The Open Booking Exchange™ (OBX) is open to all Western Australian tourism operators with bookable product.
The open booking exchange technology gives operators access to many online distributors enabling you to connect your tourism products and experiences to consumers around the world.
Some of the features of the Open Booking Exchange are:
- Lets you select as many online distribution channels as you like (for example needitnow.com.au, bestrates.com.au, discoveraustralia.com.au and westernaustralia.com).
- Allows consumers to see real time availability and book and purchase your product instantly via those distributor websites you’ve selected.
Accessing the Open Booking Exchange
To access the open booking exchange your tourism business must be 'e-commerce enabled'. This means that you can deliver real-time availability of your products and allow a consumer to make an instant booking transaction online.
The next step is to link your tourism products to the open booking exchange via an appropriate reservation system.
Integrated reservations systems are:
- frontdesk
- Greyhound
- Jewel Res System (JRS)
- MyFidelio
- Respax
- RMS
- Seatem
Currently integrating are:
- Bookeasy Gold
- Levart
- Roamfree
This list is not exclusive, as there are further reservation systems integrating with the Exchange on an ongoing basis.
There are reservation systems that you can implement, that are integrated to the Open Booking Exchange. All of these have different fee structures. Choosing an appropriate electronic system, which is appropriate for your business, is a very important business decision. Take your time, understand your business needs, talk to your business peers, and review the systems available and their functionality. Shop around and compare as it is a competitive marketplace.
The Tourism e-kit is a free online series of simple and easy-to-use tutorials that guide you through a number of online marketing concepts ranging from website design to the use of online booking systems.
Produced by the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) and supported by Tourism Western Australia, the e-kit has been specifically developed for the tourism industry to assist businesses in attracting and maximising visitors to their site.
A link to these documents can be found at Tourism e-Kit
Tourism WA ia also available to assist on 9262 1700 or via onlinebookings@westernaustralia.com.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) may also be helpful in understanding how the Open Booking Exchange operates.