US-BASED adventure travel aggregator AdventureLink is looking to enter the Asian market with a new agent interface that will be launched in the region next year, offering access to around 12,000 trips across 130 countries.
Calling it the “largest system in the world for booking adventure travel”, founder and CEO, Kelly Tompkins, said his “well-rounded” inventory consists of land packages ranging from African safaris to cycling wine tours in France, contracted with major tour operators such as G Adventures and Intrepid Travel, as well as family-run boutique outfits. Air content will also be available soon, with at least one airline already onboard.
Dangling commissions of 10-15 per cent, Tompkins said: “It’s the largest commission opportunity available today. Our average booking is US$5,000…We’re proponents of (travel consultants), and we’re giving them the tool set to become specialists in adventure travel.”
AdventureLink is seeking distribution partners who will allow it to gain access to the agency community in Asia, with markets of interest being Thailand, Singapore and Japan.
Tompkins said he would be introducing the interface in North America first by January 2013, before rolling it out in Asia. There is an earlier version of the platform, but the new one has been redeveloped to include direct connections into major tour operator systems to provide real-time availability and pricing information.
For those who don’t want to use an agency login, it is possible to embed the company’s widgets on their websites and receive commissions from bookings that originate there or integrate the trips into their websites using an API.
Established in 2006, 90 per cent of AdventureLink’s business is from B2B partners, which includes OTAs, leisure travel agencies and even consumer publications that want to feature adventure travel products. The company recently established a partnership with Orbitz, and is also in talks with Travelport to distribute its content.
Tompkins said: “The adventure travel market is estimated to be growing at 17 per cent a year by the Adventure Travel Trade Association. That’s higher growth than most other travel products. This is a US$89 billion market, and it’s being fuelled by ageing baby boomers who are looking for these types of experiential travel opportunities. However, (the market is) very fragmented…so we’re trying to put all the information into one place.”
