After Thomas Cook goes bankrupt: Saalbach launches innovative booking tool for travel agencies (Chiara & Isabella)

VLNR: DIR. WOLFGANG BREITFUSS, ING. FRANZ HASEWEND, DI MICHAEL KÖSSNER
After Thomas Cook goes bankrupt: Saalbach launches innovative booking tool for travel agencies

Textfeld: Figure 1: Photo credit Jakob Zeller


The entire tourism industry has been influenced by the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook. Saalbach also sees the big chance for next winter and next summer to increase the volume of direct bookings after the insolvency of Thomas Cook. 10,000 bookings per year are already being made via the website of the Saalbach Tourism Association. With the booking tool for travel agencies, tour operators without a pre-arranged contingent can now also access available accommodation.
Thee director of the Saalbach Hinterglemm Tourism Association told that there are very many customers who prefer to go to a travel agency despite the countless online booking platforms. The reasons for this are manifold: on the one hand, the personal service, the long-standing personal relationship with the travel agency employee or the shyness of online booking. Moreover, travel agencies now have the problem that there is a shortage of bed availability due to the discontinuation of the Thomas Cook allotments.
Saalbach has reacted to this and is now creating the possibility for travel agencies to book rooms directly with the landlords via a tour operator portal. In this online system the commission regulation, which amounts to 10% for the travel agency, is automatically considered. Accommodation providers can freely choose how many rooms are to be offered for which periods of time via this portal and the money for the holiday trip is transferred to the accommodation provider before the guest even starts their journey. Access to this tool can be requested via the B2B section of the website. After a positive credit check, the travel agencies will receive online access to search and book rooms (APA-OTS Tourismuspresse, 2019).
The dimension of Innovation: What is new? For whom is it new? How new is it?
With the booking tool for travel agencies, tour operators without a pre-arranged contingent can now also access available accommodations. It is a new kind of booking tool for travel agencies. Similar booking tools already exist in a different way. It is a new booking tool tour operator can use after the Thomas Cook bankruptcy 
 What type of innovation?
Innovation in IT
What can you find about the background of the innovation? Who was the innovator? Story of the invention? 
After the Thomas Cook bankruptcy, travel agencies now have the problem that there is a shortage of bed availability due to the discontinuation of the Thomas Cook contingents. The innovator is the tourism association Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
How has it been generated? Possible learnings about the innovation process (what does it need to develop an innovation like this?
This innovative portal was realized together with the company CapCorn under the leadership of Ing. Franz Hasewend and DI Michael Kössner. In order to be able to create such a booking portal you need to be able to pay specialists and as a tourism association, you also need the necessary money.


Source: APA-OTS Tourismuspresse (2019). Nach Thomas Cook Pleite: Saalbach bringt innovatives Buchungstool für Reisebüros auf den Markt. Retrieved from https://www.tourismuspresse.at/presseaussendung/TPT_20191017_TPT0012/nach-thomas-cook-pleite-saalbach-bringt-innovatives-buchungstool-fuer-reisebueros-auf-den-markt

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