Mini Case Study 9.2 Adventure Engine - an innovative Web - based Intermediary
Introduction
Adventure Engine represents the future of intermediaries on the Internet. It has won many travel awards for its innovative approach to international travel technology and specialises in adventure and experiential travel. Adventure Engine is a sophisticated reservations system that offers a variety of products to both operators and travel agents. In so doing, it provides the 'missing link' between adventure tourism industry providers and the market.
Adventure Engine
Adventure Engine runs a web-based system which means that clients do not need new software or complicated systems. It is a good example of a company that has leveraged from contemporary approaches including networking across the industry and building strong relationships with both its industry and consumer clients The company makes its industry knowledge as adventure travel specialist available to clients through advice, training and planning, its clients fall into three groups - tour operators, travel agents and communities.
Tour operator products
Adventure Engine offers reservation and booking engine solutions for all sizes of tour operator The Strength of the system is that it manages of the travel activity saving Staff time for the tour operators. This is ecially Valuable for Small, niche operators.
The system works by loading trips and tours as basic packages. These tours range from day visits to complex multi destination itineraries.
*The basic operation offers packages with set start and end times, a set minimum/maximum number of tourists per trip and a range of options to add to the base package. These include rentals, photo packages or extra hotel nights. Trips can have different prices according to date and client type.
*The complex inventory operation is for more complicated trips which may include vehicles, a range of accommodation and rental equipment, as might be used by adventure operators offering eco-lodges, rafting or shipping trips
Adventure Engine is also customised by size of tour operator with manual loading of the system for small operators or for a larger company, the Adventure Engine system can interface directly with existing systems Each package includes reservation system. supplier accounts (including credit cards), shopping carts and unlimited distribution to agents and resellers. The system allows adventure tour operators to
*grow their range of products without incurring high expenses;
* improve customer service through the range of services in the packages
*save administration time by cutting out multiple offices, dealing with enquiries and entering bookings
Travel Agent Products
Adventure Engine allows agents to assess its commission ready adventure tours and can install its own booking portal onto agents websites.
Community Products
Adventure Engine also works with communities to maximize the potential of their tourism product and provide technology to members. It offers consultation , strategic
planning industry knowledge presentation as well technology and system implementation
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Adventure Engine specialises in a niche product - adventure tourism. Do you think the approach is applicable more broadly across tourism?
2. operating in the adventure travel market, Adventure Engine's market will be mainly small business. Does the reputation of SMEs as reluctant innovators pose a risk to Adventure Engine's future success?
3. Much of innovation in tourism - such as Adventure Engine - comes from outside of tourism, in this case from technology. Why do you think the tourism sector itself is slow to innovate?