Blog Major E-Commerce and Sales in Tourism 2017/18

DER Touristik Suisse AG: eCommerce in Tourism – From the Beginning to Now Introduction If not stated otherwise, the content of this blog entry is based on the input by Manuel Posch, who is the head of eCommerce of the touristic company DER Touristik Suisse AG (DTS). The history of DTS dates back to 1906, when the company was started. Back then, it was named Kuoni. Still, it is widely known under that name, for the takeover by DER Touristik Suisse AG was only conducted in July 2017. “Kuoni” is nowadays one of the 12 brands owned by DTS. History of eCommerce in Tourism For the creation of an eCommerce platform we need the necessary infrastructure, such as the internet. Hence, the origin of eCommerce is coupled with the discovery of the internet. Shortly after, the first platforms of eCommerce in tourism were launched. For instance, Expedia exists since 1997. Basically, when it comes to eCommerce, we can differentiate between three historical phases: the pre-booking phase, the...

Revenue Management Jasmin, Julia, Sina and Gabriel In this blog article the topic of revenue management will be treated from the perspective of Swiss Hospitality Solutions (SHS). It is a consultancy firm specialized in helping hotels to maximize their revenues. Revenue Management defined by Hospitality Professionals Association: “Revenue Management (RM) is the art and science of maximising revenue under variable conditions. It is a management tool that has the objective of increasing sales revenues by manipulating the prices at which fixed products (i.e. hotel rooms and airline seats) are made available for sale in relation to the current and forecasted demand.” Revenue management exists since far back in history when humans started to trade. Merchants have always acted according to supply and demand, and adjusted the prices accordingly. However, in the digital age, revenue management has started to become easier with the help of technology because demand can be track...