GetThere
is aiming to improve its provision of Deutsche Bahn rail content in 2011 after
quietly introducing a link to the German rail operator during summer 2010, the
online booking tool's European boss said.
Speaking to BTN this week during the
Association of Corporate Travel Executives Global conference in Berlin, EMEA
director Jason Geall said the current arrangement connects bookers on GetThere
to the DB Bahn Internet Booking Engine corporate portal. At present, however,
there is no opportunity to create a passenger name record or capture the
booking data from BIBE and bring it back into GetThere. Geall said this is the
next phase of GetThere's collaboration with DB and is being worked on for 2011.
Other priorities on the list for GetThere content expansion in Europe next year
include hotels that are not available via global distribution systems and
combinable fares that enable traveling outbound in one booking class and back
in another, which GetThere has offered in Australia since 2008.
Geall said GetThere has expanded its workforce in EMEA by 40 percent over the
past 12 months, and increased its presence in the region from 25 countries to
49. "We have seen our activity grow in both core and emerging
markets," he said. Geall claimed an increase in transactions fueled by a
combination of existing clients introducing the tool across more markets, a
rise in online adoption rates and a general rebound in booking volumes.