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BookIt’s accommodation suppliers can now find themselves squarely on the map with the recently re-launched Yellow™ Maps website.
Under a deal announced in May, BookIt provides live feeds of room rates and availability within a new dedicated accommodation search feature on Yellow™ Maps. Visitors to the website are able to search, locate, compare and book from a range of available options.
“The partnership with BookIt is a great fit for us”, explains Campbell Brown, Senior Product Manager for Yellow’s Digital Media team. “Yellow Maps is a key component of our digital strategy and providing accommodation search is a natural progression for this site. Along with the fundamentals like maps, driving directions, and business listings we needed the best possible solution for accommodation search. With the BookIt solution we are able to directly access the data that we need and present this on a map specific to the user’s requirements.
“BookIt’s software also gives us a full, out of the box, online booking engine that we can plug directly into the Yellow Maps website. “
In collaboration with Auckland-based Marker studio, Yellow have now launched an improved version of the Yellow Maps website.
“The move to the new design is a direct response to client feedback.” explains Mr Brown. “Visitors wanted more map space, less clutter and the ability to simply display the map on its own. This also means that we have far greater space for displaying our key content from partners such as BookIt’s ever expanding accommodation inventory, which is fast becoming a prominent feature on Yellow Maps™. “
“We are also looking at plans to expand the booking technology developed with BookIt into other Yellow™ sites in the not too distant future.”
New Zealand accommodation operators seeking a free listing on the Yellow Maps™ website can register online at www.bookit.co.nz.
The main objective of the E Tourism Conference is to create awareness, educate and update the travel industry with the latest e-travel strategies. This will enable tourism providers to achieve maximum return on their advertising investment and teach them how to do this effectively in the minimum time necessary.
Andrew and I are really looking forward to meeting delegates and fellow exhibitors at the conference. It will be a great chance to catch up and we'll have demos of the booking engine available from our booth. If you are attending the conference and would like to arrange an appointment please contact ryan@bookit.co.nz. Otherwise feel free to play it by ear and come and see us any time that works for you.
For more information on the conference, or to book conference accommodation (powered by BookIt of course!), visit www.etourismnz.com.
We all know that real-time confirmation of bookings is a "must have" feature for both customers and operators. But did you know that BookIt can provide a real-time link to the leading channel managers and Property Management Systems in New Zealand?
A real-time link via a channel manager is a great way of giving customers an instant confirmation, saves you time and prevents double booking situations.
We've been working hard to connect BookIt to as many channel managers as possible and we are pleased to say that we now work with the following:
We are also building links to the systems below and will make an announcement as soon as these are ready:
- ChannelDirect
- Availability
- SmartFX
In a media release yesterday, the Ministry of Tourism Research have confirmed that New Zealand travellers are increasingly using the internet to book more than just accommodation. The report comes as a result of the latest Regional Visitor Monitor (RVM) survey.
“We’re seeing a real trend to domestic travel being booked online across a range of travel purchases,” said Bruce Bassett, Ministry of Tourism Research Manager.
Mr Bassett said that these findings show that tourism operators in all areas of the industry needed to get their inventory web-ready and keep their web content fresh and relevant.
“This data sends a clear message to operators that domestic travellers, who account for 56% of tourism spend in New Zealand, are expecting to be able to plan and book as much as they can online. It’s important for operators to make sure their website meets this expectation.”
If it is not done well, online bookings can be a complicated, costly & unproductive exercise. The really good news for NZ tourism operators, is that BookIt makes online bookings easy and accessible for everyone. Since 1999 we have been building online booking systems for the travel and tourism industry and for over 5 years we have packaged this knowledge into our BookIt online booking engine.
With clients that range from NZ's largest tourism organisations and RTO's, through to family run B&B's, BookIt can plug into your website for FREE to capture this growth in online booking activity.
Contact us, or register for free today!
BookIt suppliers will soon find themselves squarely on the map with the announcement by Yellow™ that it has chosen BookIt to deliver live rates and booking functionality for the recently re-launched Yellow™ Maps site.
"We are delighted to have been selected", explains Ryan Baker, Director of BookIt Ltd. "The team at Yellow evaluated the different options available to them, and we were always confident that BookIt was the right solution."
Working with Auckland based Marker Studio, BookIt will provide live feeds of product rates and bookings availability within a new dedicated accommodation search feature on Yellow™ Maps. Visitors to the new website will be able to search, locate, compare and book from a range of available options.
Campbell Brown, Senior Product Manager for Yellow’s Digital Media team, will head up the project.
“The partnership with BookIt is a great fit for us”, explains Campbell. “Yellow Maps is a key component of our digital strategy and providing accommodation search is a natural progression for this site. Along with the fundamentals like maps, driving directions, and business listings we needed the best possible solution for accommodation search. With the BookIt solution we are able to directly access the data that we need and present this on a map specific to the user’s requirements.
“BookIt’s software also gives us a full, out of the box, online booking engine that we can plug directly into the Yellow Maps website.“
If you are a tourism operator and have not yet signed up for a free BookIt account, we have a simple piece of advice for you, do it now! Any operator, large or small, whether accommodation, transport or activity, can register with BookIt and have their products advertised on a range of leading travel websites, soon to include Yellow™ Maps.
The new look Yellow™ Maps site launched on April 10th 2009 with another release that will include the BookIt function set for mid June 2009.
APPLICATIONS FOR THIS POSITION ARE NOW CLOSED
We are seeking an experienced, junior to intermediate .Net developer to join our Dunedin team. This is an excellent opportunity to work as part of one of New Zealand's most innovative IT companies in an exciting and fast growing Software as a Service (SaaS) application team.
This is a challenging role and you will need to be well organised and have a strong sense of initiative. You will be able to demonstrate the following abilities:
• ASP.Net, C#, .Net Web Services & SQL Server databases
• A well rounded knowledge of general web technologies such as HTML, CSS & XML
• Object oriented programming and multi-tier application development
• Excellent communication, both verbal and written
• Time management skills and an ability to work to deadlines and work unsupervised
Experience in the following areas is also an advantage:
• SQL Reporting Services
• Knowledge of the travel and tourism industry
• Production e-commerce and financial systems
• Requirements engineering and experience with the full SDLC
This is a perfect role for a first-rate software engineer who is looking for a chance to grow to the top of their field. You will be working in a development capacity and contributing to the development of high profile, high volume e-commerce systems for a range of clients including some of New Zealand's largest organisations.
If you know you've got what it takes, send your CV and covering letter to ryan@bookit.co.nz.
You must be eligible to work in NZ to apply for this role.
In this newsletter:
- BookIt named finalist in NZ hi-tech awards
- WellingtonNZ.com take online bookings to a new level with BookIt
- Winter bookings kicking in early this year
- Enhancements to the BookIt system
- Feedback from travellers
- Welcome to over 200 new members
Read the March 2009 newsletter
The fourth annual Fraud Awareness Week was kicked off earlier this month with a speech by Hon Heather Roy, Minister Of Consumer Affairs at the Trade Me offices in Wellington.
Fraud Awareness Week is run in New Zealand by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Commerce Commission as part of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce - a group of 19 Australian and New Zealand government agencies. The Taskforce works together to reduce the incidence and impact of frauds and scams and, each year, co-ordinates an information campaign for consumers timed to coincide with other global consumer fraud prevention activities.
In the world of online bookings, attempted fraud is an unfortunate inevitability. But don't worry, we've got your back. The team at BookIt have intercepted a number of fraud attempts over the past few years successfully preventing any losses on behalf of our customers.
The most common scam is for a fraudster to make a large booking using a stolen credit card. Shortly after making the booking, they will ask for a full refund to be made, either to another credit card, or via an international transfer service such as Western Union. It is very important to never process a refund to another credit card or via Western Union. All refunds should go through the BookIt system and will automatically be processed back to the original credit card.
If you receive a booking that looks suspicious, don't hesitate to contact us immediately. We have a number of measures in place to detect and avoid internet fraud and are here to help.
For more information visit http://www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/scamwatch. SCAMwatch is an information service provided by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
With an ongoing focus to both market and sell New Zealand's ultimate urban destination online, Positively Wellington Tourism recently launched new booking capability on the WellingtonNZ.com website using the BookIt system. This allows visitors to easily compare a range of instantly bookable accommodation and activities, including up-to-the-minute rates and availability.
Jamie Crump, New Zealand Marketing Manager at Positively Wellington Tourism, explains: "In addition to providing a significantly improved booking experience for visitors, the BookIt system includes a user-friendly back-end for our tour, attraction and hotel partners to manage inventory and bookings. Using BookIt we are also able to offer prompt and flexible payment terms to our suppliers. The feedback so far has been excellent."
In the first few weeks since going live with BookIt, Positively Wellington Tourism has already seen an increase in booking numbers when compared to their previous booking function. This is set to grow with the addition of cross-selling and travel packages to the website.
"The setup for our website couldn't have been easier and the results speak for themselves. The admin tools in BookIt are so easy to use and we now have access to lots of reports to monitor results and use. We are already working on some exciting new ideas for the booking features on our website." explains Megan Leith, Online Development Coordinator at Positively Wellington Tourism.
An important feature for Positively Wellington Tourism was BookIt's integration with various channel managers. The booking functions - including calendars of live rates and availability - are all fully integrated into WellingtonNZ.com using web services. Within 10 minutes of launch, operators were receiving bookings and in the first few weeks 91% of all bookings had been confirmed instantly. We are looking forward to working with the team at Positively Wellington Tourism to build on this great start.
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