Travolution@PhoCusWright 07 - Dara is looking for the Holy Grail

So this is it. The final slot of the conference, featuring Expedia chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, is trying to tackle what is still the trickiest issue for online travel agencies:

How do OTAs replicate the role of the traditional agent?

It involves three things:

• Email marketing (especially suggestion-based or reminders)
• Segmentation of the customer (eg offering exclusive call centre numbers)
• Taking search to the next level (understanding the behaviour and preferences of users)

"We want to see the world as flat", Khosrowshahi says, so Expedia can have a relationship with every single consumer.

It all sounds simple doesn't it.

It isn't...

Kevin May, editor, Travolution