Sunvil invests in online affiliate marketing site

Tuesday, 16 Jan, 2009 0

Map-based online brochure and holiday search directory Travelwhere (www.travelwhere.co.uk) is being relaunched with investment from Sunvil Holidays.

Travelwhere aims to become a major affiliate marketing partner for operators following the trade investment from Sunvil.

Founder Ian Champness, former marketing director of FSS Travel & Leisure Systems, the reservations system developer acquired by Anite, said the Travelwhere website had been re-designed and its online marketing solutions refined.

Sunvil managing director Noel Josephides said: “We can see how affiliate marketing as a distribution channel should appeal to tour operators as we all recognise the need to find new and effective distribution channels that can reduce the cost of sale, or improve the booking conversion.”

“We recognise the power of the internet, but we don’t like price comparison sites, because we believe you cannot compare specialist products from specialist operators.

“But we can see the attraction to the consumer of a one-stop travel portal that aggregates operators brochures by holiday and accommodation types, destination countries and regions, and we like the ability that consumers or travel agents can open and view the brochure online, instantly, because that’s what the consumer and travel agents want and expect in this digital age.

“Travelwhere’s page-turning e-brochures are easy to view online, and they could save us a fortune in print, postage and fulfilment costs. And they’re green.”

Josephides added: “I’ve always said to Ian that we want consumers to call our reservations department because our staff has expert product knowledge, and I know their conversion skills give us exceptional conversion success.

“Finding a new client acquisition media at a lower cost than that of direct display advertising is what we want, and both the online referrals and the Linkline call an expert features within Travelwhere website and propositions are affordable, attractive and compelling.

“There are numbers of other distribution developments that Ian is working on for both the direct market and agent travel market, so we consider our early stage investment could have an exciting upside.”

Champness said: “Affiliate marketing ‘travel specific’ websites like Travelwhere.co.uk could become an alternative and lower cost distribution and marketing channel for tour operators as the role of the intermediary continues to change,” he said.

He added: “We have no desire and see no room in the market place to become another online travel agent.

“The space is already very crowded and well served, not to mention the bonding and regulatory requirements.

“But we do see a role for travel specific affiliate web partners and we agree with the forecasts that suggest 20% of all travel bookings will be introduced through affiliate partners in the next two years.

“We offer operators online brochure promotion, page-turning brochure presentation and a ‘green’ internet brochure distribution solution, as an all–in-one low cost and no disruption affiliate marketing package.

“Most of the 100,000 UK based affiliate websites primarily just add banners and links to their websites to drive incremental referrals to a multiplicity of merchants and principals’ websites, through the various affiliate network providers.”

by Phil Davies

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Phil Davies

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