Conference of HEDNA 2005 in Barcelona

Nowadays the tourists prefer to organize their vacations on their own to reduced the prices

Nowadays the tourists prefer to organize their vacations on their own to reduced the prices

30 % of the purchases made by tourists in 2004 include some product of packaging". The 79 % of these travellers elaborated by itself their package, according to Christine Brosnahan, vice-president of Distribution and Reserve Services Department of the Carlson Hotels Worldwide, said in the conference of the Hotels Electronic Distribution Network Association (HEDNA) celebrated in Barcelona from the 8 to the 10 of May.
The tendency for leisure tourists is to organize vacations their own with "Dynamic Packaging", contracting different suppliers as the hotel, the airplane ticket and the car rental.

This tendency is favoured by the existence of a "extensive discounted price offers" in the tourist market, circumstance that " reduces the brand importance", in favour of the best price", as it affirmed Henry h. Harteveldt, vice-president of Forrester Research.

David V. Jones, representative of Amadeus Global Travel Distribution, centred its intervention in the "Challenge of the Multi-channel ", when considering that the wide existence of direct channels (hotel websites, Central Booking Departments, or Call Centre) and indirect (On Line Travel agencies, Tour operators, traditional travel agencies, etc) requires a unification of prices and channels, "because although 43% of the hotels assure that they offer the lowest price, big variations are appraised among them" (Source: Global Distribution Hotel).

As actions to resolve the "distortion " that lives between the offers, Jones proposes "to make available the prices and availability in real time for the client ", besides "to contribute customized solutions to cover the necessities of each channel".

Personalization

Besides, the person in charge of Amadeus said that the 39% of the business travellers from US were not recognised as frequent customers by their preferred hotel. In this way, the 16% of them, who were recognised like frequent customers by their hotel, did not receive special offers (Survey by Accenture). Harteveldt shared the need of initiating some personalized activities depending on the tourist features, due to there are significant differences depending on the country, language or age of the customer.

The technology investment is one of the facts which is recognized like an essential requirement to assume new trends, said the Sabre Labs director, Tony Brice. On the other hand, Henry h. Harteveldt emphasized the growing of the metasearch engines, where Google and Yahoo dominate their usage. This situation directs the enterprises to get partnership for distributed vertical search, Brice declared.

HEDNA, a institution were executives and directors from the 200 most influential businesses in the sector of the distribution of hotels participate, pursues to increase the incomes derived from the electronic hotel distribution which makes it necessary to optimize and get to know the use of the new technologies.

Travel Asia: Festivities and FunJean Sutherland

Travel Asia: Festivities and Fun

Are you planning to travel to Asia within the next year, and are looking for some fun festivities to attend? Well, look no further weve researched some of the more incredible Asian festivals for you to check out during your travels.

Travel Asia: Pulilan Carabao Festival

Youll probably never see a water buffalo adorned quite like this! If you travel to Pulilan in the second week of May, youll witness the homage to the patron saint of farmers, San Isidro Labrador. Families take their prized water buffalos, scrape away the dirt, shave them, anoint them in oils, and then parade them around the city square dressed as kings. The priests of the Asian city then kneel and ask the buffalos to bless them, promising health and good wishes for the upcoming year to all, including visiting travelers.

Travel Asia: Parade of the God of Medicine

On the 15th day of the third lunar month, the city of Taiwan is taken over by this world-renowned Asian festivity a must for travelers in the area because of its spectacular parade. At the nucleus of the 160 temple celebration are Pao Sheng in Taipei and the Temple of Ching Tzu in Hseuhchia. Spearheaded by a group called the Centipedes, worshippers attending the city-wide parade throw themselves on the ground to be stepped upon, as a symbolic exorcising of their demons.

Travel Asia: Yasothon Rocket Festival

In the middle of May, things get very noisy for Asian travelers to the Phaya Thaen Park in Thailand. Historically, the festival started as an offering to the gods of the sky, exploding beautiful rockets to encourage rainfall for rice crop growth. Nowadays, event has become something more of a sport, with competitions to see whose rocket can fly the farthest, and whose explodes the most.

Travel Asia: Asakusa Samba

Toykos version of the Rio Carnaval happens every August, in the Asakusa district. Travelers to Asia and natives alike are amazed by the colorful sequined costumes and feathers of the dancing Samba girls, along with their full bands marching down the street alongside them.

Travel Asia: The Festival of the Hungry Ghosts

Hong Kong hosts this unusual yearly event, held on the 14th day of the seventh moon (sometime in August, during a full moon). Legend says that the gates of Hades were opened on this day, and the dead who cannot rest were left to run the streets mischievously. The Yue Lan Festival, as it is known in Chinese, has natives of the city putting up odd paper monuments all over the streets, which are then ceremoniously burned on the last day.

Travel Asia: The Monkey God Festival

The Monkey God first appeared in Chinese literature during the Ming Dynasty in the book, Pilgrims to the West. Since then, this deity has been celebrated during the month of September at Kowloons Sau Mau Ping Temple, by recreating a bizarre attempted execution by other the other gods which includes such things as a ladder of knives, and charcoal set on fire. Travelers to this strange Asian celebration need not be concerned, though the Monkey God lived, and so do the participants in this celebration.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jean Sutherland has worked in the travel industry for over 10 years and has a website dedicated to resort spas and day spas.
http://www.spasoftheworld.com / http://www.dayspalady.com