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Online video figures to play an increasingly important role during the upcoming summer travel season, as recession-wary travelers strive to obtain the most from their travel dollar – especially those keen on the kind of exotic, immersive travel in which CompulsiveTraveler.tv specializes.

In a recent study conducted by AIG Travel Guard, nearly half of all Americans surveyed indicated that they intended to alter their upcoming summer vacation plans in order to save money. According to the Travel Industry Association, 79 million Americans use the Internet when planning travel.

With gas prices going through the roof, everyone’s a budget-conscious traveler.

The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau announced an agreement with Travelocity Partner Network (TPN) to power their web site booking engine, BostonUSA.com.

Under the terms of the agreement, Travelocity Partner Network will power the booking engine for hotels, with plans to also power air, dynamic packaging and attractions beginning mid-summer. The agreement will make it possible to provide a variety of options for visitors around the world interested in traveling to the greater Boston area.

The Greater Boston CVB is doing a major rebuild of the web site, which will launch in late summer.

Iloho, the online tool for travellers, is launching its new flights function, an innovative and unique online database of the world’s airlines, the routes they fly, the services they offer and how they rank with travellers in the know.

Iloho’s flights function offers 360 degree airline and flight information that is easily accessible and quickly navigable. Core route data is augmented by a wealth of service information and user-generated reviews for over seventy of the world’s leading airlines. This data is brought to life by a catalogue of images showing airlines’ on-board and airport amenities, making iloho’s information source as dynamic, original and interactive as possible.

To give the best impression of what it is really like to travel with a certain airline on a specific route, both airlines as a whole and their individual routes are scored. Calculated from user-generated reviews, these scores cover customer service, comfort, in-flight entertainment, food and drink, cabin atmosphere and value for money.* Each of the seventy airlines and every flight has its own detailed information page so it is simple to assess in-depth, route specific information. Expanded user-generated reviews are shown on these flight information pages to give a balanced insight into airlines’ offerings.

Users can search for flights by route, stops and cabin class. Available flights can then be compared against each other, side-by-side, in an array of categories from check-in options to frequent flyer services; results are broken down by class of travel – one airline’s business cabin will not be pitched against another’s economy. The way results are displayed can be tailored according to the priorities of individual passengers by collapsing fields that are not of interest.

A recent family travel poll conducted by Travelocity revealed that families with children are visiting national parks and other nature sites much less frequently than previous generations. Twenty-five percent of the Silent Generation (born between 1925-1945) report that all of their childhood family vacations included some interaction with nature compared to only 15 percent of families traveling with kids today.

Today’s families take less time to participate in outdoor activities. Instead of hiking, biking and camping, more than twice as many families today focus on activities like shopping than did earlier generations (now 20 percent of family vacations – up from 8 percent during the Silent Generation’s childhood years).

To address what’s being called a nature deficit epidemic, Travelocity launched a “micro-site” offering tips and advice to parents on getting their kids back into nature through travel. The micro-site can be accessed at www.travelocity.com/nature and provides itineraries for nature-oriented family vacations, tips on getting kids excited about nature, and vacation activities for parents and children. The site even features a special tips section from best-selling author Richard Louv (Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder).

Travelocity’s poll also found that instead of camping trips, the largest group of respondents (families with kids), frequent major cities (19 percent) and amusement parks (13 percent) as destinations. In contrast, as children the Silent Generation visited major cities 8 percent of the time and amusement parks only 6 percent.

Northwest Airlines announced a complete travel booking tool that allows customers to book car rentals, hotel accommodations and travel insurance, in addition to their flight, all in one easy transaction on nwa.com. WorldPerks members can choose from car and hotel partners, giving them even more ways to earn miles.

Now customers are presented hotel and car rental options as they book their flight, with more than 25,000 hotel properties and six premier car rental companies featured. In May, hundreds of activities and services will be added.

Northwest worked closely with iSeatz, a technology company, to design and implement this new offering that is one of the first of its kind in the travel industry. For customers who have already purchased their airline ticket, they can go back to nwa.com to purchase add-on amenities.

Travelocity has been named is the official travel provider for Vegas Uncork’d this coming May 8-11. The four-day epicurean experience features a variety of unique intimate events including VIP lunches and dinners, cocktail and wine sessions and cooking demonstrations. Travelocity will allow guests to book their entire trip in one easy step, selecting flights, hotels and various Vegas Uncork’d ticket packages.

World-celebrated chefs confirmed to participate in Vegas Uncork’d include Paul Bartolotta, David Burke, Damien Dulas, Paul Del Favero, Hubert Keller, Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger, Bradley & Bryan Ogden, pastry chefs Francois Payard and Jean-Philippe Maury, Carla Pellegrino, Richard Sandoval, Julian Serrano, Alex Stratta, and David Walzog. Host restaurants for some of the weekend’s festivities include Picasso, Le Cirque and Sensi at Bellagio; Restaurant Guy Savoy, Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro, Mesa Grill, Bradley Ogden and Rao’s, all at Caesars Palace; Alex, Daniel Boulud, Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Tableau, SW Steakhouse and Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas.

Travelocity will be providing exclusive travel packages at www.travelocity.com/uncorked.

With over a million plus hits a month from across the globe – visitors, former residents and fans of the islands and Hawai’i in general are checking out the island of Maui’s hottest new portal, MauiToday.TV. This new web site brings together residents, tourists and devotees alike in the one and only Internet destination where Maui lifestyle, culture and news are featured on a daily basis. Created and maintained by LavaNet, Inc. (Hawaii’s largest, local Internet Solutions Provider), MauiToday.TV is the Pacific Radio Group’s newest addition to its family of existing radio stations, in fact, its first online ‘TV and Video On Demand’ station.

MauiToday.TV focuses on providing the community with frequently updated daily news and information, while including content specifically shot and created for MauiToday.TV’s various channels: Music, Hawaiiana, Dining, Surf and Sports sections as well as a MTTV Visitor’s Channel. PRG and KPOA Senior News Anchor Wendy Osher and Senior Editor Frank Pulaski cover the majority of news for the site throughout the day.

Answers Corporation announced the launch of Answers.travel, a tool that enables users to search the top 20 travel web sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, Kayak, HotWire, SideStep, and other major travel websites at the same time with one click without having to search each website individually. The site also vows to answer any type of travel related question. The company has trained travel agents across the globe that are able to answer most questions within 72 hours.

Answers.travel has found the solution for travelers that are tired of searching over a dozen travel websites looking for bargains. A tool that enables users to enter their travel and flight information once and have the results pages of the major travel sites placed on one screen. The company also features a service whereby users can ask any travel related question such as “I am going to Argentina in March, do I need to bring warm clothing?” An Answers.travel representative will research the question and promptly answer it within 24 hours.

Travelocity and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) have implemented state-of-the-art next generation connectivity between their systems, giving Travelocity’s customers immediate and accurate access to IHG’s complete range of inventory and pricing while allowing reservations to be booked directly into IHG’s Holidex Plus reservation system.

A large majority of IHG’s 3,800 hotel properties worldwide will utilize Travelocity’s industry-leading program, allowing Travelocity customers to have access to the full range of rooms and rates offered by IHG.

Direct connectivity offers the most accurate information on reservations to every party involved. Consumers view the most current full complement of rates and room availability, while hotels receive immediate confirmation of a reservation as it is automatically filed directly into the chain’s central reservation system.

Priceline.com announced the launch of its $100 Giveaway program for hotel rooms. Between now and March 23rd, registered customers who book a room at any one of over 20,000 hotels participating in priceline.com’s published-price hotel reservation service will receive $100 in free bonus cash that can be put toward a Priceline Vacation Package of 4 nights or longer. The $100 Giveaway program includes hotels in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia.

To qualify for the $100, reservations at participating hotels must be made by March 23, 2008 and travel completed by April 27, 2008. Bonus cash must be applied to air & hotel vacation packages purchased by August 8, 2008, and completion of stay must occur by October 31, 2008. Name Your Own Price hotel room purchases are not eligible for the $100 bonus cash.