A new generation of travel planning

Media release from Xebidy Strategic Design

13 May 2009

A new generation of travel planning one step closer

One of the fastest growing travel websites in the world has recently rolled out a revolutionary new online travel planning tool.

Travel Generation, developed by Queenstown-based Xebidy Strategic Design, is designed to be a community travel site for planning and sharing travel experiences.

The site currently features a travel blog, a wiki, and travel news and is currently going through a ‘beta testing’ stage where around 200 keen users are helping to develop the software for its Travel Planner. Within weeks the tool is expected to go viral, as those users share their travel plans and invite others to join up.

Xebidy Director Dan Roberts said the Travel Planner was unique as it was the only one of its kind to use a revolutionary advancement in social bookmarking to capture a user’s travel itineraries (including flights, accommodation and activities), photos, videos and other travel information in one place.

“Our Travel Planner enables customers to build their itineraries using content from any site on the ‘world wide web’,” he said. “A travel planner is only as good as its database, and our database is infinite, unlike other travel websites constrained by a finite number of products that they’ve been contracted to use.”

“It’s the perfect travelling tool which captures every aspect of your holiday in one space that can also be shared with friends and family,” he added.

Mr Roberts said starting with selected users meant it would develop in a ‘community friendly’ and useable way, with those users becoming keen ambassadors and bringing others onto the site as it grew.

“We’ve received excellent feedback so far and we’re very excited about the prospect of people from all over the world using the Travel Planner. We believe it will have a huge impact on how people plan and share their holidays and we’re confident that Travel Generation will become one of the most popular travel sites in the world. Watch this space!”

Since going live in October last year, Travel Generation has already won international acclaim.

Travel Generation’s travel blog was recently voted in the top five of the Best Group Authored Blogs in the world by Lonely Planet’s Travel Blog 09 awards.

Mr Roberts said he was thrilled to do so well in the awards.

“This is proof that we’re hitting the right buttons which is fantastic. I think our success lies in our approach, we believe in building a website that people want not what we think they want.”

About Travel Generation:

Travel Generation is solely owned and developed by Xebidy Strategic Design. Dan and his team are at the forefront of Web 2.0 technology, are specialists in website development, search engine optimisation and internet marketing. The company also specialises in providing strategic consultancy for the tourism industry.

Xebidy’s blue chip tourism clients include Base Backpackers (the largest chain of hostels in Australia and New Zealand) Adventure Tours (Australia’s largest tour operator), Oz Experience, Backpacking Queensland,  AJ Hackett Bungy, and Wilderness Campervans (2008 Deloittes Fast 50 Company).

Dan is often invited to be a keynote speaker as an online social media marketing expert at tourism and travel conferences across New Zealand and Australia.

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