More than a year ago, Home&Abroad made rich Internet applications an integral part of its business strategy. The online itinerary-planning company needed a more engaging online customer experience-longer and more in-depth interactions are of greater value to the company and its advertisers and travel agency partners. Home&Abroad makes money via advertising and by selling subscriptions to airlines and travel agencies that like the functionality of the site. That's where rich Internet applications (RIAs) come in, letting customers efficiently harness diverse content, including maps, widgets, rules engines, and other services needed to develop itineraries, book reservations, and buy items for their journeys. The customized application captures preferences and calls a rules engine that suggests activities and events at a given destination that meet travelers' interests. Hotels, restaurants, and points of interest can be overlaid on a Google map, with more information and even inclusion in an itinerary just a click away.
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