KEY POINTS:
Fairfax's online auction house Trade Me said today it was going to move into the tourism market.
"We took a good look around the market and it became clear the tourism sector wasn't making good use of the internet," said Trade Me general manager and founder Sam Morgan.
He said the company had started building a tourism website, with an initial focus on accommodation.
Trade Me was developing the site in conjunction with Kerikeri-based tourism technology provider Vianet and planned to go live in the middle of the year.
Vianet's Wayne Campbell said his was a fast moving company with a bias towards the user experience.
"We think there's a great opportunity here and are looking forward to making it happen with the Trade Me team."
Trade Me made the move without consulting the Tourism Industry Association (TIA). However, chief executive Fiona Luhrs said Trade Me's move into tourism was exciting and would benefit the industry.
"Trade Me is New Zealand's most popular internet service with an enormous number of established users.
"Providing them with easily accessible information on places to stay will certainly be a boost for participating operators.
"We hope to see the website eventually expand to also provide information on things to do, ways to travel, and places to stay, eat and shop," she said.
Ms Luhrs was enthusiastic about Vianet's technology that made it easy for potential customers to search for tourism products, check availability and book online.
The system was recently used for accommodation booking during the recent music and dance Womad festival in Taranaki.
- NZPA
