Technical Case Study

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India Destination Tours


Client: India Destination Tours
Technologies Used: HTML, PHP, MySQL, Java Script, Ajax
Tools: Chat
Situation

India Destination Tours is a division of Travel Destination Promoters of India Private Limited. The client requires an exciting and unique tour management site that provides an elaborate display of all tour packages, helps the customers to easily access and book the packages and also maintains a regular interaction with them providing all the guidelines required.

Solution

The India Destination Tours website includes many functionalities like categorized display of various tour packages, booking of packages/ hotels/ vehicles etc., a pathfinder that enables an easier access to the package sites, travel maps of each site, latest news & events of IDT, photo gallery of each package, a feedback service from the customers and an online chat corner to interact with the IDT site visitors.

Administrator

Site Administrator can manage different sections in the website. All user side sections are dynamic and these entire sections are managed by the site Administrator through an Admin Panel. This Admin Panel is secured with an admin username and password.

Main Admin Functionalities:
1) Manage Tour packages:

Admin can add/edit/remove different categories of packages with details. RT Editor used to add Package Contents. These admin-managed tour packages are listed category-wise.

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2) Manage Path Finder

The Path Finder section has been integrated with RT Editor. So the Admin can incorporate any type of text or images into this section. There is also a facility to attach images with the RT Editor.

path finder

 

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3) Home page Contents

The user side Home page contents are fully dynamic and these dynamic sections are managed by the website Admin.


Home page Images:

When the admin uploads home page images, it is automatically resized to a specified size. So the home page design will not affect the image size. The admin can also add descriptions to identify the images.

view images

 

home page text

4) Destinations:

The Admin manages different categories of destinations like heritage places, hill stations, backwaters, etc. So when a user enters the website, it is easier to select destination places according to the category. In the Manage Destination section, the admin can add/edit/delete multiple destination categories in a single submit. Each destination may come under any destination category.

Manage Destinations Category:
manage category

Add/Edit Destination Attractions:

destination attractions

5) Hotels:

The Admin can add/edit/delete the category of hotels, room types, hotel rates, etc. through the admin panel. When defining hotels, the admin must specify the category, type, place and discounts with ample images and descriptions so that the user may get a clear idea about the hotels.

Hotel Room Categories
room category

Add/edit hotels
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Hotel Room Rates
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6) Photo Gallery Section

When the admin uploads images, it automatically resizes to the specified size. The admin may provide a caption if necessary. The image name and caption is stored in the database.

7) Travel map

The admin may upload images like maps with headings and caption. This enables site visitors to easily identify the destination place.

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8) Houseboats and rates

RT Editor is used to add/edit Houseboat details. There is also a facility to upload the houseboat images while adding or editing houseboat details.

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9) Vehicles Details

RT Editor is used to add/edit vehicles details. There is also a facility to add images with details.

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10) Booking Details

The admin can track all booking details of houseboats, vehicles, hotels, packages, etc. made through the user side. The Admin can also access all details of the booking parties.

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11) Search section

This section is intended to manage the user side search. When a user searches by a keyword entered by the admin, it directs to a page specified by the Administrator.

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User Side

The Home page consists of the main features of IDT. The user side of the IDT website is a fully dynamic section with all details taken from the database.


Home page Dynamic Images

The home page images and their captions keep on changing within the duration of a set time limit. The link ‘Home’ that is displayed in all the pages directs to the IDT home page. When the home page is loading for first time, all images details are extracted from the database and stored in a variable. The images with their captions can be viewed like a slide show with the help of JavaScript. This displays random images without the page needing any reloading.
ully dynamic section with all details taken from the database.

Quick Updates

Quick updates are shown in a scrolling box. When we hold the mouse on these scrolling contents, we can list the contents as static. This scrolling box facility has been done using the JavaScript technology.

Packages Listing

All package categories are listed on the left side of the home page. When a visitor clicks on any of the category, it lists the tree structure of that category. The technology used is DIV. When a visitor clicks on the main category name, it uses a JavaScript function to hide or unhide the subcategory DIV.

Chat Corner

In the Home page, there is a link to the Chat corner. This section is used for live support. If the chat admin is online, the section displays the live support online icon. When a user clicks on that icon, it redirects the user to the online chat section.

Home Page Image
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Search option

The user can search by providing keywords and clicking on the ‘Go’ button. This will display the title and description set for the given keyword. Clicking the ‘Description’ link will redirect the user to the corresponding page/site.

Logo

Clicking the logo will provide a detailed description on the IDT logo.

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Pathfinder

The Pathfinder control in the home page functions like a tour operator for the IDT customers to select a tour to Kerala. Clicking the ‘Read More’ link alongside directs the user to the detailed page where IDT presents all the options available at all the popular destinations of Kerala.

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The IDT banner link displayed at the top of Home page also redirects the user to the detailed Pathfinder page.

Customer Care: This link directs to the Customer Care page.

News: (or Quick Updates) The latest IDT news will be displayed in a scrolling format here with the title and description.

Service Specialties: This link directs the user to a static page provided in the IDT site.

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Special Offers

The ‘Special Offers’ link directs the user to a page where special offers offered by the site are displayed

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Our Team

This link displays a static page providing information about the IDT team

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News & Events

The ‘News & Events’ link of the Home page directs the user to the page where there are the two links of ‘News’ and ‘Events’. The ‘News’ link displays the same news as in the Home page in a pop up screen.

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The ‘Events’ link displays the ‘Quick Updates’ of IDT in a pop up screen.

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Feedback

A feedback form is provided for the IDT customers to fill up. On clicking the ‘Submit’ button, the details entered will be sent as a mail to the IDT admin.

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Our Studio

This section provides a fascinating photo gallery of IDT.

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In this section, another type of slide show is used to display the images in the photo gallery section. All photo gallery images being displayed as a slide show here can be manually moved to the next and previous images. It consists of mainly three sections:

  • Enlarged view of image
  • Next & previous Button to move next and previous image manually
  • Thumb image display - Clicking on the thumb image will display the image in an enlarged size

Our Logo

‘Our logo’ link directs the user to the same page that is displayed on clicking the logo of the home page. This page gives a detailed description on the IDT logo.

Communication

This link displays a static page that provides the address details of IDT.

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Tour Packages

On the left side of the home page, below the caption ‘Tour Packages’, all IDT Tour package categories will be displayed with their title and image. On clicking the title or image, the subcategories of the clicked category will be displayed. Clicking on the subcategory will display all packages under it.

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Each package link will take the user to the detailed page of that package. Category will display all packages under it.
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There are options to ‘Book This Package’ and to take the ‘Print’ of the description. Click on the ‘Book This Package’ link to fill in a form to book a tour package.
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The details that have been entered will be sent to the IDT admin on clicking the ‘Submit’ button. The admin will reply with a confirmation mail regarding the booking details made by the customer.

Seat-In Coach Tours to South India and Kerala: A static link that redirects to the India Tour Packages page.
nk to fill in a form to book a tour package.

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Destinations and Attractions: Destinations and attractions page displays the states and their corresponding destinations.

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There is an option to search for destinations by providing a word/letter related to the destination name and by clicking the ‘Go’ button. Then the user will be directed to the Destinations Search Details page.

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Each destination link will direct the user to the corresponding destination detail page.

Clicking each destination link from the ‘Destinations & Attractions’ page will redirect the user to the detailed page that displays the details of that destination.
ted to the Destinations Search Details page.

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Destinations > (state) > (destination) links direct to the Destination & Attractions page.

Hotel, Resorts and Villas:

This link directs the user to the Hotel, Resorts and Villas page where the user can click on any destination link to view the hotels under that destination. There is search option to search by Destination, Category and/or Name of the hotel.

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Clicking the ‘Go’ button will direct the user to the search result page

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Each hotel name is a link that will direct to the detailed page of that hotel.

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(Destination) > (category) links at the top will redirect to the Search results page.

There is an option to ‘Book This Hotel’ and this link offers the customer a form to fill in to book the hotel selected.

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The details that have been entered will be sent to the IDT admin on clicking the ‘Submit’ button. The admin will reply with a confirmation mail regarding the booking details made by the customer.

Chat

The Chat section has been integrated with a high performance PHP-based chat for a live support. This mainly has two types of user's - admin and users. It is a JavaScript compatible web browser made in PHP.
Advantages of this chat

1) Unlimited number of channels

Each person on the chat gets his own private channel to communicate with the admin

2) Database backend

Data will be kept in MySQL server.

3) Ajax Technology

No browser flickers between message translations .

4) Browser independent

This chat works with any browser

5) No need of Proxy Server

For this chat, there is no need of any proxy servers

Loading User Side Window
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User Login Section

A user can login with a nickname.
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Offline Message

If the administrator is offline, the user may send an offline message to the administrator.
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Key Features
  • Advanced HTML editing functionality using RT Editor
  • Online Support using PHP Chat
  • Image Slide show
  • Customer Tracking
  • Fully Dynamic Contents

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