OzEmail’s iTravel Takes Off

Australian ISP OzEmail Ltd. announced its entry into the Internet travel market this week with the launch of iTravel.

The travel site is divided into different categories including airfares, travel guides, hotels and cars, and features an interface designed to enable users to build their own travel itinerary, book flights, select and reserve hotel rooms, hire cars and take out appropriate travel insurance.

OzEmail said it is teaming up with ticket agency Concorde International Travel and leisure travel site Leisure Planet to provide iTravel’s services.

Today’s announcement follows recent research that points to a prosperous future for the online travel industry. Research firm DataMonitor reported recently that travel will be the largest category of products sold over the Internet by the year 2002 and will account for 35% of all online sales. Forrester Research also predicted that in the U.S. online travel revenues will reach $7.4 billion by 2001.

“With online travel predicted to be the biggest selling consumer item on the Net in the next few years, OzEmail needed to develop a world class travel service,” said David Spence, OzEmail’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “To do this, we’ve brought together the best of breed to create itravel. We believe that OzEmail is entering a burgeoning and lucrative market.”