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PRESSRELEASE 23 February 2009 Seat24 expanding despite recession – launches package deals– Nine out of 10 continue to travel, even though times are tough Internet-based travel agency Seat24.se is currently launching package deals, giving its customers cheaper travel and increased services as flights and hotels can now be booked together. According to a survey recently conducted by Seat24, 92 per cent of Swedes say they will continue to travel even during the recession, though many will try to find cheaper alternatives. Seat24’s investment in package deals goes hand-in-hand with this new demand. Seat24 is one of the Nordic region’s largest Internet-based travel agencies, selling over 1,000 tickets each day. Seat24’s launch of its package deals will give customers the possibility to book flights and hotels at the same time, which first and foremost will mean cheaper travel, but also a faster and easier booking process. Customers will also have access to a large range of hotels from which to choose – in total, more than 80,000 located around the world. The possibility of booking hire cars as part of package deals will also be offered from April. The launch of such package deals is very much in line with the changing needs of Swedes which have come about as a result of the recession. Seat24 recently conducted a survey in which 1,499 Swedes were asked: “Has the financial crisis and recession affected your potential travel plans?” In total, 92 per cent of those surveyed answered that they will continue to travel, in spite of the recession. Looking more closely at the results, the survey showed that nearly half of all respondents – 49 per cent – said that they are not affected by the recession at all, and will continue to travel as normal. Twenty-two per cent will continue to travel, but will take cheaper options, and 21 per cent will continue to travel, though less often. Eight per cent said they will stop travelling altogether. “The recession is not holding us back, but is instead driving us to adapt our offering to suit the customer’s wallet and wishes. Now is the best time to invest and the opportunity to book package deals with us is just the beginning of the large expansion in our range of services planned for 2009. We had 285,000 visits to our website during January, which says a lot about how important Swedes feel travel is for their well-being, especially during tougher times,” says Marléne Wallberg, Marketing Director at Seat24. About the survey Seat24’s survey was conducted from 27 January to 9 February, together with fellow group members Flygvaruhuset and Supersavertravel. Via the three travel agencies’ digital newsletters, 1,499 people responded to the question: “Has the financial crisis and recession affected your potential travel plans?” For more information, please contact: Marléne Wallberg, Marketing Director, Seat24 Ph: +46 (0)733-12 80 90 E-mail: marlene.wallberg@etraveli.com Josephine Uppman, Inmema PR & Information Ph: +46 (0)8-96 05 95, +46 (0)736-60 81 76 E-mail: josephine.uppman@inmema.com About Seat24 Seat24 is a Swedish company. Since its founding in 2000, it has grown to become one of the leading Internet-based travel agencies in the Nordic region. The company, which sells more than 1,000 tickets daily, cooperates with around 650 airlines around the world and arranges travel to nearly 1,500 different destinations. Seat24 is currently active in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Germany and is part of the eTRAVELi travel group. The group recorded a turnover of SEK 3.4 billion during 2008. Its headquarters are located in Uppsala, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.seat24.se |
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