Online travel agent Expedia ventures into Southeast Asia

This marks Expedia’s fifth site in the Asia-Pacific region with a presence already in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and India. The firm also has operations in China via a controlling investment in eLong, a Beijing-based online travel company.

The portal has been designed specifically for the Singapore traveler by providing them with a suite of online booking and travel management tools, along with a fully localised service and phone support to help them plan and book the most suitable hotel for them. In addition, air fares and packages are set to be introduced later this year.

Dan Lynn, vice-president and managing director of Expedia Asia-Pacific, emphasised that the company is empowering its customers to research and book their perfect holiday by selecting from Expedia’s global product range.

“As one of the fastest growing online travel markets in the world, Southeast Asia represents an extremely important part of our Asia-Pacific growth strategy,” commented Lynn on the firm’s next steps.  “There is plenty of scope for growth in the online travel market in Asia as recent survey findings have shown that travel purchases top the list of online shopping here, a trend that is set to grow exponentially.”

With the Expedia Singapore website now up and running, the firm is looking to add new sites in Malaysia, Korea and Thailand within the first half of 2011. On the other side of the globe, Expedia also has localised sites for travelers in the US, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Mexico.