DALLAS, March 11, 2016 — Travel in 1996 meant heading to the mall to meet with a travel agent, consulting the yellow pages to find listings for select air and hotel chains, or even going to the airport to book and purchase an airline ticket. But for a few early adopters it meant firing up their dial-up modems, logging on to an internet service like AOL or CompuServe, and booking their travel online. This was made possible on March 12, 1996, when Travelocity® pioneered a new form of travel company, the full-service online travel agency, changing the way that people journey around the world forever.

March 11 2016

Within the first 90 days after launch, Travelocity registered approximately 140,000 users – a number which grew to over 20 million users just a decade later. And while booking travel online was a novelty reserved for the tech-savvy in those early days, almost 60% of leisure travelers in 2014 either exclusively or usually booked their travel through online channels, according to data from the Phocuswright’s Consumer Travel Report Seventh Edition.

“When Travelocity launched in 1996, it was more than just a new online retailer selling products appearing on the web – it ushered in a whole new era for the travel industry. Prior to Travelocity, the process of booking travel offered little to no consumer insight into pricing or availability,” said Brad Wilson, vice president and general manager of Travelocity brand. “But our launch meant that information that was previously the domain of a few became available to all. It truly marked the democratization of the travel industry.”

The celebration of a 20th anniversary for any dot-com is a rare occasion. From its beginnings in in a Dallas-Fort Worth area office park 20 years ago, Travelocity’s launch during the earliest period of the commercial internet makes it older than many of the largest, most well known sites on the web, including Google (1998), Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2006).

20 Years. 20 Minutes. 20 Grand.

To celebrate 20 years of making it easier for travelers to “Wander Wisely™”, Travelocity is giving one lucky person the chance to visit Travelocity and go on a 20 minute shopping spree to book as much travel as they can on Travelocity within that timeframe (up to $20,000). To get in the running for this “once every two decades” opportunity, hopeful travelers must share a picture of themselves from 1996 on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #Travelocity20Contest. The submission that best represents the decade that launched grunge, Ally McBeal, and of course, Travelocity, will be chosen – and given the chance to score the travel bonanza of a lifetime.

The Contest is open to residents of the US, aged 18 and older. Contest begins at 12:00 am CT on March 11, 2016 and closes at 11:59 pm CT on March 20, 2016. Limit of 2 entries per person (one(1) Entry per entry channel). One (1) prize will be given away at the end of the Contest. ARV of prize is up to $21,500 USD. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. For full rules, visit https://www.travelocity.com/g/rf/travelocity20contest.

About Travelocity

Traveolcity encourages travelers to “Wander Wisely” and is dedicated to being the champion of the customer with its Customer 1st Guarantee, making the traveling experience both simple and memorable with competitive prices, 24/7 customer service and more. Based in Dallas, Texas, Travelocity is owned by Expedia, Inc., one of the world’s leading travel companies, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes many of the world’s leading online travel properties.

© 2016 Travelscape, LLC. All rights reserved. Travelocity, the Star Design, and Wander Wisely are trademarks of Travelscape, LLC. All other trademarks and logos are property of their respective owners. CST# 2056372-50

Contact

Jina Michael
Citizen Relations
310.698.9009
jina.michael@citizenrelations.com