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 Travelsmith live on Xchange 
Following development work together with their system supplier Travel Options and Pharos, Channel Islands specialist tour operator Travelsmith is now taking reservations via Xchange. Bookings are already brisk and Travelsmith are feeling the benefit of the successful online solution.
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 Dynamic packaging drives expansion 
Award winning Mark Hammerton Group comprises a number of tour operation and related activities such as Belle France walking
and cycling holidays, publishing Alan Rogers Guides and Camping Cheque. Expansion has led to investment in new booking
facilities for tours consisting of transport, camp sites, accommodation and other components to be reserved online.
Utilising the Xchange Service for dynamic packaging ensures complete tours are booked and paid for instantly while preserving the flexibility essential to the high quality service their customers expect. Significant further expansion of business is predicted as online tour bookings accelerate call centre volumes. back
Sales leap at Speedferries 
New low cost operator Speedferries on short sea route Dover - Boulogne has significantly increased bookings since a trade link
provided by Pharos became operational in summer last year. Prior to this 95% of bookings arrived via the operator's web site,
evidencing a gaping need to deal with strategic partners, online agents, distribution networks and tour operators by means of
a direct system connection, as with other ferry operators.
The solution, utilising our Xchange Service, provides access to traditional Unicorn tour operators enabling Speedferries' exploitation of this important high volume channel. In addition existing Xchange users and others can now take advantage of the Speedferries service by means of XML Web Services, further boosting the market available to Speedferries from online agents, dynamic packagers and intermediaries making reservations on the short hop between France and the UK. With the imminent addition of a further vessel, the new sales infrastructure will prove essential to expansion. back
Comtec launch Ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar bookings link 
Leading leisure travel technology supplier Comtec will offer booking capability to its travel agent and tour operator customer
base through system integration with our Xchange Service.
Since acquiring tour operator system supplier Travelink last year, Comtec has developed the Travelink platform to offer enhanced booking capabilities to both its traditional travel agent and new tour operator customers, including a range of new suppliers and advanced booking services such as dynamic packaging. Commenting, Ed Whiting, Product Director at Comtec, said “Comtec’s customers require the capability to search and book every kind of travel product, efficiently and cost-effectively. The addition of Ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar booking capability further enhances the range of travel products bookable via Comtec's travel agent and tour operator selling systems and complements our existing holiday, flights, beds and essentials booking platform.” Alan Warburton of Pharos added “Our partnership with Comtec makes it easy for travel companies to make transport only bookings and to package ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar with other travel components. Productivity is key to the success of travel organisations and Pharos' integration within Comtec's travel selling systems ensures Ferry, Eurotunnel and Eurostar booking services are now easily accessible to Comtec's customers”. back
Pegasus and Pharos in partnership 
With Xchange establishing itself as an important trade hub for a variety of travel products, Pharos has reached agreement with
the premier hotel switch company Pegasus to broaden its travel products by providing access to many of the hotel brands supported
by Pegasus.
Pegasus Solutions’ PegsTour ®, a recent development, is the focus of the collaboration allowing Pharos to provide hotel accommodation reservations to its Xchange trade users in the leisure sector, so that complete packages including hotels and transport reservations can be sourced through Xchange. In particular, tour operators, dynamic packagers and short break operators can now create holiday packages on-the-spot. As more European markets open up to holidaymakers, and with dynamic packing rapidly on the increase, the partnership with Pegasus complements the existing Xchange services for transport reservations, providing a one-stop service to Xchange users offering holidays. back
DFDS Seaways - distribution boost from trade connection 
DFDS is the very well known Danish ferry operator with 7 passenger routes linking the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and
Holland. DFDS offers a variety of products including Mini Cruises and Conferences in addition to leisure travel reservations.
Until recently online distribution depended on their Web sites, but there was a strong need for an integrated trade reservation service to complement this channel, and Pharos was awarded the contract to provide the vital trade connection, which went live in autumn last year. This connection allows existing Unicorn agents in the UK to connect via our Xchange Service. In addition Xchange makes interfacing via XML easy, further boosting DFDS distribution by means of integrated trading with partners both in the UK and overseas. So online agents, tour operators, dynamic packagers, intermediaries and travel networks of all types can now access the operators’ reservatiosn system via Web Services easily and cost effectively, ensuring maximum exposure to the travel trade for DFDS. DFDS are increasing business from all sectors due to the new channel with more bookings being taken automatically by far more agents than previously. back
Online ferry agent bookings growing at 30% per year Agents making online ferry bookings have grown their business by 30% on average for the last three years according to Pharos who provide a one-stop ferry industry reservation service to the trade. Alan Warburton says their Xchange service offers agents low cost bookings with more than 12 ferry operators through a specially designed online system, enabling agents to provide travellers with a powerful, easy to use system offering a wide choice of routes and operators. The latest features are being released at the forthcoming Travel Technology Show. With 250,000 bookings per year, Xchange has rapidly established itself as a low cost, high growth trade service. Further expansion of the service is planned. Set against static ferry industry performance this proves that a well-designed system can offer agents selling online an attractive business development opportunity. Pharos’ Xchange, the trade hub is the key, which ferry operators have also found attractive as an efficient distribution link to agents : Three operators have connected to the service during the last year to provide online trade links, further increasing the attractiveness of Xchange to agents by giving them a more powerful one-stop network for their users. Xchange provides trade reservation services for rail, ferries, hotels and secure payments for tour operators, dynamic packagers, intermediaries, distribution networks, general sales agents, membership organisations and online retail agents back
Direct Ferries doubles success 
Twice the Internet business volume is the experience of client Direct Ferries since going live with our Xchange Ferry
reservation service last year. Matt Davies at Direct Ferries quotes halving their look-to-book ratio since going live
with Xchange, which has also proved to be a reliable business-critical service for them with good support from Pharos.
This means for the same number of visitors their business volumes have doubled, demonstrating the dramatic impact a good system makes to online business success. Direct Ferries has a well deserved reputation for their user-friendly sites, working in 10 languages and many European countries, giving them extensive international coverage as a major player in online ferry reservations ranging from the Baltic routes to the Mediterranean. Given their market position, now underpinned by their online system, Direct Ferries is expected to grow briskly. back
Driveline Europe goes live 
Our client Driveline has made a significant investment in changing systems to give themselves the best available tour
operator technology, and needless to say they chose Pharos’ Xchange as the service for ferry bookings so that online
users get prompt, efficient customer service.
The new system provided by our partner RWA has recently started live service, including package holidays based on ferry crossings. Dean Brazier at Driveline, a client of Pharos going back a decade, is now widening their ferry operator partners to maximise markets for their motoring breaks, themed holidays, luxury breaks, Disneyland packages and others facilitated by the powerful system. This flexibility and market coverage will ensure their online sales grow to capitalise fully on the well established brand and investment in technology. back
Norfolkline Sails away with Unicorn 
Competition for passenger ferry business is hotting up on the Dover routes with the automation of trade online bookings by Norfolkline.
Chris Newey, Norfolkline's Passenger Marketing Manager described the move. 'Due to significant demand from our strategic partners in late 2004, we decided to offer Unicorn trade bookings for tour operators, online agents and intermediaries. The key was to be ready for the current season booking period when 2005 takes off. We need to compete for trade business and this is a vital booking channel' Norfolkline currently operate 20 daily ferry crossings and in 2005/6 are introducing 3 new state of the art ferries designed specifically for the route, focussed entirely on the motorist. They are part of the AP Moller Maersk Group, the largest shipping company in the world and in 2004 we were voted ‘Best European Crossing Operator’ by readers of the Daily & Sunday Telegraph and the ‘Leading Cross Channel Operator’ by the Guardian & Observer. Choosing Pharos as their partner and our Xchange Service for booking facilities was an important decision which proved to be a great success. Although the project only began in October, we made their Unicorn link live ahead of schedule before Christmas, resulting in many bookings in double quick time before the New Year. Lloyd Middleton, Norfolkline's Corporate E-commerce Manger hailed our service a great success and extremely satisfactory. The project is also a world first - the very first TTI XML ferries message standard implementation ! back
The Travel Market leads the way 
Following a wide ranging review in consultation with Pharos, The Travel Market is well advanced in the development of a comprehensive
E-business program. The Travel Market is the well known and established specialist ferry agent and tour operator based in Dover.
Over years they have built their Ferry Travel Club, joint marketing with a number of travel publications, partnered ferry
operators and provided inclusive tours in Europe.
The time has arrived to substantially improve online operations, moving forward with an ambitious E-business venture using Xchange, associated E-commerce marketing and enhanced systems. Nicholas Warren, Sales and Marketing Director, says he is confident that success will prove the value of the investments in new technology with Pharos as partner, leading to expansion in all sectors of operations. back
International Rail on track Award winning Mark Hammerton Group comprises a number of tour operation and related activities such as Belle France walking and cycling holidays, publishing Alan Rogers Guides and Camping Cheque. Expansion has led to investment in new booking facilities for tours consisting of transport, camp sites, accommodation and other components to be reserved online. Utilising the Xchange Service for dynamic packaging ensures complete tours are booked and paid for instantly while preserving the flexibility essential to the high quality service their customers expect. Significant further expansion of business is predicted as online tour bookings accelerate call centre volumes. back
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