Rise in car-rental bookings
An increasing number of non-air bookings are being made via travel agencies – with the greatest rise being for car-rentals. In the third quarter, the number of car-rental bookings made through Swedish travel agencies increased by 21 percent compared with last year.
The number of car-rental bookings in Scandinavia is rising steadily. Hertz in Scandinavia has experienced a significant increase in volume during the past year. This is supported by figures from Amadeus Scandinavia, who have witnessed a rise of 5 percent in car-rental bookings this year.
“I believe that the increase in car-rental bookings via GDS is due to that a greater number of travel agencies are creating solutions for their business travellers, where they can book flights, hotels and cars themselves,” says Maria Drougge, Customer Service & Support Manager at Europcar in Sweden.
Distinct trends can also be seen among customers’ preferences. Demand for environmental cars with Hertz have risen sharply in 2006, especially by business customers. Simultaneously, the market for more powerful models is increasing, such as diesel and four-wheel-drive cars.
Europcar has also noticed greater demand for environmental cars, in particular by companies within the public sector. Many people also ask for cars equipped with GPS, especially travellers from abroad.
“We have also noticed a rise in interest by foreign travellers for destinations in Northern Sweden,” says Maria Drougge. “And the number of travellers from abroad has increased by about 20 percent compared with last year.”
Hertz will launch an Amadeus Client Script in the beginning of 2007, which will simplify everyday life for travel agency salespeople in Scandinavia. The solution implies that the most advantageous price will be automatically selected for the customer, taking into consideration the date and destination, based on the customer profile’s parameters such as type of car and agreement. Hertz is counting on a significant rise in car-rental bookings via Amadeus further to the launch.
“People are travelling more than before, and we expect strong growth in volume next year as well,” says Hallvard Nerbøvik, Sales and Marketing Manager for Hertz in Norway.
