WEBJET, Australia’s largest OTA, is poised to launch bundled flight and hotel packages in the second half of 2012.
The packages, which will be marketed as flash sales, will be first rolled out in New Zealand, followed by Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore respectively.
Webjet’s managing director, John Guscic, said: “The precursor to our decision (to offer these packages) lies in our committment to offer our customers value. So we experimented with daily deal offers – offering around two deals on our so-called Cheap Tuesdays. Soon enough, we observed an uptick in demand.”
The OTA adopts a cautious stance when it comes to expanding its reach, with no “immediate plans to go beyond where (it is) now”.
“For us, it’s not about accumulating large transactions. Instead, we want to build the Webjet brand (in Asia) for the long term by ensuring that we offer a value proposition that resonates with individual markets,” Guscic added.
When questioned about the reported loss in profit in Asia last year, Guscic replied: “Hong Kong and Singapore are now doing better than when we first started in Australia, and owing to the consistent level of investment received, we are optimistic that we will be successful in these markets.”
