Introduction

According to The World Travel and Tourism Councils Satellite accounting research, Global Travel and Tourism is expected to generate $ 9.3 trillion by 2011. That translates to 207 billion jobs or 1 out of every 12 jobs for 2001.  It is this sector that OmniTourism services, especially the drive-in market, which generate  80% of tourism expenditures.

OmniTourism™ is a global provider of tourism related content, technology, eMarketing and distribution services (B2B, B2C and B2B2C).  Our focus is to build sustainable relationships with consumers by providing them  easy access to value added personal and fresh tourism related information and eCommerce capabilities, when they want it and the way they want it, while protecting their privacy.  OmniTourism™ is able to do so due to its real time access to hundreds of main stream and boutique travel content and inventory systems and large customer base of city, state/territorial/provincial, national and regional Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and suppliers of tourism services and merchandize.  DMOs include Visitor & Convention Bureaus, Tourist Offices, etc.  Suppliers include lodging establishments, restaurants, shops, event organizers, attractions, airlines, tour operators & wholesalers, etc.

The irreversible phenomena of DMOs independently adding the transactional and CRM capabilities to their web sites, make OmniTourism’s emergence timely.  The key to OmniTourism’s pace of success rests in the partnership between leaders of these official Destination Management Organizations recognized and supported by governments and the local tourism suppliers, as well as its focus on the Small Medium Enterprise (SME) section of the market.  In Northwest Europe for example 80% of all tourism business have a turnover of less than $1 million. This sort of figure is typical throughout the developed world.

 

Mission

Partner with and empower DMOs and their tourism suppliers with technology, services, and financial resources to build, maintain, and distribute bookable electronic destination assets; optimize traditional and electronic marketing, sales and operations; and, encourage responsible and sustainable tourism.

Objectives

  • Control broad and rich destination information and bookable content for visitors and local residents, with special emphasis on Small Medium Enterprise (SME) section of the market.

  • Make it easy for the travelers and local residents to select destinations and leisure activities, as well as to purchase leisure & travel services and merchandize.

  • Reduce the cost of distribution for destinations and their tourism suppliers.

  • Provide in-person and virtual education to DMO leaders and supplier on optimizing traditional and electronic marketing & sales, customer relations, operations and financial solutions.

  • Provide a source of funding to destination and tourism organizations.

  • Promote destination cultural heritage through its people, historical sites, architecture, merchandize, etc

  • Make it easy for tourism suppliers to purchase products, through a purchasing system.

  • Encourage sustainable tourism development, contributing economically, socially, and environmentally to local, regional and global communities.  In 2002, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) forecasts that 207 billion jobs or 1 of every 12 jobs in the world will be in tourism related occupations.

 

Background

Since early 2000 leading destination leaders from around the world have quietly helped develop the OmniTourism™.  This include a partnership with DMOs to provide them and their suppliers world class Destination Enterprise System (DES) and educational, marketing and distribution services to enable them to optimize traditional and electronic marketing, sales, and operations, including managing bookable content 24 x 7.  Provide consumers personalized travel and entertainment information, recommendation, and reservation systems, which optimize traditional in-person contact with smart technologies.  And, provide tourism suppliers with a purchasing system. 

DMO partners help to acquire the destination content, supplier participation and distribution through their strong branding (New York City, London, Hong Kong, etc), backed by their cumulative 5 billion dollars in traditional and online promotions every year and tens of millions of permission emails.  OmniTourism does no branding, but does provide electronic cross marketing of the destinations through its DestinationRecommender™ and TripRecommender™ systems to service the consumer and generate marketing, advertising, etc. revenues.

 

Management Team

OmniTourism™ team is well balanced in talents and experience, who are supported by a highly qualified and involved Board of Advisors. Additionally, OmniTourism™ has a broad global network of highly qualified consultants in the areas of Travel technology, Tourism, Hospitality and eCommerce Industries.
Our Executive Team comprises of the following key members:

OmniTourism Group
OmniTourism North America
OmniTourism Europe

Charles Kao - Founder/Chairman, OmniTourism Group 

For the past 25 years Charlie has been CEO and consultant for several tourism, travel, and airline related companies based in the US, Europe and the Orient, with technology and eCommerce been the primary focus since 1990.  This has included :

Tourism Industry Consulting – providing travel and destination marketing and product development for a period of 10 years for clients in US and Orient/China . Clients included airlines (Pan American, Delta, British Airways, Japan Air Lines, etc.); tour operators (Insight International, Pan Am Vacations, Delta Dream Vacations, Certified Vacations…); tourist offices (Japan National Tourist Organization, Thailand Tourist Association, Foremost West Association-Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, etc.).

Technology and eCommerce – development, marketing and consultancy services worldwide, as Managing Director of Travelware since 1989.   Focus is on technology needs of tour companies, hotels, airlines, car rental companies, travel management companies and Fortune 1000 companies' travel departments.  Customers include Carlson WagonLit Travel, American Express Travel, Kuoni/Zurich, Grey Line Worldwide, Japan Travel Bureau International, Jet Vacations, Jetset Tours, Texas Instruments, Xerox, Allied Signal, Accor Group/Paris…).  Currently, Charlie is an advisor for several major online travel companies in US, Europe, and Asia (Flights.com, eBookers, omnis-online, etc.) 

Charlie is founder of TTA (Travel Technology Association) and participates in several tourism associations.  He studied Computer Science at New York University, and Industrial Engineering at the University of Michigan.  Charlie resides in Bel Air, California with his wife and two teenage daughters.

Graham McKenzie - Managing Director, OmniTourism Group  

Graham is equipped with more than 20 years of broad experience in the software industry, in general management, marketing and business development. In 1991, he joined Integra Systems UK, one of the leading developers of Destination Management Systems as Managing Director. At Integra Systems, Graham led the massive business expansion. He also increased the company's consumer reach to over 100 destinations throughout the world, including major destinations in UK, South Africa and Netherlands. During his leadership, Integra also became involved in number of projects with European Commission. In 1997 Integra Systems made a trade sale to Bond International Software. Graham was offered a position of Chief Executive Officer for their North America Operations, based in Virginia. After three years tenure as CEO of Bond International, USA, Graham decided to go back to UK where he resumed his role as Managing Director of Integra Systems and contributed in significant growth of the company.  Graham holds B.Sc (Econ). degree in Economics, from London School of Economics.   Graham lives in England with his wife.


Don Phan – Financial Officer, OmniTourism Group   

Don brings 20 years of experience in financial deal structuring and transaction execution.  During the 1980s, Don was Senior Financial Analyst with Marriott, Director of Finance for Maguire Thomas Partners, and Chief Financial Officer for Columbia Development Partners. 

In the past 10 years, Don has been a Finance and Business Development Consultant, with clients including (a) Infac India Group, LLC, which is developing a 3,000-acre manufacturing park in southern India, budgeted at US $140 million. (b) GMAC Commercial Mortgage: due diligence on large loan portfolios nationwide. (c) ING Bank (Netherlands), Vietnam Frontier Fund, Pacific Airlines, Indochina Partners, Dynasty Group, and others - Helped put together three major mixed-use real estate joint ventures totaling $110 million and advised client on investment in a $250 million master planned development.

Don immigrated to the US from Vietnam, settling in southern California.  After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics-Computer Science from UCLA, Don obtained his MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.  Don resides in Pasadena, CA with his wife and daughter.

David Radcliffe  – President (North America)

David most recently led the nonprofit Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau as its President and CEO and is recognized throughout the industry as a tourism and convention expert. His peers chose him in 1997 to serve as chairman of the International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus (IACVB) representing convention and visitors bureaus across the globe. He also was elected to preside over the Western Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus..  David and his wife reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

Roy Evans –  Special Advisor, (North America)

Mr. Evans headed the Professional Convention Management Association (www.pcma.org) for eighteen years and before that served as an executive of the Southern Medical Association.  Roy is one of the most respected and influential individuals within the North American Convention and Visitor Bureaus and Convention Center industry.  Roy and his wife lives in Birmingham, Alabama.  

Sally Tarr – Technical Support & Training Manager

Sally has been with Integra, UK since 1989 and has run the training and support department since the early 90’s.  Prior to 1989 Sally was employed within the systems design and programming division of a large insurance company. Sally spent some time as a systems analyst for a newspaper software company where she developed an advert booking and planning system.  Sally resides in England.

 

Destination Enterprise System

OmniTourism™ offers ORIGIN™, its Destination Enterprise System (DES), to governments, tourist bureaus, Internet travel portals and tourism companies. In doing so, OmniTourism generates income from the licensing of its technology products, consulting services, marketing, and transaction based fees for tourism services and merchandize (lodging, tours, tickets to events & attractions, restaurant reservations, purchase of merchandize, etc). 

ORIGIN include the following key components:

  • Rich features for content and channel management,
  • Dynamic web page creation,
  • Destination packaging (static and dynamic),
  • Convention and Meeting planning, RFP, registration, etc.
  • Distress inventory management,
  • Private and public airfare, hotel, car rental, tour and cruise content and booking systems integration,
  • Customer Relation Management (CRM),
  • Marketing analysis,
  • Supplier Purchasing System

Click here for ORIGIN sample web sites or for complete details (North America or  International).

ePublication and Community

OmniTourism™ reaches several hundred thousand of travel and tourism industry personnel through its electronic publications TravelMole™ (for travel agencies, tour operators and travel industry vendors),  eAristotole™ (for association and corporate convention and meeting planners, and travel industry vendors), and Travel Secrets™ for consumers.

Services

OmniTourism™ offers following services to Government, Tourism organizations, Visitor Bureaus and Destination Marketing Companies:

Outsource 24X 7 Call Center Services
Many DMOs and tourism suppliers prefer to outsource the telephone, email, and live chat communications with consumers who request destination information, information for meetings and conventions and/or to make reservations.   OmniTourism offers such outsource services on a 24 x 7 basis in English, French, and Spanish.  The service is high quality and extremely competitive, as it is provided from offshore low cost countries (Ireland, Canada, etc.)

Consulting Services
In addition to the above, OmniTourism™ is very actively involved in Travel and Tourism Consulting since past 2 decades. Our consulting services are ideally targeted , but not restricted to, Government, Tourism organizations, Visitor Bureaus and Destination Marketing Companies.