Competition Analysis

New Media EntrepreneurshipTravel Group

Business Team

New Media EntrepreneurshipTravel Group

Business Team

Overview of Travel Industry Generally two groups of travel websites: ones that aim

to sell travelers trip packages and ones that aim to give travelers location information

The trip-package side is more for convenience, while the information side is more for enriching travel experience

The trip-package side feels more commercial, while the information side feels more personal and intimate

The best sites are those that combine both (Lonely Planet)

Navigation is usually easy, but pages can become cluttered with repetitive information

The best community features are those that allow users to write in forums, as well as share pictures, videos, lists of itinerary, map mashups, through multimedia means

User registeration preferred though not required Most make money through advertising, some also

through selling print guide books

Expedia Mainly a website for searching and purchasing

travel packages Allows features such as booking flights, hotels,

rental cars, cruises, and business travel “Indiana Jones Experiences” gives recommended

itinerary through the main tourist sites Makes money mainly through advertising, but also

affiliates, co-brand, and print label

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Expedia Rather easy to navigate through the site, with the

tabs on the top indicating transportation models Powerful search engine allows one to find the best

deals on any flight/cruise from all locations using all modes of transport

User can register or log in as guest to create own travel itinerary

No community features--the descriptions of the tourist sites provided by the site staff

Some material on the individual sites repeat themselves

The disorganized advertisement banner placements gives a feel of commercial site rather than personal travel community

“Over 20 billion in annual gross bookings” Gross profit as of 2008 grew 25% as compared to

2007

Lonely Planet Similar to Expedia but with added features Community features include the Thorn Tree Travel

Forum, a forum on which members share travel tips

Encourage users to register The Bluelist is a travel list created by users on the

most interesting places in a certain country Video section allows users to upload videos of their

travels--works just like Youtube

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Lonely Planet Uses top navigation bar with sub navigation bar

upon roaming; rather easy navigation throughout the site

Organized by destination, flight bookings, print travel guides, and hotels

Less emphasis on selling travel packages than presenting travel location (convenience vs. content)

The Travel Stories section uses mainly Lonely Planet writers to write reviews

Also includes travel blogs written by mainly users to share travel experiences

Allows users to share photos and videos through RSS feeds and through podcasts

Users can search for other users’ travel stories by destination or by author

Other interactive features include map mashups that allow different users to contribute reviews

Lonely Planet Cons are that sometimes the video section, the

Bluelist Section, the Travel Stories, and the Thorn Tree forum section overlap

Also the combination of user-generated content and Lonely Planet writers’ content can be confusing. Not enough aggregated content from other sites (ex. Current news of the country)

Makes money through advertisement banners, travel guide books, Lonely Planet TV, affiliations, and supporting charity organizations worldwide

Offers many different jobs including freelance writer, editor, photographer, etc.

Also advocates responsible traveling by providing tips on safe and environmentally-aware traveling

Fodor’s Provides information on destination, hotels,

restaurants, cruises, tours and itinerary The Travel News section comprises of staff reviews

of the selected locations and restaurants The Talk section is a travel-based forum which

looks rather amateurish The Book It link leads to the Expedia’s main page

to search for good deals on travel packages

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Fodor’s Travel News section also includes tips on traveling,

as well as photo contests which interact with users Barely any community features except for the Talk

forum, clicking on user’s name just shows all his comments

Overall rather easy to navigate around the site Allows users to rate the restaurants and

attractions like other travel sites Also aims to sell their travel books online

Claims to have up-to-date information on 300 destinations around the world

Also claims to attract 1.5 million unique visitors every month

Frommer’s Also mainly a travel website to sell good deals on

travel packages, but with more customer information

Allows users to find destinations, hotels, and book trips

Also includes trip ideas searchable by activities (cruise, airline, road trip, etc) and lifestyles (honeymoon, single, student, etc.)

Also includes travel tips such as going through foreign airports and travel safety, written by staff

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Frommer’s Frommer’s “Tips and Tools” page offers a good

collection of tools such as calendar of world events, cultural customs, entry requirements (passport and visa), money exchange details, packing tips, and insurance and health concerns

Also includes interactive maps

Community features include the Travel Talks forum, organized by boards of different topics

Clicking on user’s name shows all his contributions

Makes money through advertising, content licensing, affiliate program, as well as guidebook selling and advertising

Also booking partners with third party commerce companies in links