ONLINE travel company Zuji Travel is planning to ramp up its website by implementing Package Guru - a tool that allows customers to bundle services for a personalised travel experience - in hopes of attracting travellers who would otherwise turn to travel agencies.

With Package Guru, customers can create their own travel package by choosing from some 400 airlines and 30,000 merchant hotels, which can then be bundled with travel insurance, car transfers as well as activities such as private tours. In addition, modifications to its Hotel Guru page will include hotel reviews by travellers.

Already implemented on Zuji's Australian website, the new tool will be launched here sometime in Q3 this year.

Zuji counts independent travellers, especially those 25-40 years, as its target group. Seventy per cent of its customer base is made up of leisure travellers, while SMEs account for the balance.

Despite the small profit margin - 5 per cent per airline booking - airfares currently account for the bulk of revenue. However, hotel sales are catching up 'by doubling year-on-year,' said Mr Philip Ho, general manager for Zuji (Singapore & Taiwan). Mr Ho was a guest speaker on Friday at the Dean's Distinguished Lecture series, organised by Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management.

And while consumers get increasingly savvy and may turn to airline websites to bypass the service charges levied by Zuji, Mr Ho asserts that Zuji's competitive advantage lies in the convenience and control that it offers consumers.

'Price is not the only factor. Availability is important, therefore speed is important,' he said, pointing out that Zuji at times has seat availability where airlines do not.

Zuji has 1.3 million registered users across the Asia-Pacific, of which Singapore accounts for 135,000.