22 Feature EXHIBITOR INTERVIEW 1


2


1 Jason Song, Founder & CEO, PKFARE.com 2 PKFARE.com homepage


Making connections


A potential game changer on China’s travel scene, online travel marketplace PKFARE.com is set to soar


In its relatively short history, PKFARE.com is already proving to be a great success story. Established in 2014, the travel site is a business- to-business portal working with hundreds of destination management companies, hotels and air travel providers worldwide to deliver real value for the industry. It is connected to top distribution systems including Travelsky, Travelport, Amadeus, Sabre and Infini, and has more than 1,000 purchasers with round-the- clock access to multilingual customer service at the sleek operation. Making its debut at this year’s Arabian


Travel Market, PKFARE.com has introduced its successful model to the Middle East audi- ence. Jason Song, the site’s founder & CEO, talks about the changing needs of the modern traveller and exhibiting at ATM for the first time.


Q: WHAT LED YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS YEAR’SARABIANTRAVEL MARKET? A: We are very ambitious and we’re expand- ing our global network. We attended Arabian Travel Market in 2016 as visitors, and felt that exhibiting this year would be a good oppor- tunity for us to get the attention of potential partners in the UAE and the wider GCC region. For our first time as exhibitors at ATM, we have benefited from introducing the company to travel industry leaders and potential partners who are gathered here.


Q:HOW DIDPKFARE.COM START, ANDWHAT NICHE IN THE TRAVEL MARKET DOES THE COMPANY FILL? A: I worked in the travel industry for years, where there is an open secret. If you search on certain websites for a flight, you may find different results each time you search, depend- ing on where the site tracks you. Therefore you need to change your location several times to find the lowest price, which can be very time- consuming. This is the tip of the iceberg. I started to notice that this type of infor-


mation asymmetry exists, depending on the operating system, timezone and local currency differences. I saw the need for an integrated and efficient global travel marketplace to help mitigate these barriers and benefit the whole industry. I wanted to be a pioneer and create change, which is why I founded PKFARE.com.


Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY DEVELOP- MENT PRIORITIES FOR PKFARE.COM IN THE COMING YEARS? A: From a commercial perspective, we aim to expand our global network to link more suppli- ers and buyers. From a product perspective, we will broaden our offering to include insur- ance, ground transportation and other travel package products – while also enhancing our portfolio to include auto exchange, evaluation and refund development. Our ambition is to


break industry barriers and make every trip easier than before with the most innovative technology and product portfolio.


Q: HOW HEALTHY IS THE CHINESE TRAVEL SECTOR LOOKING IN 2017? A: China is now the world’s largest tourist source country and plays a key role in global tourism. However, fewer than 10 percent of Chinese citizens hold passports, which means there is still huge market potential. Chinese outbound tourists are predicted to reach 700 million in the next five years. Overall, the market’s outlook is promising.


Q: WHAT HAVE CUSTOMERS WELCOMED MOST ABOUT THE SERVICE YOU PROVIDE? A: Our customers enjoy low fares and rich content which is delivered via a simple interface integrated to their website, reducing manpower when seeking global suppliers. Traditional travel agencies believe that we are an ideal platform to help them take their business online.


Q: WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES FACINGPKFARE.COM? A: Firstly, as a global B2B market, we have to ensure all visitors can access our website smoothly, regardless of their location. To solve this problem, PKFARE.com has adopted advanced cloud computing technology.


Secondly, each search on our platform is supported by complicated algorithms. If we have 2,000 suppliers, the system needs to conduct about 200,000 queries and react to users in seconds. Therefore PKFARE.com adopted artificial intelligence for content searching and aggregating. Thirdly, it is chal- lenging to link global resources to our website. Thanks to our talented business development team, we are able to work with a diverse selec- tion of partners around the world.


Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE IMPORTANT TRENDS TO HAVE EMERGED IN THE TRAVEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY SINCE YOUR COMPANY LAUNCHED? A: With each year, the world is becoming more and more connected, with versatile flight options, convenient visa policies and advanced technology eliminating barriers and making travel easier. Tourists are seeking more person- alised products and services, so the global market is becoming increasingly segmented. It isn’t easy for each travel agent or consult- ant to find all the detailed information includ- ing travel product options, prices, purchasing channels and payment methods, which is why integrated B2B marketplaces such as PKFARE. com are meeting these needs. ——— Visit PKFARE.com at stand TT1610


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