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Kuoni to launch online booking technology for tailor-made holidays
Kuoni is launching technology this summer which it claims will allow customers to book long-haul tailor-made trips online.
It is the second time the operator has launched online bookings for its tailor-made holidays, but the first attempt – under the leadership of former MD Sue Biggs – failed and was withdrawn.
Managing director Derek Jones said this time the operator had taken a different approach, allowing customers to narrow down their holiday choices in a simple, formatted way.
He said the new service, yet to be named, would be launched end of June or early July and would likely start with a selected number of destinations.
It has been designed to appeal to a new generation of customers who might currently be struggling to book their own holidays online, rather than to existing customers who tend to begin their research online but make the final decisions with the help of a Kuoni expert travel advisor.
Meanwhile, Kuoni continues to open retail stores across the UK. A store opened at Peter Jones, Sloane Square in London on Friday and the operator’s 50th store will open in John Lewis White City on March 20.
It is also planning to open further stores in partnership with a travel agency but did not disclose which one.
Research commissioned by Kuoni earlier this year found 79% of people feel overwhelmed by the amount of information they get online before booking a holiday.
Just under half (49%) strongly agree that travel planning has become more of a headache than an enjoyable part of the holiday and 52% said they are unsure which online sites, reviews and data to trust when booking a holiday.
The survey found 59% prefer real advice from trusted experts when booking a holiday.
Kuoni is focusing on the expertise of its travel advisors in its marketing campaign this year.
For the first time in five years it is not investing in TV advertising but is using other types of media to share the message that its experts have tried and tested destinations.
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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