The sky's no limit for new online leisure booking site

Skydiving is among the 300 activities people can book on GoBook.

New online attractions booking site GoBook has big growth plans for New Zealand and is eyeing overseas visitors.

GoBook, launched by daily deals site GrabOne, has 80 merchants offering about 300 activities in Northland, Auckland, Rotorua/Taupo, Christchurch/West Coast, Queenstown/Southern Lakes and Milford Sound. It hopes to add eight more locations in the next three months.

Attractions featured on the site include bungy jumping, jetboating, skydiving and fishing charters, as well as some dining.

GrabOne is owned by APN News & Media, publisher of the Herald.

James Kemp, GrabOne's marketing manager, said GoBook was not primarily a discount site although it did feature some cut-price offers.

"It's moving away from the discount model but it's using discounts to drive the velocity of sales in the periods they need them."

Businesses on the site could load and control their own inventory.

While GoBook would target the New Zealand market initially, it was interested in attracting overseas visitors, possibly through a mobile app.

Kemp said that since its launch this month, transaction values had been "very encouraging" with bookings of up to $1200.

GoBook typically took a commission of between 10 and 25 per cent for each booking, he said. Merchants don't pay to be featured on the site.

"Obviously the bigger players with a lot more volume can negotiate different things and there are some legacy relationships [from GrabOne]."

Kemp said the site underwrote all bookings handled in-house. "We're hot on doing the right thing by the customer."

GoBook

*Online booking site.
*80 merchants offering about 300 activities.
*Targeting New Zealand market initially.
*Bookings made of up to $1200.
*Commission of 10% to 25% per booking.