SAN FRANCISCO, CA and LONDON--(Marketwire - June 16, 2010) - Viator.com, the leading resource for researching and booking more than 5,500 trip activities and experiences at the best prices, is marking the one-year anniversary of the company's first three local language sites across Europe. Viatorcom.fr (French), Viatorcom.de (German) and Viatorcom.es (Spanish), launched in June 2009, have experienced solid growth in the past 12 months as the sites continue to reach more travelers and generate new affiliate partnerships, expanding Viator's reach throughout the European travel market.
Despite the recent tumultuous travel climate, combined sales for the French, German and Spanish sites grew by more than 30 percent (32%) in the first quarter of 2010 versus the fourth quarter of 2009. In addition to the original local language sites, Viator continued its European expansion in early 2010 with four new sites in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian and Swedish.
"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 travelers were quite savvy and very comfortable making their own holiday bookings online," said Patrik Öqvist, managing director of Viator Europe, based in London. "We are very pleased with the progress of all seven sites and look forward to continuing to expand Viator's presence globally."
With its unique partner offering now in eight languages, Viator is expanding its network of affiliates throughout Europe as well. During the first five months of 2010, Viator increased its network of multi-lingual partners by nearly 70 percent (69%) with LastMinute.de and LastMinute.fr two of the latest additions to the partner network. These new partners join a group of long-standing Viator affiliates based in Europe including British Airways, Columbus Travel Guides, easyJet, LastMinute.com, Opodo and STA Travel.
"Multiple languages enable us to deliver a broader Viator offering, especially important to our many existing partners and potential new partners that operate across languages," said Barrie Seidenberg, CEO and president of Viator. "Partners have been an important component to Viator's business model since our founding in 1995 and international expansion supports that further. Our partner relationships have become increasingly sophisticated, and the ability to both sell and provide customer service across multiple languages will further enhance those relationships."
About Viator
Viator is the world's leading online resource for travel experiences, providing access to more than 5,500 tours, attractions and activities in 450-plus destinations in 75 countries. Viator -- the Latin word for traveler -- offers travelers a one-stop shop to plan, research and book trip activities with helpful resources like more than 100,000 traveler reviews and photos, star ratings, suggested itineraries and the Viator Travel Blog. Viator's in-house travel experts have picked respected and trusted local operators to ensure a quality experience, value and service, all backed by Viator's low-price guarantee. Founded in 1995, Viator sells its products directly to consumers at www.viator.com and through its global network of more than 1,000 affiliates that include major hotel and airline companies, online travel agencies, city-specific sites and more. Through its collection of company operated and affiliated sites, including seven local language sites across Europe, Viator welcomes more than 2.5 million visitors per month. Viator is headquartered in San Francisco with regional offices in Sydney, London and Las Vegas.