The First Technology to Enable the Dynamic Assembly and Pricing
of Multi-Component, Multi-Destination Travel Online
February 3, 2004 - Redwood Shores, California: Fourth Dimension Software (FDS), a leading software development and services company for the travel industry, announces Multi-Destination VacationFinderT, the first travel technology solution to enable travelers and travel agents to assemble and book complex, multi-component itineraries across multiple destinations via the Web. Multi-Destination VacationFinder, enables tour operators, online travel agencies and other travel providers to deliver tailored vacation options online that incorporate multi-leg flights, hotels, car rentals and transfers, tours and event tickets across multiple destinations in a single, dynamically assembled package.
With the growth of online purchasing and leisure travelers' increasing demand for customized itineraries, tour operators and other travel providers have faced a challenging e-commerce conundrum: how to incorporate the many product options of a complex, multi-component vacation in a simple, intuitive online booking process. In June 2003, FDS released VacationFinder, innovative dynamic packaging technology in a user-friendly Web interface that simplifies the process of booking complex vacations online to a single mouse click. Now with multi-destination capability incorporated into the VacationFinder framework, FDS delivers the first technology to enable booking of dynamic, multi-destination packages in an easy online experience. Both the VacationFinder user interface and the Multi-Destination enhancement are modules of FDS' CONTOUR®, an enterprise travel management and distribution platform for tour operators, wholesalers, suppliers, and other providers of multi-component travel.
As with the original VacationFinder, travel providers may customize Multi-Destination Dynamic Packager to the products and options of their product lines, enabling online customers to select the number of travellers and children, travel dates, lodging type including number of rooms and hotel features (beach, pool, spa, etc.), rental car type and pick-up location in each of the destinations they include in their itinerary. Multi-Destination VacationFinder then returns customized packages offering the best price for the entire vacation with the option to select alternatives and add-ons - such as a room or car upgrade, tour, event ticket, etc. - for each component in each destination. Multi-Destination VacationFinder builds the package options from the tour operator-defined business rules of the underlying CONTOUR system, ensuring each package option delivers the lowest possible price while maximizing inventory utilization and margins for the tour operator.
"When travelers envision their future vacations, they dream of the destinations they want to experience and the activities that bring them the most joy. Yet for all of the tremendous growth in online travel, the booking of multi-component, multi-destination packages on the Web has been impractical - if not impossible - until now," said Anatoly Volkhover, Vice President of NT Development. "VacationFinder and now Multi-Destination VacationFinder represent a major effort by FDS over the past year to deliver a market-leading solution in online vacation shopping technology, and we are extremely proud to announce the first Web-based solution that enables travelers to tailor their itinerary precisely, including multiple destinations, and view the lowest-price options with ease. It's our vision that Multi-Destination VacationFinder enables travel companies to not only meet the needs, but fulfil the dreams, of online travelers."
About Fourth Dimension Software
Founded in 1981, Fourth Dimension Software (FDS) is a software development and services company for the global travel industry. Its travel management and distribution solutions support the full range of travel providers, including tour operators, large retailers, wholesalers, Internet outlets, and independent travel vendors. With FDS technology, travel providers can offer reservations and inventory management of complex travel products, dynamic and flexible packaging, call center and online travel distribution, and comprehensive business automation. Each year several million reservations are booked using FDS products. For more information, visit www.4ds.com.
Media Contacts
Douglas Quinby
Director, Marketing & Communications
Fourth Dimension Software
Tel: 1 404 760 9182
Email: dquinby@4ds.com
