Bing Travel to offer “innovative travel answers”
Published: 05 Jun 2009
Microsoft Corp. has officially announced the consumer availability of a new search destination for travellers in Bing Travel.
Bing Travel is part of Bing, Microsoft’s new decision engine and consumer brand.
Bing Travel (http://www.bing.com/travel) combines many of the airfare and hotel tools from Microsoft’s 2008 acquisition of Farecast with rich news and editorial content from MSN Travel.
Reducing search “time”
According to a recent survey by Bing Travel, 52 percent of potential travellers search three or more sites before booking their airfare. Forty-two percent of travellers spend between one and four weeks weighing their travel options, and 17 percent spend more than one month. Bing Travel aims to dramatically reduce the amount of time consumers spend searching for travel information by presenting comprehensive results in one place, and to help consumers make more informed decisions with tools such as Price Predictor and Rate Indicator.
Some of Bing Travel’s key features include the following:
Deals
The company highlighted that Bing Travel launches at a time when consumers can find significant deals on travel.
The Fareologists at Bing Travel report that this summer -- June through August -- airfare is down 23 percent over this time last year, and similarly premium domestic U.S. hotel rates are down 16 percent on average, and as much as 33 percent in some cities. A recent survey by Bing Travel revealed that 55 percent of Americans plan to take a summer trip. Of those planning to skip a vacation this summer, 59 percent cited the recession or money woes as their chief reason.
“We know that a summer vacation isn’t an option for everyone this year, but for those with even a modest travel budget, it will go a long way this year,” said Joel Grus, Bing Travel Fareologist. “We also encourage people to shift how they think about a summer vacation. Anyone who is creative, flexible and a little savvy can find a trip to fit almost any budget.”
“Most people are still discovering the power and simplicity of meta-search”
“The days of the simple online flight-booking engine are numbered”
Read more: Search Engines
Comments
You must be logged in to post comments.
carefree said on 20 Jul 09:
This is quiet a surprise for me. Even with a modest budget, you can still avail to enjoy and be part of this tour. Grand Canyon Tours from Las Vegas
jollivee said on 2 Jul 09:
This is good news.. Bing Travel site is very user-friendly. Another innovative way from Microsoft. They offer great deals and surprises for us clients. las vegas tours
Kilgore said on 15 Jun 09:
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. I've just gone to the Bing Travel site for the first time and I found that it was quite easy to use and actually provided helpful information quickly. I generally have a negative attitude about anything coming out of Microsoft, but this time they got it right.
I was so impressed that I signed up for email notices of specials from my home airport. Now, listen Microsoft, keep on point. Don't start sending email notices of specials on flights from Minneapolis to Boston -- something one of your competitors was doing until I opted off the mailing list.