Band Aid founder turned Internet entrepreneur
Bob Geldof went to Italy on Friday to finalise details for
the Italian version of deckchair.com.
It will be the first of a group of Europe-wide flight booking sites,
similar to the successful UK service.
“deckchair.com is in the middle of a real revolution,” said
James Page, director of deckchair.com.
“We already have increased the number of bookings 4-fold since
June. This week and next signals the start of a whole range
of new and exciting partnerships which will take the business
to a new level. We’re bracing ourselves for what looks like
being a very busy end to 99 — and we’re loving every minute
of it!”
This week, deckchair.com also announced a partnership with
Kasbah.com, the UK’s
largest travel search engine.
Next week, according to James Page, a deal will be finalised
with Loot.com, the
largest classified advertising e-service in the UK.
Not surprisingly, deckchair.com is gearing up for a substantial
increase in the number of accesses it receives — and for a
significant rise in its flight bookings.
In a hugely competitive Internet travel market, deckchair.com
has carved a useful niche, aided by the publicity genius of
Bob Geldof, who runs a close second to Virgin’s Richard
Branson in this respect.
Says a deckchair.com statement: “While Bob’s having a leisurely
stroll round the Vatican, it’s all go back at base in London.”
That’s true — but the TV cameras will be on Bob. And that’s
worth a lot more hits on the site.