Microsoft Bings Travel & Lifestyle team is launching a new look for its search results pages that focus on finding the best travel deals. The new navigation will also include a trip-planning hub linking directly to several local airports, train stations and attractions across the globe.
Microsoft Bing said on Friday that it has released a new travel search experience. The new experience includes destination-specific search results pages as well as a new trip-planning and booking center called simply the Travel Guide.
Why should we be concerned? Search engines have been increasing their travel offers for years, much to the chagrin of online travel agents, and Bing’s new travel features are only the latest example.
Users may find the new destination search results pages more interesting since they are visually heavy. Many search elements, such as hotel results and the “Explore destination” carousel, lead to other Bing sites. OTAs may find it much more challenging to compete in the search results since they’re more aesthetically appealing than a typical search listing.
The new Travel Guide looks a lot like Google’s travel portal, but both Bing’s Travel Guide and its destination search results seem to be built for discovery, which might help it serve clients who are just starting to plan their trip.
The results of the destination search have been revamped. Bing’s new travel search experience (seen below for the query “honolulu”) may be triggered by searching for a destination.
This arrangement for the search results page contains a huge search feature with a link to the destination’s Travel Guide (more on that below), as well as carousels for local attractions and news. The ideal time to visit and hotel listings, as well as adverts for tours and activities, are prominently shown on the website.
Bing’s Travel Guide is now available. In the introduction, Microsoft said, “The Travel Guide serves as a jumping-off point for your trip-planning requirements.” The home page of the guide showcases a variety of places and gives customers options for the sort of trip they want to pursue (solo, romantic or budget, for example). It also includes information on flights to other destinations, discounts and special offers, example itineraries, and vacation packages.
The Amsterdam Travel Guide page. Image courtesy of Microsoft.
Users may also look at prospective itineraries, sights, and airline and hotel information by searching for a certain destination. Users may access Bing’s flight and hotel results by clicking on the “Book flights” or “Book hotels” buttons.
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Author Biography
SagaReach Marketing’s George Nguyen is an editor who focuses on organic search, podcasting, and e-commerce. He has a journalistic and content marketing background. He worked as a radio presenter, writer, podcast host, and public school teacher before joining the sector.