Have Telewest, will travel

Beneath the glare and turmoil of digital broadcasting, Telewest is quietly forging itself an indispensable role at the centre of one of the UK's more vibrant sectors - the travel industry.

In June the UK's number two cable TV company purchased Rapid Travel Solutions, a software company that links travel businesses to online booking systems and call centres.

Already a major data network provider for tour operators and travel agents, the £5m-£10m deal will bolster Telewest's ambition of becoming the principal broadband network provider for the travel industry. The idea is that holidaymakers will be able to view video clips of hotels and resorts on agents' computers using the cable company's infrastructure.

Adam Smith, managing director of Telewest's business division, said the acquisition will accelerate the development of its blueyonder workwise broadband service for small businesses, 'as well as enhancing our travel specific products.'

Rapid Travel will be integrated into a managed data networks service unit formerly called Imminus, which the cable company inherited from General Cable, acquired during the first major phase of consolidation within the industry in 1994.

At the time, Imminus accounted for almost 50% of all travel bookings over the industry-wide Videotex system. More than 1,200 travel agents were connected to its network, plus a number of major clients in financial services and the retail sector.

Telewest is gradually migrating the network over to the internet and is now one of two main network providers to the travel industry via its Endeavour portal launched in November 1999. Endeavour provides access to a proprietary booking system called viewdata, used by tour operators and travel agents since the 1970s. Viewdata is currently accessible via the internet, leased line and dial-up connections. Telewest currently claims up to 1,000 Endeavour users and 60% of all viewdata bookings are carried out via its network connections.

Telewest's ambition has long been to develop an alternative to the archaic viewdata reservation system. It is considered outdated and costly by most of the industry, particularly by the rash of new players entering the travel marketplace since the advent of the web as an instrument of commerce. Another reason for wanting to overhaul viewdata was because it can also be accessed via rival managed networks provider X-tant and its TravelEye portal.

Now, Telewest's Endeavour portal will gain access to TravelTrader, Rapid's online booking platform. This provides online travel distribution for tour operators via agents, call centres, the internet and interactive digital TV. TravelTrader currently includes Airtours and Avis among its clients. Integration of the systems is expected to be complete by the autumn.

TravelTrader's input should speed up Telewest's provision of broadband to tour operators and agents. It should enable them to market their products and services better, by providing video clips, more detailed information on holidays and real time interactivity to prospective customers - also putting the company ahead of X-tant in the process.

The Rapid acquisition complements Telewest's other attempts to develop its interactive TV offering for travel services.

Also last month, the cable operator signed an agreement with Beeb.com, BBC Worldwide's commercial shopping portal, to add its holiday shopping guide to Telewest's iTV platform. Telewest Active Digital customers will be able to check for deals on flights, accommodation and packaged holidays, and buy through beeb.com's travel retail partners, which include British Airways, Lastminute.com and the Online Travel Company.

Beeb.com joins British Airways, Cosmos, Landmark Travel Channel and the TV Travel Shop, which joined the Active Digital service in January last year. First Choice, Hertz, lastminute.com, Teletext, Thomas Cook, and Travel Choice all joined in December 1999.