Paul Bamber Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies Seligo – An example of a successful e-mediary? Work in Progress

Background Consultancy work for Seligo, 2005\2006 Conversations with Chief Executive of Seligo David Cockerton Independent tour operator continuing to be being transformed by the development of online travel sales

Seligo  Supplying inventory for infomediaries   Servicing requests from the leading Uk tour operator Turnover of over £25 million (Seligo, 2006) Massive shift to internet booking since 2005

Aims and Objectives To examine Seligo as a case study for the changing online travel market To critically examine drivers for the growth in online travel business Can the development of Seligo help to clarify \ develop the idea of e-mediaries \ online intemediaries ?

Methodology Preliminary informal discussion David Cockerton, Chief Executive, Seligo Peter Barnsley, Information Systems Manager, Seligo Undertaking literature review of key academic and trade sources Semi-structured interviews planned

Definitions of E-mediaries virtual travel agencies electronic booking systems (usually web- based) fulfilling the traditional intermediary role of travel agents online intemediairies (Frew and Daniele (2004) organizations offering services via a network of virtual channels to stakeholders (Dale, 2003)

Types of e-mediaries Traditional full service tour operator Established - Online tour operator Sites relying on consumer imput eg. Trip advisor Infomediaries Destination DMS Eg tiscover Niche site Eg. Responsible travel.com Other collaborative sites eg. Canadianaffair.com Types of e-mediary

Drivers in accelerating the growth in online bookings - Technological Development Growth in broadband 73% of UK households connected now use broadband 14.3 million households (60%) are connected 60% of Uk households now connected ONS (2006), taken from Growth of dynamic packaging capabilities Assembling components into a single user generated content Seemless connection to multiple sources of supply PhoCosWright (2007)

Drivers of growth Legal ruling, November 2006 – Court of Appeal reaffirmed that components of a trip sold separately but billed together do not necessarily constitute a “package” Still debate dynamic packaging does need ATOL protection Increased offerings from leading brands Niche and specialist sites Blogging and experience sharing Evidence of a growing consumer confidence

Concluding thoughts Development of e-mediary networks continuing On the one hand traditional tour operators fight back … on the other hand responsive and dynamic companies like Seligo continue to develop and grow in importance Seligo is an excellent case study Ultimate aim is to suggest a more developed definition of e- mediary using Seligo as an example