E 'was published the first version, called "demo", the new portal Italia.it .
Credit is due in a few days one could not expect much, so it is too be able to put together a little video, maps of Seat Pagine Gialle, the database facilities of Enit, a search engine search on sites essential that local authorities and other institutional resources, and of course the famous link to the Air Force Weather.
I wonder if after months of complete darkness, in which the site simply did not exist, it was necessary to release this version in a hurry "demo", which only served to show that if you are working, in fact, I challenge any visitor, especially a foreigner, to profitably use the portal to plan your holidays in Italy. One spot then, nothing more.
Far more interesting however is the PDF file of Presentation portal Brambilla provided by the Minister in a press conference on July 15, 2009.
Seza dwell on the details, I want to comment on a few points that I consider critical to the success of the portal:
- The portal will be a Italian Destination Management System (DMS) that allows you to collect, manage, update and distribute information the full range of products, services and hospitality destination Italy.
- The DMS will promote and market promotion free tour packages through a portal and marketplace operators and incoming tourists (B2C) and also between operators and operators (B2B).
- The marketplace does not include action of mediation by both managers of the portal that third party
and shortly afterwards:
- The model of the portal marketplace italia.it will show:
- to accommodation Italian
- Packages Tour Operators and Travel Agents
- additional services, tourism activities, events, etc..
- model Italia.it marketplace portal will be developed in collaboration with trade associations, involved as partners in the project
It seems to me a very ambitious project, with the obvious contradiction inherent in the declaration does not anticipate that any income, which clashes with the very simple concept that a true DMS can not ignore the economic aspects of transactions. The real marketplace is a place where not only the operators come into contact, but which must also be completed this transaction with the broker acting as a guarantor, in particular the fact that the transaction is honored. Let me explain, in a tourism system where overbooking is a standard practice, which has the power to protect the portal Italia.it towards tourists who book through it and then find themselves without a bed to sleep? In the case of B2B the issue of liability is even more, as a professional foreigner wants for his clients every possible protection, as provided on the other hand the European regulations on travel contracts.
Sure, you can choose the path of the telephone, the system only puts buyers in touch with the seller, without warranty and liability, with obvious implications the credibility of the initiative, but then the point of having an actual booking system? (See below )
The presence among the actors of Tour operators and travel agents do not make sense in the marketplace, as pure intermediaries and aggregators.
Making the marketplace then starting from the associations seem impractical, because, from experience, rarely political interests of these organizations are combined with the economic interests of their constituents. The operators only if they are enthusiastically involved personally and touch the return of vision and the economic outlook. No agreement category can convince an operator to spend most of his time to load your data and keep them updated if you do not believe in return on investment, and unfortunately the contribution to the homeland is not an item covered in the accounts at the end of the month.
On page 24 of this document describes the initiative "A web page for all", which could have a meaning if the proposal at the end of the last century, but certainly not today. The mention of "like Facebook or MySpace page" is simply childish. In my previous post I have already discussed how today should be managed and distributed the tourist, so I will not dwell on the boards, I just hope that the new portal will be able to integrate the work of those who have already invested a lot to have a web presence, getting much more than a page like Facebook. "
Still flipping the submission page. 25 describes the "Reservation System", which seems to be that of any online booking site: the book reviews, provides with his credit card, receives the voucher, is in the structure, payable locally.
The matter is not so simple for several reasons:
- Availability visible on the portal will be ensured? By whom and how? This shows the speech guarantees that those who use the system Pretender. Certainly there is no need of yet another system "on demand" system or where the landlord has to update availability and after a month more because it does not have the time and there is not enough to book anyone. To do this there is only one way: take the existing standards, PMS interface software in use all the facilities, interface with all the instruments used to channel management, make a simple but effective back office for small structures and non-hotel non-management software, using advanced interfaces to allow small operators to update prices and availability with the phone. But what it is necessary to keep in mind is that the operator will lose everything and your time only if there is a return for him, and here we return to the need for a serious and capable intermediary which is not only the operator of the system, but also collector and carrier business.
- credit card is not a guarantee that one of the possible ways to secure your reservation. I hope that systems are implemented as a deposit by bank transfer or money order (still used to book longer stays), the total pre-paid (for travel packages), later this month direct debit (RID) for reservations by B2B travel agencies, and so long in use in the field. We forget that there are many structures do not know what to do with the number of credit card to guarantee, because the circuits are often not authorize them to make withdrawals unless the card physically in hand.
On page 29 the speakers have given vent to all the fantasy that it was possible, and condensed into a few lines for years in what many are trying to achieve:
- The measurement of the given contact and the navigation mode will be analyzed and continuously involved in the investigation of web reputation of sentiment.
- new semantic technologies will be explored to hear the "buzz" on the proposals outlined in the portal and check the interest effectiveness of content
- monitoring will develop promotional time to market, going to exploit the niche areas of the "long tail" in all areas of tourism products
Beautiful words, semantics, sentiment , buzz, time to market, long tail, each carries a world, but they seem to throw there just to do a little smoke.
Finally, the timing means the document containing the following submission deadlines:
- October 2009: release the first version of the portal with complete tourist information, static and dynamic
- November 2009: release system B2C promotional marketing and social networking
- December 2009: launch of the B2B marketplace for operators
At first glance seem a little tight time for all this meat fire, I hope that at least the final design is ready and is missing only the realization, otherwise I see it hard.
further inform you that thanks to a group on FriendFeed , has been established contact with the "wording" which is building the portal, which has proved willing to receive suggestions and reports of errors or omissions, more than confirm that close attention to the debate that is developing on the various social networks.
Since the portal is also a button "cooperation" refers to a form, as nearly as I plan consultant. I will let you know if I have taken.
Good job.
