University of Mandalay

Diploma in Tourism Studies and Management

Online Travel Agent (OTA)

Shein Min Thu

DTSM-64
(2018-2019)
 Table of Contents

Acknowledgement

Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 object of the study 1
Chapter 2 About OTA 2
2.1 What is an OTAs? 2
2.2 How do they work? 2
Chapter 3 Online Booking Trending 3

Chapter 4 Advantages of booking on online travel portal 4

Chapter 5 Importance of Technology for Hotels 5

Chapter 6 Conclusion 6

Reference
Tables and Appendixes
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

The history of internet dates back 1950 and 1960s with the development of computers. In its relative
short life, it has helped spawn a number of business , one of it is Online Travel Agent(OLTA).It has
turned traveler’s requirement into “One Stop Shops” for all our travel needs. The Online travel
industry does not have an exact starting date. But we can say that over the past five years, the views
and trends of the customers have changed towards their travel bookings. The traditional “brick and
mortar “ was changing into the online travel booking. Instead of the travel agents working on their
trips, the travelers wanted to book and view their trip plan themselves. The travelers wanted to view
the rates themselves. Travel portal is highly integrated booking engine connecting travel &
hospitality industry suppliers with the buyers integrated form into single screen. The online travel
portal integrates with GDS/CRS (Global Distribution System) and Non GDS suppliers like direct
integration with Airline, Hotel, Bus Railways Insurance companies and other travel service suppliers.
The Travel Portal provides online booking facilities to customers or end users visiting their website.
1.1 Objectives of the study
The primary objectives of the study include
 To find the awareness level of online hotel booking platform for holiday planning.
 To determine the level of satisfaction through online hotel booking.
 To study the impact of digital technology towards online hotel booking.
 To study whether the online users of hotel booking applications are inclined towards the share
economy or budgeted accommodation.
 CHAPTER 2
ABOUT OTA

2.1 What is an OTAs?

OTAs, or online travel agencies, are companies such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline,
Booking.com, etc. They are wellknown for selling airlines, hotel stays, and rental cars online. Now
it’s time for our sector of travel: Tours, Activities & Attractions. The most well-known brands are
companies such as TripAdvisor Experiences (which includes Viator), Expedia Local Expert,
GetYourGuide, Musement, Klook and Tiqets. But there are many others. Airbnb is also allowing
some tour and activity operators to list as an Airbnb Experience. Groupon is another major online
seller. There are also many OTAs that specialize in some international markets, such as Ctrip in
China, Veltra and Voyagin in Japan, and Civitatis in Spain.
2.2 How do they work?
Like most business innovations, OTAs were initially launched to solve a specific problem: how to
distribute excess hotel inventory. Over time, OTAs have evolved to become electronic marketplaces
that use technology to connect customer demand with accommodation supply. In other words, OTAs
are more technology platforms than travel companies.

As mode 1 providers, OTAs provide services both to customers (e.g., real-time comparison pricing,
global product offerings, peer reviews) and to suppliers (such as marketing, secure payment services,
data analytics) across geographic boundaries. Like other online platforms (Google, Baidu, Amazon,
Taobao . . .) they offer their users benefits at unprecedented scale. They operate at the intersection of
traditional trade services (tourism and travel) and the rapidly evolving e-commerce industry.
 CHAPTER 3
ONLINE BOOKING TRENDING

Technology is advancing rapidly and people are turning to be more net savvy. The hospitality
industry has been largely affected by this development in technology. Bookings are being made
easier by online tools that allow travelers to book their stay and plan their travel in an easy way,
hence, saving time and energy. People are becoming more comfortable with online booking sites.
The hospitality industry has seen a great demand of Online Travel Agents (OTAs) that provide a
onestop shop for booking the travelers’ holiday. Prominent hotels have started opting for
management software tools that handle their data through a booking widget which helps them
increase productivity, improve cost efficiency and manage their operations in an effortless manner
 CHAPTER 4
ADVANTAGES OF BOOKING ON ONLINE TRAVEL PORTAL.

Main important thing is convenience if you are going to book hotel rooms, air or car rental, you can
book any time at home or office with the help of your smart phone or tablet. It’s very easy for
travelers to update or cancel online booking, many sites providing bookings with no cancellation
fees, free online changes. Client Reviews before you finalize Booking another advantage of booking
online is to check out past clients reviews of hotels, restaurant and flights, TripAdvisor is great place
to read client reviews for all your needs like flights, hotels, tours and activities, restaurants,
transportation etc. With the help of travel sites, you can check prices, some unbeatable offers. Use
your network important to go through reviews or get in touch with friends over there, Before
reservation or making your travel plans. You need to focus on certain factors while choosing your
Dream Vacation and ensure that you select flights and dates well in advance to get some good deals.
All you need to do is reserve an airline ticket, one night stay in hotel, rental car so online booking is
the best and easy way to do it. You will get speed and flexibility if you are individual traveler, family
or small group. Online websites many times offer last minute deals, special offers and website links
to get passport, insurance, weather status with the extra feature of social networking. A faster
Booking Process if you’re a regular customer, you may get better rooms, making changes to your
booking is easier and you can get advantage of points if you are a member of hotel traveller program.
You can book favorite hotel before you reach at your destination, it will make you relaxed. Secondly,
you can have safe and secure online transactions. There are many travel portals available to provide
you the best offers and deals, so this has increased the competition and we are getting advantage of
it. You will get best prices in flights as compared to the travel agency who charge their commission
on the booking as well. You can easily check the status of flights and seats that are available, you can
contact to support team if you have any query related to bookings. Another benefit in favour of
online booking is that secure payment process with your credit card, credit card payment option is
safe and secure to pay online. Online travel companies are coming with great services to stay in
business by providing Amazing travel deals to Customers, websites will pass discounts to clients and
as a output, the customer gets cheaper hotel deals, flights, transportation etc. if you compare with
agency. There is great opportunity to comparing the prices of travel portals and various travel
booking websites, you may also check different packages, special deals which is offered by them.
 CHAPTER 5
IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR HOTELS

Development driven by technology is practically becoming the hallmark of every modern industry in
our world. Although hotel industry is greatly dependent of skills and service, technology plays a big
role in the operations of all successful hotel establishments as well.
The number of internet users making online bookings is rapidly increasing all over the world today.
The internet revolution in the past two decades and its effects reaching the hospitality industry in the
form of various online hotel reservation systems has not only proven to be a great boon for the
modern day traveler, but also for the hospitality industry as a whole.
Making your business’ presence felt in the online world is crucial as people sitting at the other end
of planet are accessible just by the click of mouse. Furthermore, considering the constraints of time,
businesses are nowadays opting for smarter solutions to accomplish tasks in a jiffy. Since most of
the world class hotels are indulging in cut-throat competition both online and offline, it goes without
saying that your business needs to make its presence felt in the internet arena.
Many big hotels are making the most optimum use of technology by investing in hotel management
software that ensures that your hospitality business remains at par with the competitors in terms of
technological advancements in the hotel software industry
 CHAPTER 6
CONCLUSION

The results of the conducted study highlight the combination of factors from both travel agents and
online booking experiences which are important for customers and are likely to influence future
online travel portals. We suggest that the convenience of Internet should be combined with the
convenience of a simplified decision making and collaborative looking from traditional travel agents.
The expertise of travel agents should help online customers to find the best travel option under given
constraints and provide efficient support for impulsive decisions. In our opinion, a feasible way to
achieve this combination at present is to apply the Hotel and Tourism Management that allows the
creation of cutting-edge representations of travel destinations and saving human resources using
intelligent software agents.
 REFERENCE

Online source

http://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/As-OTAs-Expand-Their-Reach-a-Trail-of-Complaints-
Suggests-Online-Booking-May-Not-Be-the-Best-Choice-for-Consumers

http://www.forbes.com/sites/douggollan/2016/09/28/these-travel-agents-are-staying-a-step-ahead-of-
google/#26475c53647f

http://www.etoa.org/docs/default-source/presentations/2014-the-new-online-travel-consumer.pdf?
sfvrsn=4 (by Euromonitor International, 2014)

https://storage.googleapis.com/think/docs/2014-travelers-road-to-decision_research_studies.pdf

https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/travel-consumer-2015.html

http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2013/under-the-influence-consumer-trust-in-
advertising.html