The OpenTravel Alliance – and its founders and member organizations – created and maintain the OpenTravel Specification for use across the entirety of the travel vertical. Organizations are free to use OpenTravel Messaging and there is no cost to download or implement. Leveraged by the travel industry since 1999, OpenTravel Mesaging is in use by hundreds of hotel, airline, cruise, car rental and ground transportation brands around the globe.
OpenTravel provides a framework where all companies in the electronic distribution supply chain can work together toward the common goal of creating an accepted structure for electronic transmissions using XML messaging. This enables suppliers and distributors to speak the same interoperability language, trading partner to trading partner. Partners and competitors have a forum to create, adopt and evolve open-standards, learn best practices, and develope new business opportunities.
No travel company wants to create new schema each time it has to electronically connect with a new trading partner, so messages created in using an open and inclusive framework result in a specification that can work for the entire industry. The zero-cost model spurs adoption of the schema, which leads to widespread implementation and constant improvement and enhancements to the specification. The resulting specification maturity spurs further adoption, providing richer interoperability between partners and a better traveler experience.
For an in-depth description of how the OpenTravel board of directors, committees, work groups and project teams work together to develop specification, click here. Through project membership, OpenTravel supporters contribute to project workgroups by applying domain-specific expertise to build and evolve the specification.
Membership is open to all travel suppliers, non-supplier companies, and incorporated industry associations that provide products and services to the travel industry. Membership dues are based on a sliding scale allowing participation from company’s of all sizes the opportunity to benefit from membership in the OpenTravel Alliance. To learn about OpenTravel membership benefits, click here.
For more information about the specification, click here.