Interactive Travel Services Association Changes Name

keyboardThe Interactive Travel Services Association (ITSA) has changed its name to The Travel Technology Association, or Travel Tech. The association includes online travel companies (OTCs) and global distribution systems (GDSs). Its stated goals include connecting consumers and travel providers, eliminating barriers to travel and protecting consumers.

Formed in 1999, Travel Tech’s members provide corporate travel buyers and travel providers with an  advanced travel distribution system that provides instantaneous access to comprehensive travel services around the globe, Travel Tech says.

Travel Tech members are also technology companies powering many airline and hotel distribution and reservations channels. "Travel Tech’s members consolidate travel options from different travel providers, giving consumers and travel agents, both online and brick-and-mortar, the ability to efficiently research travel destinations and compare and purchase travel services," Travel Tech says.

Travel Tech members operate in more than 120 countries and have partnerships with more than 750 airlines and 500,000 hotels worldwide.

More than 50 percent of all travel in the U.S. is purchased online, and by the end 2012, Travel Tech says, travelers will book some one third of the world’s travel sales online, to surpass $313 billion dollars by 2012.

Travel Tech also notes that members pioneered travel search, giving consumers access to information about travel destinations around the world.

Travel Tech notes its members work with travel destinations, airlines, hotels, federal, state and local governments, and others to provide consumers with access to more information than has  available before.  Further, the online travel companies pioneered the concept of consumer reviews, so that consumers can find out information from other visitors, giving them a real sense of travel destinations, the association notes.

Visit www.traveltechnologyassociation.org