bartercard trade dollars

Bartercard Trade Dollars Save Millions on Expenses

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Recently, Bartercard published the first of three articles on the changing face of tourism, and this second article talks about the beneficial cultivation of  direct consumer business.  Direct consumer business can be an effective part of an operator’s sales mix as it offers increased operator control of the total customer experience, allows operators to avoid commissions and is one of the better yielding businesses.

In the era of OTAs (Online Travel Agents), expansion in the direct market hinges on offering the customer additional value over and above the sheer convenience of the OTAs. This additional value is particularly important for repeat customers. Through direct marketing campaigns, operators must personalise their message and offering, promising to meet the unique requirements of specific individuals and offering services not available through OTA channels. Operators must also implement systems to gather and analyse their revenue and customer data, develop customer relationships with previous guests and harness social media as a marketing tool.

For many operators, a combination of direct consumer business, traditional wholesale relationships and OTA bookings will ensure that they trade at good occupancy levels with optimal profitability. Successful operators will focus on achieving the optimal ratio of business and performance across different distribution platforms.

Fast-growing Australian aggregator of closed-user groups, ubookdirect, provides a viable alternative distribution method through a ‘members only’ online travel platform, offering well priced holiday packages with personalised service to corporate members of private closed-user groups. Their system helps hotels distribute excess inventory without diminishing returns from traditional open market sales channels, allowing them to reach new consumers on a ’below-the-line’, password protected platform.

Another alternative distribution channel is IncentiaPay, a quickly expanding group of companies that strategically combines rewards, deals and incentives via multiple transactional platforms in nine countries, linking customers with small and medium sized businesses on a global scale. Although its business spans many industries, IncentiaPay has seen rapid growth in its travel, tourism and leisure divisions.

Bartercard Tourism has hundreds of resort and accommodation members at destinations worldwide that welcome visitors on Bartercard, and accept a cash-alternative currency of Trade Dollars. By spending Bartercard Trade Dollars instead of cash, hotels and resorts have saved millions on expenses from renovations to maintenance and equipment, so for more information on Bartercard for better business results, how Bartercard works, gaining new customers, and improving your cash flow please go to www.bartercard.co.nz .

Bartercard Looking at Latest Trends in Tourism

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Over the next few couple of months Bartercard will be running a series of articles looking at the changing face of tourism in a fast-evolving market, and the rise and rise of Online Travel Agents (OTAs) so if you’re a travel, tourism or hospitality operator, you won’t want to miss these latest trends to shape your view of the industry and stay on top of a constantly shifting market.

Advancements in technology, increased connectivity, relaxing visa requirements and growing disposable income in highly populated emerging markets are among the many contributing factors to a significant increase in growth. While established travel and tourism operators and distributors benefit greatly from the steadily increasing number of travellers, that increase has also attracted new players, innovators and competitors.

In the past, traditional wholesalers often directly contracted for operator products such as flights, accommodation and experiences. However, the entry of Online Travel Agents (OTAs) into the market has had a profound impact on how tourism product is distributed, particularly in the accommodation sector.

OTAs allow operators the flexibility to address peaks and troughs in occupancy or yield at any time. OTAs provide a wealth of analytics and data, instantaneous bookings and customer support for both product merchants and consumers. Initially considered a lesser alternative to traditional distribution methods, OTAs have become a worldwide travel distribution powerhouse, and now comprise an essential part of most accommodation operators’ sales mix.

The effect of OTA platforms on the market is considerable, with some operators experiencing a drastic increase in percentages of bookings acquired via OTAs.

OTAs are now essential for many small and independent operators because they provide online marketing around the clock, offer a global reach into traditionally unavailable markets, and stimulate the impulse market by facilitating spontaneous, short-term buying of travel product. However, recently some operators have been incorporating other methods of distribution, such as direct consumer business, into their sales mix in order to maximise profitability.

Bartercard Tourism has hundreds of resort and accommodation members at destinations worldwide that welcome visitors on Bartercard and accept a cash-alternative currency of Trade Dollars. By spending Bartercard Trade Dollars instead of cash, hotels and resorts have saved millions on expenses from renovations to maintenance and equipment.  For more information on , how does Bartercard work and how to minimize expenses please go to www.bartercard.co.nz .