WHAT does a holidaymaker want from a website when booking their big break?

For some, the presence of an online booking area, clear pricing, some well-lit pictures and precise directions are a good start. But digital media agency Shout Digital believes a more personal touch is required at the luxury end of the market. The Newcastle firm was signed up by top-end tour operator Exsus.com to revitalise its website, and installed video footage, a mapping feature and much more logical navigation in a bid to make life easier for potential buyers.

Shout’s head of creative Ian Mullen said: “The previous website didn’t go the extra mile in giving customers a much broader idea of what sort of resorts the company could offer. Some of the places were absolutely beautiful.

“The website is a guide to the holiday you could have, and people can have totally bespoke holidays. So we decided to take the site and push it a bit further.”

Exsus arranges luxury trips to locations such as South East Asia, South America, the Caribbean, Dubai, Africa and Europe. Photos on the site are now larger, while a map allows visitors to search a map of the world and pinpoint accommodation in certain countries. The project was handled by Shout Digital over a four-month period.

Mr Mullen said: “For standard holidays, people are used to things like either booking online or going into a travel agent. But, with these sorts of sites, because of the budgets we’re talking about, people expect extras and a bit more customer service. They want the personal touch, with people who know what they’re talking about guiding them through the process. They want to be looked after a little bit more.”

Exsus marketing director Alison Crabb said: “At Exsus, one of our prime objectives is to provide a really enjoyable and fulfilling experience for our clients when they are planning a holiday, and that starts when they first log on to our website to research their holiday.

“By introducing the new technology and providing a much more logical journey, enabling them to find the information they require more easily, we are providing a much better service for them before they have even stepped on to the plane”.