New domains announced

ICANN, the organisation that oversees top level domains, has announced the launch later this year of two new domain name extensions - .jobs and .travel

The unveiling of the new top level domains was made at the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) conference in Argentina where the registry companies for .travel and .jobs were named as Tralliance Corporation and Employ Media, private companies specifically set up for the purpose. Registration for the new domains will commence in a matter of weeks, with both top level domains going live by the end of the year. Price details have yet to be finalised.

Dot travel is sure to appeal for travel and tourism companies and related organisations in the Highlands and Islands. Tralliance, the company that will register .travel domains, is to operate an authentication process to ensure only genuine travel related companies with an existing web presence are allowed to register domains. Tralliance are to work closely with the Travel Partnership Corporation (TTPC), an umbrella organisation for over 100 international travel trade associations.

According to Tralliance, eligibility to register a .travel domain includes “any business, organisation or individual whose primary activity is within one of eighteen business sectors of the travel industry.”

The eighteen industry sectors are:
Airlines
Attractions/Theme Parks
Bed and Breakfast Houses
Bus/Taxi/Limousine Operators
Camp Facility Operators
Car Rental Companies
Computer Reservation/Travel Technology Provider
Convention & Visitor's Bureaus
Cruise Lines
Ferries
Hotels/Resorts/Casinos
National Tourism Offices
Passenger Rail Lines
Restaurants
Tour Operators
Travel Agents
Travel Media
Travel-Consumer and Market Research Organizations
(Get more information on .travel by visiting Tralliance’s FAQ page.)

Tralliance are also to use domain registration details to build a global indexed catalogue of registered travel companies that can be searched by consumers.

“We anticipate enormous interest and participation by both the global travel and
tourism industry and consumers in .travel. This is evidenced by consumer spending on travel, currently at over 28% of all online purchases which continues to spiral upward,” said Tralliance Corporation President and Chief Executive Ronald N. Andruff. “The .travel domain will strengthen consumer confidence in their travel purchases and provide a new, distinct, distribution channel for travel suppliers and sellers who cater to the traveling consumer.”

Dot jobs is being managed by Employ Media who, in addition to recruitment agencies, will be marketing the new top level domain to companies for job vacancy mini sites off their main web presence. The company itself has bagsied .jobs and will be changing its name in the run up to the domain going live. (Get .jobs FAQ)
 
Negotiations, meanwhile, are continuing over a number of other new top level domains, with proposals for .cat, .post and .mobi being at the most advanced stage. Also under discussion are .asia, .mail, .tel and .xxx