Tripster Launches Midwest Destination in Chicago

Tripster Launches Chicago Destination

– Travel and Tourism Supplier Engagements Triple in the First Month
– Chicago’s 50+ Million Visitors a Year is a Top Three Traveled City in the US

St. Louis, Missouri – May 12, 2016 – Tripster, which provides travelers tickets to theme parks, shows, and attractions, as well as hotels and lodging, today announced the launch of Chicago. Chicago hosts more than 50 million visitors each year.

Additionally, Chicago is Tripster’s second destination launched in the first four months of 2016. It is also the third ‘National Market’ destination opened by the Company over the last two years.

On February 14, 2016, Tripster enabled Chicago to promote and facilitate travel and tourism. Since then, the company has collaborated with suppliers to develop content on popular Chicago attractions. These include Skydeck Chicago, 360 Chicago, sightseeing tours, museums, Broadway shows, and hotels.

Unlike other travel websites, Tripster allows users to review, ticket, and book directly. As a result, its roster of participating travel and tourism suppliers has tripled since the end of April. Each supplier actively provides content to attract visitors.

On May 1, 2016, the site officially launched and was promoted. Since then, www.tripster.com has converted 5.0% of visitors into customers who booked Chicago itineraries. Notably, this 5.0% conversion rate is more than twice the national average for online travel sites in the U.S. (Source: Adobe Analytics).

Expanding National Presence

Chicago completes the Company’s footprint in the three largest U.S. cities. These include New York (2014) and Los Angeles (2015). Consequently, this exposure benefits hundreds of travel providers and hotel operators.

These partners gain access to Tripster’s 2.5 million destination-traveling customers. For example, Illinois-based Hostmark Hospitality Group operates upscale and boutique hotels featured in Chicago.

“Tripster gives our Chicago hotels a completely new marketing approach by selling Chicago as a destination. It also complements our promotion of rooms within packages,” said Renee Wilhite. “Additionally, Tripster’s website is intuitive and enhances travel planning, which produces a steady flow of potential guests. Therefore, we expect to attract more travelers.”

Chicago joins Tripster’s portfolio of 13 destination-travel cities. These destinations appear on content-rich websites powered by proprietary reservation systems. As a result, travelers can research and create their experiences in a self-serve environment.

Unlike content-only portals, Tripster consolidates bookings and information into one platform. It also features testimonials, reviews, editorials, local insights, and multimedia. Therefore, users gain a more complete planning experience.

“Travelers don’t just get an easy-to-use website—they also get first-hand knowledge,” said John Johnson. “In addition, sharing local expertise adds value. As a result, travelers stay longer, do more, and spend more at destinations.”

Platform Growth and Offerings

Tripster has targeted several new destinations across National, Regional, and Seasonal markets in 2016. Currently, the platform connects customers to more than 1,500 travel providers. These span its 13 destinations.

Customers can seamlessly purchase travel supplier products and book hotels. In addition, they complete transactions securely under a single-user profile.

About Tripster

Since 2001, Tripster has served more than 2.5 million travelers. It provides destination-specific planning and reservation services for events, theme parks, tours, and lodging.

Using a proprietary booking engine, customers can plan and book entire vacations in one transaction. Furthermore, the Company offers white-label solutions for destination marketing organizations and suppliers.

Tripster is based in St. Louis, MO. It operates destination websites in cities such as Branson, Myrtle Beach, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Orlando. In addition, it serves locations including San Antonio, New Orleans, and Toronto.

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