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Online shopping giant takes on travel

There's a new online competitor in the travel selling market and it's headed by online shopping giant, Amazon.

There’s a new online competitor in the travel selling market and it’s headed by online shopping giant, Amazon.

 

Rolled out this week, the service called ‘Amazon Destinations’ is an extension to Amazon’s ‘Lifestyle’ page and is designed to help online shoppers plan and book a weekend getaway.

Focusing on providing holiday information for short-term trips, the website offers hotel bookings, information on dining and attractions and discounts.

travel Amazon website

Because of its weekend-getaway focus, the website does not offer flight information or air packages.

The emphasis of weekend road trips or weekend escapes is further emphasised by the tag line: ‘Hit the road: Book local getaways’.

The website doesn’t act as a direct competitor for travel agents in Australia because it currently only contains content for North American destinations including those in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California and The Northeast.

However, consultants could use it to research ‘local’ getaways for clients heading to the US.

“Travelers often have a hard time planning local getaways. It’s difficult to know where to go, the process is labor-intensive, and people often miss out on finding great places to stay.”

Tom Cook, Amazon spokesperson

Amazon Destination is available on desktop. Mobile apps are in the works.

Have you checked out the site yet?