TOUCH
Travel Open Unlimited Connectivity Hub
About TOUCH
Travel Open Unlimited Connectivity Hub (TOUCH) is a platform that acts as a central point (Hub) that interconnects and distributes the offered tourism product to all electronic sales and promotion channels, Greek and Global, through open mechanisms (APIs).
Our Goal
The platform aims to effectively promote the overall tourism product and to improve the competitiveness and extroversion of the tourism businesses that produce it. The investment is addressed not only to the businesses in the IDA and the country, but also to the international tourism market and represents a highly innovative approach at global level to link the businesses providing the services (suppliers) with the ecosystem of existing and potential promotion and sales channels.
TOUCH focuses primarily on:
- in Accommodation (Hospitality) and
- in destination Tours & Activities,
which account for 33% and 10% respectively of the global tourism market, with an emphasis on small and medium sized enterprises that make up the vast majority of the sector. The primary information that will feed the platform will be collected either directly by the business or through an interface with the most widespread booking management systems (pull logic) or through an open mechanism (API) to any stakeholder (push logic).
TOUCH offers:
In Accommodation & Activities businesses
It offers great potential for interconnection, extroversion and reaching new markets, while hiding the technological complexity of different systems and the managerial complexity of working with different sales channels.
In Local Markets & Institutions
It offers the possibility to organise in a simple and systematic way the extroversion of the overall local tourism product.
To providers of e-tourism content and applications
It offers the possibility to transform their sites or applications from means of promotion to means of selling the tourist product.
In the established Channels of Sale of the tourist product
Offers easy access to partnerships with small businesses
Innovation
TOUCH is an innovative approach for the modern Tourism Market and the small and medium sized Tourism Business. It combines features, technologies, international de facto standards and international experience from existing systems such as Channel Managers and APIs, but in essence with a much more open model of connectivity, with a different philosophy and business model than existing systems and offerings:
01
An All-In-One mechanism for interconnection:
- with the internationally established online Booking channels (OTA / Metasearch)
- with the traditional market of Travel Agents and small local tourist agencies, through a simplified and modern technology API, with an easy way to integrate information into their web sites
- with Affiliate Networks, content providers and those who develop mobile aps
- with web sites and Destination portals at national, regional, local, sectoral, collective level, enabling them to transform from channels of attack to channels of sale
02
An integrated management of the extroversion of a tourism business that includes:
- the management of listing content (listing) e.g., texts, photos, videos, etc.
- full management (two way) of booking information (availability, prices, special offers, cancellation policies, etc.)
03
Business Approach to Local Markets (Segmentation)
- the possibility of systematic and collective promotion of the overall local tourism product
Architecture
The Travel Open Unlimited Connectivity Hub (TOUCH) operates as a central point (Hub) that interconnects and distributes the offered tourism product to all electronic sales and promotion channels, Greek and Global, through open mechanisms (APIs).
Information management
(content management)
Descriptive content management subsystem (Listing Content), through which businesses can manage both their general visibility and the visibility of their products/services, or even customer reviews. This is rich media content that may include multilingual text, photos, animation, video, geographic information, etc. The content is registered in the TOUCH database, creating a digital repository, so that it is always available for distribution to the channels. This content is shared on the viewing and sales channels via the All-In-One Interface module.
Electronic booking content management subsystem (Booking Content), through which businesses manage all the required data.
Businesses can connect to TOUCH either through the API for PMS, or through the management application in case the business does not have a PMS (a large percentage of the target group of small businesses targeted by TOUCH). The API for PMS includes a generic version that will be available for all PMS that want to work with TOUCH and specialized versions ready (fully compatible) with popular PMS in the market.
Making online reservations, indicative room types, features and rates, availability, special offers, payment and cancellation policy, etc. This content is distributed to the promotion and sales channels through the All-In-One Interface module.
Interface mechanism
All in one
Channel Management and information sharing subsystem for online Booking with established sales channels, such as OTA and Metasearch. Here the approach to be followed is a fully two-way interface specific to each channel, fully meeting the requirements and technological specifications set by each channel. This is published information and available for relevant implementations. The services provided will fully cover those allowed by each channel (e.g. only for online booking or also for listing). 20 channels will be implemented in the Channel Management system within the project. It is estimated that the Greek small business market is almost entirely covered by less than 10 channels.
Interface subsystem through a detailed published TOUCH API. A detailed interface and sharing API will be implemented that will follow the international de facto standards of the industry, in order to give potential sales channels two general possibilities depending on their choices and orientation
Contractor
Knowledge S.A.
Knowledge is engaged in the development of advanced web applications and the provision of broadband services to Regional Development, Local Government, Research and Knowledge Agencies and the public they serve (Citizens, Businesses, Members).
Contractor
Knowledge S.A.
Information & Communication Technologies
Knowledge is engaged in the development of advanced web applications and the provision of broadband services to Regional Development, Local Government, Research and Knowledge Agencies and the public they serve (Citizens, Businesses, Members).
Operators
Register now on
TOUCH platform
TOUCH
Travel Open Unlimited Connectivity Hub
Contact
N.E.O. Patras-Athens 37
26442, Patras
Mon – Fri: 09:00 am – 17:00 pm
