Byecity.com focuses on creation of real-time consumer friendly booking system

China Special: By EyeforTravel.com Correspondent in Beijing

Byecity.com is working on its plans to create a real-time consumer friendly booking system

A system that can offer the best prices powered by automated price comparison mechanism and a range of travel products without the consumer knowing how complicated the system is behind the scenes.

The company is also working on adding more new resources into its system.

“We are working with more suppliers and world-class wholesalers, such as GTA, and integrating their products into our own system,” says Zhang Qing, general manager, Byecity.com.

Providing an insight into current status, Qing feels China will open for overseas travel agents in the next few years, enabling them to fully operate outbound, inbound and domestic business. But it will still take some time for the market to open for GDS companies. 

Qing, one of the speakers during the Travel Distribution China 2006, said: “Regulatory restrictions is one of the most important factors limiting the growth of the new player when they enter China. They first must learn and understand the influences of regulatory restrictions.”

When questioned how Abacus, Galileo and some reservations system developed by overseas agents may become the major challenges in next few years, Qing said, “We can all see that the GDS systems are also facing a lot of pressure as their traditional suppliers like airline companies and hotels are also developing their own B2C websites and creating their own direct distribution channel. However, GDS companies have a strong business model, professional technological support and large worldwide agent base. GDS companies will adjust as the market changes. They are now also spending more effort to add more products in their systems, resulting in a comprehensive distribution system that can be available to agents around the world. We still hold the same view that they are still the most important challenge in next two-five years in the China market.”

Qing says Byecity’s strengths include full understanding of Chinese market applications, capability to develop advanced and Chinese customised distribution system for different usages.

“Our market knowledge, combined with advanced technology means that we have designed a system that complements the way Chinese people like to do business. We first thought of what the Chinese consumer / agent wants, then used technology to create this. The system that we have designed ourselves also gives us the flexibility to be able to offer tailored systematical applications to suit our individual agent / consumer needs,” said Qing.