Travel search engine Kayak has stepped up an increasingly bitter battle against its rivals by launching what it claims is the sector’s first cruise vertical search. The unveiling of a cruise search function on the US version of the Kayak site follows the recent launch by rival engine Sidestep of a tool to search US…
Kayak builds ‘first’ cruise meta tool
Travel search engine Kayak has stepped up an increasingly bitter battle against its rivals by launching what it claims is the sector’s first cruise vertical search.
The unveiling of a cruise search function on the US version of the Kayak site follows the recent launch by rival engine Sidestep of a tool to search US aggregator site CruiseOnly.
Kayak cruise will allow users to search across a range of cruiseline brands through a number of agencies including CruisesOnly, Cruise411, Cruises.com and Vacation Outlet.
The site, which launched its flight-only version for the UK market in December, pinpointed what it believes are shortcomings in their cruise search tools.
“Unlike other travel sites, Kayak.com will search multiple cruise sites for prices and itineraries and is the only site that offers consumers a choice of where to book,” Kayak said.
In the UK, Kelkoo runs a cruise search tool through TravelTradex, leaving Travelsupermarket as the only leading player in the meta search market without a facility.
Kayak chief executive Steve Hafner said: “Meta search has changed the way people search for air, hotel and rental car and we are delighted to apply our award-winning search functionality to the cruising sector.
“Finding the perfect cruise can be a tedious process since so many factors affect the itinerary and price.”
