Semantic Search Could Transform Online Travel

Pfortzheim (Germany) – May 8, 2012 – The often laborious process of searching for flights, hotels and holidays over the internet could be significantly streamlined thanks to a new search engine that has been developed to make it quicker and easier for travellers to find what they want online.

The search engine’s creators, online search and navigation specialists FACT-Finder, believe it has the power to significantly improve online customer experience in the travel sector. Not only speeding up the search process, but also delivering more accurate results and ultimately increasing the chance of purchase.

The innovation behind the search function is FACT-Finder’s ‘probabalistic inference engine’, which combines semantic search techniques (which seek to improve search accuracy by understanding searcher intent and the contextual meaning) with ‘fuzzy logic’ to deliver a more intuitive way for travel customers to search online.

In essence, FACT-Finder’s system enables people to enter queries in their own words, even using vague ideas such as ‘Christmas beach 2 children’, as well as search on a far wider range of criteria than travel sites based on traditional search and navigation are able to handle. And it does this through one standard search box and not a long-winded series of menus and check boxes. The error-tolerant search also interprets typing errors, spelling mistakes and expletives correctly.

“The ability to type a query in your own words and have the search engine understand the inferences of the language has powerful implications for the travel industry,” said FACT-Finder chief executive Carsten Kraus.

“Research has shown that, on the travel websites we currently work with, as soon as people understand how the technology works and that they can really type in what they want, it takes them one third of the time to find the right product compared to conventional search.”

Key to the success of any search engine is its reservoir of data, and FACT-Finder has an extensive travel-related database that holds up to 400 details on each of more than 30,000 hotels. On top of this, through geo-location tagging, it is also able to search via proximity, allowing travellers to enter such non-specific details as ‘2 weeks near Eiffel Tower’.

“The technology for intelligent searching is now firmly within the travel industry’s grasp,” added Kraus. “Acting on it now could help to generate additional revenues at a crucial time, and place early adopters well ahead of the crowd.”

About FACT-Finder Travel
FACT-Finder Travel is a travel search tool designed for the future. Simple, fast and accurate. It is the innovation your customers have been waiting for – and the decisive factor to set you apart from your competitors.

• Higher sales revenue. FACT-Finder Travel increases your sales revenue by enabling faster, more efficient bookings.

• Satisfied customers. Improved usability increases user satisfaction and establishes customer loyalty.

• Higher conversion rate. Thanks to the comfortable single search box, bounce rates drop. More visitors become paying customers.

• Differentiation from competitors. Use the innovation of the first semantic travel search tool and stand out from your competitors.

• Safeguard for the future. FACT-Finder Travel provides Online Travel Agencies with a competitive advantage over conventional search engines.

FACT-Finder Travel is the result of intensive mathematical research and comprehensive usability studies. Right at the start of the questioning and tests it became clear that visitors to online travel portals are dissatisfied with the current forms of travel search. Instead, they want a search function that can intuitively and correctly interpret their wishes.

FACT-Finder Travel has already been awarded several major prizes for its innovative approach. Future-orientated technology for your travel portal.

Media Contact:
Email: kelly@klpr.biz
Web: www.fact-finder.com/semantic-travel-search.html