Travel site in event listing deal

TRAVEL REVIEW site Boo.com has signed a deal with US-based Eventful.com to provide its users with access to a global database of events.

Eventful.com’s database has information on over 5 million events throughout the world including music and concerts, sporting events, theatre, festivals and parades.

Under the deal, Boo.com users will be able to view information relating to any event including venue information, event descriptions and details, information about the performers and photos.

Data is available on events worldwide with a particular focus on North America, Ireland, UK and Australia. Boo.com allows users to post their travel experiences to the site through reviews and personal travel guides. It also offers a booking facility for accommodation.

Boo.com’s web producer Yvonne Martin said the move was part of its drive to consistently improve the site for users.

“We’ve been working hard to create more comprehensive city guides by broadening the scope and adding more relevant content. With the integration of the events feed, we’re now providing our users with live, up to date event information that’s highly localised,” she said. “We hope to further develop the product by enabling users to book events through Boo.com.”

Eventful.com chief executive Jordan Glazier described the two companies as a “perfect fit”.

The Irish company behind Boo.com, Web Reservations International (WRI), owns a number of sites, including Hostelworld.com, which recently signed an agreement with budget airline easyJet to provide accommodation listings to the travel company’s 45 million passengers.

WRI has also struck an agreement with Pegasus Solutions to provide access to more than 90,000 hotels.

Before its resurrection as a travel site in 2007, Boo.com was a fashion website that collapsed after burning through £100 million in about a year and a half. The well-known URL was bought by WRI a number of years ago for an undisclosed sum.