Aviturga is a non-profit association that has represented vacation rentals in Galicia since 2016. Its objectives are to defend and promote tourism in Galicia, including the homes of its members, and to professionalise the activity of the owners through a School for Hosts. The association also attracts interest in a number of touristic places in Galicia that were not traditionally able to offer hospitality services throughout the year. Now, thanks to vacation rentals, these locations now attract tourists outside the high season.
Problème
Galicia counts 9,000 vacation homes according to the official registry of August 2019, 86% of which are secondary residences owned by individuals who rent them to increase their family income or make their properties profitable.
This type of short-term rental accommodation has enjoyed exponential growth worldwide in the last decade, and it has been regulated by the local authorities since 2017. All forecasts indicate that it will continue to increase in the coming years.
Aviturga’s members are aware that the marketing of their homes is often at the mercy of large international reservation platforms and that they do not have tools to list their homes independently of these large OTAs. Furthermore, they find it difficult to avoid the expensive commissions that these multinationals apply to them, which range between 15% and 20% per booking. The owner pays fully for these commissions and in some cases these are passed on to the guest.
Solution
Aviturga has created Vitgal.es, its own independent booking platform, powered by eviivo technology and fully integrated with the website design proposed by the association.
Vitgal.es guarantees greater profitability to the owners, by eliminating the fee of intermediaries, and offers a better deal to the guests, who can stay at a lower cost and contact directly with their host. In addition, Vitgal.es will be the reference showcase of the tourism potential of Galicia’s holiday homes in national and international tourist forums attended by the association.
The Vitgal.es platform starts with a hundred tourist homes throughout Galicia that have already expressed their interest, and has generated great interest from the media. It expects rapid growth in the number of properties available on their website.
Résultats
In its first month of operation more than 50 properties registered with Vitgal.es, entering the online market with their own tool and offering their accommodation to any visitor in the world.
The owners receive bookings with instant confirmation and pay only 5% commission, which goes directly to Aviturga’s promotional effort to advertise the platform across both national and international tourism channels and increase its presence in the sector. Instead of paying significant commissions to a multinational, hosts benefit directly and as members, they share in all platform revenues.
Managing business online can be a perilous journey for those who lack experience. eviivo gave an informative induction seminar on the technicalities of the platform, attended by over 80 property owners.
In addition, Aviturga is constantly present helping the owners in their activation process, publishing informative guides and providing support to its members by email to address any queries that may arise during the registration process for Vitgal.es.
“eviivo has been the perfect technological solution for Galicia. We now have the first independent online booking engine managed by owners of holiday rentals.”
– Dulcinea Aguín