Sub Market Online Travel Growth

2006 promises to see a significant growth for online travel sites that are targeted to specific sub-markets. Based on some current projects it is clear to me that online travel growth will come in terms of vertical market specific sites. These sites will either focus on specific market segments such as large ethnic markets or types of travel such as long haul travel to emerging markets. Sites like this have been in existence for some time. The interesting spin on these types of new companies is their ability to implement next generation platforms as their foundation infrastructure. These new platforms will capture inventory from a variety of sources (multiple GDS, Web search tools, direct connects) and combine it with unique content to deliver niche solutions for specific types of travel. As these sites emerge in 2006 and become more prominent, the traditional OTAs (Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz) will likely try to create segmented versions of their products for specific markets in order to tap this sub-market approach. More specifics on this subject in 2006.