Press Releases

July 29, 2009

Spain

Technology for tourism: available anytime, anywhere

EBD offers tourism service companies a range of information-management environments that provide powerful tools for both employees and users.

Summer has arrived and there are many people who, if they haven’t already bought their vacation, will soon be picking a destination to take a few days rest. In many cases family budgets have been reduced and companies in the summer tourism business have had to adjust prices and offer other kinds of advantages to those that have decided to take a well-deserved break without making too much of an impact on their economy.

As indicated by the data in a study coordinated by Elena Alfaro, lecturer on Experiential Marketing and Business Development Manager for the CFI Group, in collaboration with Antonio López de Ávila, lecturer on the Bachelor in Tourism Management at IE University: the current time of crisis has significantly changed the habits of those tourists who used to plan their vacations months in advance and now prefer to make shorter stays and look for more economical "packages".

That is why it is important for booking centres, travel agents, tour operators, wholesalers and hotel chains to use effective communication, management and sales tools that will facilitate the search for the best options required by the users. Moreover, we live in times where access to and use of the internet for this kind of operation is becoming more and more widespread and it is important that all these services be made available to those customers that already have the technology that enables them to connect to the web at any time from anywhere.

EBD, a pioneer company that provides proprietary software for the development of web applications, offers tourism service companies a range of information-management environments containing powerful tools for both outside users and agency employees as well as other tourism services:
 

• Intranets: enable employees to assign tasks, share information and connect with each other for more effective management. This facilitates teamwork in a specific group or company as well as a more effective data search.
• Extranets: enable companies to consult all daily offers and make them available to potential customers, offer news related to the world of travel, for example, and consult information on contacts from any department in the company.
• Web portals: customers can place their on-line orders with the various suppliers and manage the different methods of payment, warranty terms and contracts. These portals can also be structured under various sections containing information and advice on different places, information about services, prices and tourism packages, and a news section to support the communication media by providing graphic and informative material.
• Social networks: focused on what is called Tourism 2.0, that is, on sharing experiences, photographs and videos; proposing personalized stays or routes based on people’s likes and hobbies, financial situation, etc.; or also rating the quality of the services provided by the various areas of the tourism industry.
• Mass mailing tools to automatically send out all the offers made each day with the option of screening them by country, agency and group.

Furthermore, one of the key benefits provided by technologies like the EBD platform is that they enable companies to reduce their operating costs, increase the productivity of their employees and acquire or retain customers, all of which are of paramount importance at times like this.

"We believe that in these times it is essential to provide customers and users with the tools that will give them a real advantage and satisfy their requirements", says Raúl Martín, President and founder of EBD "That is why with a platform like the one being offered by EBD we want to facilitate information access and management at all levels, both for employees and users, in the most convenient and simple way possible", adds Martín.