The provincial online accommodation booking system known as Book PEI is proving to be a major benefit to hundreds of Island tourism operators, says Minister of Tourism and Culture Robert Henderson.

“Book PEI is integrated directly into the Tourism PEI website which allows potential visitors the opportunity to book their vacation the moment they decide to come to the Island,” said Minister Henderson. “In addition, many operators are using Book PEI as their on-site reservation management system. I encourage all operators to have a look at the service given the ever increasing number of reservations being made online.”

2012 saw a total of $1.7 million in total billing through Book PEI online. That’s an increase of 13 percent over the previous year. On-site use of the system accounted for another $16 million.

“Right now about 30 percent of all accommodation operators are signed up for the online booking service,” said Minister Henderson. “Visits to the Tourism PEI website increased by about 30 percent in 2012 compared to the previous year. That tells us an ever greater number of potential visitors will be booking their trips online moving forward. It’s important that operators give themselves the opportunity to close the sale while potential visitors are on the website and using the service.”

There have been a number of changes to the system over the past few years that improve usability for both operators and visitors. These changes were implemented based on feedback from users of the system. Tourism PEI charges a very small fee to operators who use the system. The annual fee is $150 for accommodations with five rooms or more and $100 for four rooms or less.

For more information on Book PEI, visit www.tourismpei.com/pei-accommodation.