Viator sees sales growth from Europe sites

Activities and travel experiences site Viator.com has claimed 32 per cent first quarter sales growth through local language sites in France, Germany and Spain.

The growth over the final quarter of 2009 came against the background of a “tumultuous” travel climate, the company said.

The sites, Viatorcom.fr (French), Viatorcom.de (German) and Viatorcom.es (Spanish), were launched a year ago, and claims to have experienced “solid growth” over the 12 months.

The company, which has since opened sites in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish, is expanding a network of affiliates across Europe.

The number of multi-lingual partners grew by 69 per cent in the first five months of 2010 with lastminute.com in French and German being the latest additions.

They join a group of long-standing affiliates including British Airways, Columbus Travel Guides, EasyJet, lastminute.com, Opodo and STA Travel.

London-based Viator Europe managing director Patrik Öqvist said: “When we launched Viator in France, Germany and Spain, we knew that in addition to representing a large percentage of the overall European travel market that these travellers were quite savvy and very comfortable making their own holiday bookings online.”

CEO and president Barrie Seidenberg, who formed the US-based company in 1995, added: “Multiple languages enable us to deliver a broader offering, especially important to our many existing partners and potential new partners that operate across languages.”