Teletext.co.uk goes ‘Lego brick’ analogue retro for 25th birthday

Teletext Holidays will turn the clocks back a quarter of a century today by making its website resemble its former analogue TV service for 24 hours.

Teletext Holidays will turn the clocks back a quarter of a century today by making its website resemble its former analogue TV service for 24 hours.

To mark its 25th birthday, the online agent will hark back to the days when it was a vital source of leads for hundreds of travel companies.

A holiday shopping pioneer, Teletext’s clunky ‘Lego brick’ design is recalled with a retro fondness, much like the first games consoles and vinyl records.

Managing director Wayne Perks said Teletext’s heritage remained a selling point, despite the digital advances it is making.

“We have been making holiday memories for 25 years and everyone tells us how they used to love the old Teletext,” he said.

A birthday campaign logo that also reflects the old analogue TV graphics will be used to mark the anniversary.

Although Teletext remains a call-to-book retailer, Perks said it was forging a future at the forefront of digital developments and recognised the growing importance of mobile.

It is due to start aggressively marketing a new app after a successful test launch in January.

“With other OTAs, people just transact based on price,” said Perks. “We are differentiating based on the amount of content on destinations, probably as much as tour operators historically had.”

Teletext will launch in the Republic of Ireland next month. There it will offer online bookability using technology from Alpharooms, which parent Truly Travel acquired last year.

In November 2013, Teletext Holidays culled all but one of its 15 deals suppliers when it became an exclusive brand of Harrow-based Truly Travel.

Teletext had struggled to establish itself in the digital age after analogue TV services were switched off in 2012.