October 30, 2008: Away.com, a travel planning website and brand of Orbitz Worldwide, unveiled its newly enhanced website. The site now provides comprehensive trip planning tools, more robust content and easier search navigation - making it simpler for travelers to research and plan a trip according to their specific preferences.
With more than two million pages of content and destination guides for over 35,000 locations now searchable by lifestyle and interest, Away.com continues to improve its site offerings that have helped drive Orbitz Worldwide’s growing advertising business. Orbitz Worldwide’s advertising revenue, which increased approximately 25 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2008, includes travel and non-travel related advertising sales on Away.com as well as on its Orbitz, CheapTickets, ebookers and HotelClub websites.
“Away.com continues to be an important part of Orbitz Worldwide’s overall growth strategy as we diversify our revenue with a growing advertising business,” said Steve Barnhart, CEO and president of Orbitz Worldwide. “The site’s new offerings enable our company to provide more relevant content to consumers and to advertisers interested in reaching a sophisticated group of travel enthusiasts.”
Personalizing the Travel Planning Experience
To help travelers better search its more than two million pages of content covering over 35,000 destinations around the world, Away.com has added new “lifestyle verticals” to the site which include Family, Beach, Active & Adventure, Parks & Outdoors, LGBT and Ski. Unlike other travel planning sites, Away.com now allows vacationers to search by lifestyle, destination - or both.
For example, travelers planning a family getaway who are unsure of their destination can search the “family” section to get expert recommendations on the top family-friendly destinations. If a family has already chosen a vacation location, through a “destination” search they can find the family guide to that destination with recommendations on lodging, activities and attractions perfectly suited for families.
“Finding information that is specific to a traveler’s lifestyle or interests is one of the most important aspects in planning a memorable trip,” said Eric Brodnax, general manager of Away.com. “Away.com is introducing a whole new way of searching for and planning travel, coupling existing and fresh content with new and highly intuitive technology that individualizes the planning experience for each traveler.”
The new site features provide a blend of easy-to-find expert and consumer advice, giving travelers the essential tools needed to plan the ideal trip. Integrated into the new lifestyle verticals and specifically selected for each destination/interest pairing, Away.com now offers:
- Hotel and attraction recommendations
- Expert content such as highlights, overviews, and feature articles
- Enhanced imagery including photo galleries, videos, and screensavers
- Social media and interactive tools such as Q&As, user ratings/reviews, blogs and polls
- Enhanced mapping and lists of top places to visit within a destination
- The web’s largest directory or vacation rentals, covering more than 100,000 properties
