the benefits of an online travel management system project
- It becomes easy for users to book their travel online instead of visiting an agency.
- Saves time and money.
- Provides a customized view of the journey to users.
- The website is easy and flexible to use.
- Automates the manual booking, payment, and customization process.
Limitations of Online Travel Management System Project
They include the following
- It needs a reliable internet connection.
- It needs a large database.
How Do I Start an Online Travel Business?
Here are useful tips to start an online travel business
- Plan everything in advance.
- Know your niche well.
- Use a host agency.
- Decide on your funding resources.
- Make a branding strategy.
- Take care of legal issues also.
- Hire employees.
- Opt for aggressive advertising.
Who Is the Market Leader in Online Travel?
Leading Public Companies are Airbnb, Booking Holdings, EasyJet, eDreams ODIGEO, Expedia Group, Hilton, Hyatt, MakeMyTrip, Marriott International, and TripAdvisor
Leading Private Companies are Cleartrip, GAdventures, Hays Travel, Intrepid Travel, Trivago NV, and Vietravel
How Do Travel Agencies Make Money?
Generally, leisure travel agencies’ main revenue is from commissions vendors pay on vacation packages, cruises, air, and other add-ons. However, consultation fees and service fees are becoming more common as agencies try to diversify income sources to become less dependent on supplier commissions.
How Do I Become a Travel Agent From Home?
How to Become a Travel Agent from Home
- Develop a Business Plan.
- Consider Travel Agent Training Programs.
- Research the Travel Industry and Successful Travel Agents.
- Identify a Niche Within the Travel Industry.
- Consider a Host Travel Agency.
- Start Your Business or Search for Travel Agency Jobs.
Related Posts
- Online Booking System: Online Travel Booking Tools
- Travel Management System: Definition, Features, Advantages
- Corporate Travel Management Companies: Complete Guide
FAQs on Online Travel Management
Who is the market leader in online travel?
With a market cap of approximately 104.25 billion U.S. dollars, Airbnb ranked first among the leading online travel companies worldwide as of December 2021. Competitors Booking.com, Expedia, and Trip.com followed on the list. Second-ranked Booking.com’s market cap amounted to roughly 98.52 billion U.S. dollars.
How do travel panners make money?
Generally, leisure travel agencies’ main revenue is from commissions vendors pay on vacation packages, cruises, air, and other add-ons. However, consultation fees and service fees are becoming more common as agencies try to diversify income sources to become less dependent on supplier commissions.
How quick can I become a travel agent?
In terms of the training time you need to put in before becoming a fully-fledged travel agent, it depends. You can start your career right after high school, or you can also put in one to four years to earn a certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degree in tourism.