Ebookers -> ARIVA

ebookers.com Targets Business Travel Market with New Toshiba Partnership; Over a Million Users Could Benefit from New Point of Access to ebookers.com

LONDON, May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- ebookers.com (Nasdaq: EBKR) (Neuer Markt: eb6) Europe's leading online travel company, today announced that it has entered into a brand-enhancing agreement with the Computer Systems Division of Toshiba Information Systems (UK) Ltd. Under the partnership, tailored ebookers.com booking pages and ebookers.com branded travel content will be incorporated directly into a now web-based user information site, called InMotion, which can be installed by users of Toshiba portable PCs in the UK. To date, approximately 1.3 million Toshiba laptops have been sold in Britain and the InMotion programme will be available free of charge to all current users. The agreement is part of ebookers.com's strategy to target the rapidly growing online business travel market.

InMotion will contain tailored information aimed at the mobile business professional -- ranging from ebookers.com flight information, to business news supplied by Reuters. It is intended to be a daily business information source for all Toshiba portable PC users and will provide ebookers.com with an excellent opportunity to access the independent business travel market.

According to the latest study by Greenfield Online, the business travel market is a key area of e-commerce growth which doubled in size last month. ebookers.com believes that by offering negotiated fares, which can represent a 65% discount on an airline's published fare prices, its products are increasingly attractive to the business traveller.

Following its acquisition of the Spanish travel company, Viajes Dimensiones SL, last week, ebookers.com can now offer negotiated fares from 115 airlines, and over 14,000 hotels worldwide. With operations in 11 European countries, more than double that of its nearest online competitor, ebookers.com now has a potential marketplace of over 300 million Europeans.

Dinesh Dhamija CEO of ebookers.com said:

"This agreement gives us potential access to well over a million new users and adds another well-known brand to our already impressive list of partners. In particular, by aiming specifically at the business user, this deal is representative of our continued drive to target the lucrative and fast-growing business travel market. We believe that our breadth of choice in value-for-money negotiated fares is ideal for this type of traveller."

Under the partnership, reciprocally, ebookers.com will promote the Toshiba InMotion programme on its essential links page and in its 'Business Travel' specialist section.