Coronavirus: technology keeps traditional travel agency afloat, spurs launch of real-time booking platform for cruises

Goldjoy Travel becomes Asia’s first tour agency to launch such a platform with two of Genting Hong Kong’s cruise lines

‘Direct Connect’ will replace cumbersome process of using chain emails, phone calls and data spreadsheets to buy cruise tickets

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Cruises to nowhere have been popular with customers, according to Hong Kong Travel Agents’ Relief Alliance convenor Perry Yiu. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 5:30pm, 7 Sep 2021Updated: 5:42pm, 7 Sep 2021

Training staff to work with technology and investing in digitalisation have helped a traditional travel agency beat the tide of lay-offs and closures that has battered Hong Kong’s tourism sector during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Goldjoy Travel became Asia’s first tour agency to launch a real-time booking platform for cruises with two of Genting Hong Kong’s lines – Dream Cruises and Crystal Cruises.

Frederick Yip, executive director of Goldjoy Group, said its proprietary platform, called “Direct Connect”, would replace the cumbersome process of using chain emails, phone calls and data spreadsheets to buy cruise tickets.

Frederick Yip, executive director of Goldjoy Group. Photo: Kathleen Magramo

“In the past, agents had to use a spreadsheet and book cabins for the customer and manually input that into the system with the cruise line,” Yip said in an interview with the Post.

The three-decade-old travel agency set up by Yip’s father took two years to develop the platform, which aimed to capitalise on the cruise market in Asia, in particular customers from mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and India.