Feature article portfolio sample - City Weekly Magazine, Sydney

The following feature article was ghostwritten by Simon Hillier for travel.com.au and lastminute.com CEO, Bill Gair to appear in Sydney magazine, City Weekly.



My View - Bill Gair, CEO travel.com.au and lastminute.com.au

If you could see the look on my face right now, you’d think I was a kid who’d just been let loose in a lolly shop. Considering the challenges faced by the travel industry and e-commerce world over the past 5 years, you may be wondering how the CEO of an Internet travel company could possibly be so excited. 

The “techno travel-tragic” in me might tell you its because I’ve just returned from France, where I witnessed the unveiling of the new Airbus A380, the double-decker “super jumbo” of the future - but it’s more than that. You see, I’ve realised that 25 years after first slipping on a backpack and heading out to explore the world, my passion for travel, and its awe-inspiring advances, are as great as ever.

The travel industry is special in that way. Unlike most industries, both the people who work in travel, and those they service, share a very real passion for the experience.

Science fiction writer Ursula LeGuin once said, "It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end." Maybe that's why man has been obsessed with trying to make that journey easier, faster and more fulfilling for several thousand years. Some of the most significant advances occurred just 10 years ago with the launch of the first Internet travel company. However, only now is the technology beginning to meet traveller's expectations.

The Internet revolution
Consumers always take time to adapt to change. When travel.com.au launched in 1997, we believed travel-buying behaviour would shift within 3 years. So did the investment community. Eight years on, consumers are finally embracing the Internet as their travel agent and the technology is delivering the goods. The travel e-commerce revolution has truly begun.

Of course, Internet travel will not replace all traditional purchasing, however, in the not to distant future it is likely to be part of every transaction. The web is rapidly becoming the only place to book hotels, cars and flights. Travel.com.au offers the best of both worlds with experienced consultants to help out when an itinerary gets to complex, or the customer needs some personal advice or tips.

Travelling and lifestyle patterns are changing too. People are working harder so they book closer to their departure date, take shorter breaks and travel more often. In a way it has become an Internet lifestyle - making decisions on the go. This didn't evolve because of the Internet, but there is no doubt it is facilitating the changes.

Power to the e-people
Our lastminute.com.au site was launched specifically to cater to these people. Customers can find last minute deals on holidays, flights, hotels, and car hire specials, shows, concerts, dining, experiences and gifts - spontaneous satisfaction in a busy, impatient world.

Online customers are becoming more demanding because they feel empowered. They expect the technology to work every time and will have little loyalty to a business that doesn't deliver instant gratification. This makes it a challenging business to be in. However, there are many upsides with the true economies only now emerging. You can literally have a national or global presence from one location. The speed with which we can promote a new deal to the market is staggering. It can be loaded onto our website in minutes and sent straight out to our 700,000 email newsletter subscribers. This becomes extremely especially important when places are limited for special deals. A growing number of travellers are realising we are the best place to come to for the best product first.

Finally, its important to appreciate that price is not the most important aspect. While it plays a major factor, travellers really want what they’ve always wanted, ever since the first “techno travel-tragic” proudly rolled the wheel out of his cave - an easier, faster and more fulfilling journey. We might just be onto something here.