by Mat Churchill

Online Travel Agents (OTA's) such as Wotif and Expedia are growing at a rapid rate.

In research undertaken by The Newsport it appears at least half of the business booked by customers is now done online, not through the traditional shop front travel agents.

“If you look at teenagers today, in ten years time, do you really see them booking travel through a high street travel agent? I don’t.” Lee McCabe, said director of market management, partner services group for Expedia.

In a recent Newsport article, <link yobbo-or-yuppie-australia-s-identity-i.4253.0.html tracked or>'Yobbo or Yuppie - Australia's identity issue', we spoke to Melanie Wicks, Director of The 20/20 Group in Cairns who said "Your brand is the response people have to your company, it's how they think and feel about it. Your brand should dictate everything you do, including your advertising."

When so many accommodation providers are listed together in the one space, how does a business continue to build, and protect, its brand?

According to Gus Moors, director of asset management for Tourism Asset Holdings, accommodation providers need to be mindful of losing their brand identity when dealing with OTA's.

“Operators need to be very concerned about the impact this has on their brand,” he said. “What value did that brand have in the mind of the consumer when they made that booking on Wotif or Expedia?”

But Marian McLeod, Director of Sales and Marketing at Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas disagrees, and thinks to succeed in business companies need to adapt to change. "The whole market is changing and we've got to go with the changes. This is how the X, Y, and generations work.

"Working with OTA's is like working with any other travel agent or partner, they're just another avenue (to get people to the hotel). It's a nice marriage."

Ms McLeod said that it's a win-win situation for both the accommodation provider and the OTA. "People will shop around on different sites to get the best price, and OTA's need the brand (such as the Sheraton Mirage)."