More opportunities

Qunar is ranked third behind Expedia Inc and Yahoo! Travel among Asian online tourism sites, according to the latest data from comScore, a United States-based market research company. More than 21 percent of Internet users check travel information or book tickets online in the Asia-Pacific region, the report said.

Internet users in China reached 298 million at the end of last year, up 42 percent from 2007, according to the 23rd Internet Development Report cited by the China Internet Network Information Center.

About 2 percent of Internet users booked travel services online, iResearch Inc said in its annual report. Six million Web users utilized online booking services in the past year, up a third from a year earlier. However, when taking new Internet users into account, the proportion was little changed, the report noted.

"The development of travel information-oriented search engines will give more opportunities to small and medium-sized operators to market their services," iResearch said in the report.

"Qunar has attracted a considerable number of customers to online booking platforms and other direct marketing Websites for tickets and hotels," Fritz Demopoulos, CEO of Qunar, told a press briefing in Guangzhou late last month. He co-founded the company with Douglas Khoo and Zhuang Chenchao with venture capital provided by investors such as Mayfield, Teneya Capitals and GSR Ventures.

"We'll continue to provide services enabling customers to compare prices and make better choices when planning their vacations," he added.

Online booking platforms, particularly community sites, still have a way to go in providing services to attract more users, iResearch said.

"It's a pity local Websites still have limited content about overseas restaurants and international flights," Chen Jie said. "The prices they offer are not attractive compared with the deals offered by international Websites or carriers.

Still, she said she's very happy with the way her holiday plans have come together.

(China Daily April 22, 2009)