Walmart.com books with Carnival
Walmart.com, the Internet unit of behemoth retail chain Wal-Mart, has struck a marketing deal with the Carnival Corporation, a top cruise operator, the companies announced. The move comes more than a year after Walmart.com scrapped its own online travel service. As part of the agreement, Walmart.com has posted links to advertisements about Carnival cruise packages and phone numbers where customers can book trips, but they can't book via the Web site. Two years ago, Walmart.com relaunched its Web site adding a travel offering that enabled customers to book airfare, rental cars and hotel rooms. At the time, it was common for companies to attach a mini-travel agency on to their Web site. Among the companies that moonlighted in the travel industry were Rand McNally & Co., iVillage, CNN and Hoover's. Most of those offerings are gone now. Walmart.com pulled the travel offering after less than a year.
Two years ago, Walmart.com relaunched its Web site adding a travel offering that enabled customers to book airfare, rental cars and hotel rooms. At the time, it was common for companies to attach a mini-travel agency on to their Web site. Among the companies that moonlighted in the travel industry were Rand McNally & Co., iVillage, CNN and Hoover's. Most of those offerings are gone now. Walmart.com pulled the travel offering after less than a year.