Expedia.com launched a new platform to support its Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP). The Expedia Access portal was developed to help travel agents manage their Expedia Affiliate accounts. The Expedia TAAP is currently used by more than 15,000 travel agencies worldwide.
Through TAAP, travel aents gain access to Expedia’s selection of travel products and services, permitting travel Agents to book through the Expedia website and earn commissions when doing so.
Expedia Access was developed in close consultation with Expedia's travel agent affiliates. The new website's features include:
· Simplified log-in procedures and reporting
· Personalization and rebranding capabilities
· By adding individual travel agency logo and messages, the functionality will support the download of invoices and itineraries into Microsoft Word or Outlook for easy dispatch to clients
· Activity reports that allow travel agents to regularly monitor bookings and commissions
· News, promotions and Incentive status
“The Expedia Access platform reflects the close consultation we have had with travel agents,” said Diego Pedrani, global head of the Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program. “We have included as many agent requests as possible in the system. Personalizing itineraries and invoices with the agents’ own logo is a request we have heard often, as is the ability for agents to check their commissions at a glance. We have developed these and many other features that are designed to streamline the administrative process.”
Expedia Access also helps agencies modify their own websites. The platform offers technical specifications that allow an agent to place an Expedia Search Widget on his or her own site, while still earning commission on bookings that his or her consumers make through his or her site.
The new platform can be viewed at www.access.expedia.com. Agents already using TAAP will be migrated across to the new platform in the coming weeks.
