Berkom USA brings San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau online as first U.S. participant in a global multimedia tourism project; global network links 21 countries in electronic tourism marketplace.

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 1996--As a result of a strategic agreement between Berkom USA (Austin, TX) and the San Diego Data Processing Corporation (SDDPC), San Diego's Convention and Visitors Bureau is now the first U.S. participant in an emerging global network of tourism operators throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim.

The electronic tourism pilot project, called SAM (Services and Applications for a Worldwide Market in Tourism), is designed to allow tourist boards, hotel owners, cultural events, restaurants, and others to trade with travel agencies and customers throughout the world using computer systems and public telecommunications networks.

The SAM project, with 400 users in more than 20 countries throughout the world, is a large-scale, commercially realistic prototype of a worldwide electronic marketplace for tourism. Utilizing scaleable networks from Integrated Digital Services Network (ISDN) to Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) links, SAM allows small and medium-sized businesses to exchange text, sound, still images, and video files across global electronic networks.

Based on feedback from current project partners, the proof-of-concept project is scheduled to become a commercial product by mid-1997.

Berkom USA is looking for additional partners in major cities throughout the United States for participation in the pilot project.

"We're thrilled to participate in this project, especially since we are getting involved at an early stage where our input will help define the final product," said Reint Reinders, president of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"A growing number of overseas visitors that come to our beautiful city each year are Europeans, where the largest group of SAM users is concentrated. SAM gives us one more tool to reach one of our target audiences and serves as a complement to existing marketing channels," Reinders added.

"In a time when travelers are becoming increasingly selective about their holidays, SAM is a powerful multimedia application that delivers a value-added service both to tourism bureaus and travel agents," said Joe Sims, president and CEO of Berkom USA.

"By virtue of its links into global reservation systems, its use of point-to-point broadband networks, and foreign language functionality, SAM overcomes some of the traditional obstacles for this industry."

The SAM project began as a series of trials funded by the European Commission. SAM is a real-time trading network, aimed at providing a system for sharing information about products, availability, pricing, and booking. Additionally, SAM allows users to monitor usage statistics and negotiate in the marketplace.

The SAM trial currently involves users from Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, Sweden, Italy, Greece, Portugal, South Africa, Germany, Norway, England, Denmark, Spain, France, Austria, Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Scotland, and now, with San Diego's participation, the United States. A 1,400-person common interest group sets international standards for the project.

"This is exactly the kind of public-private partnership that will use a global reach to bring about a regional benefit," said Roger Talamantez president and CEO of the San Diego Data Processing Corporation.

"We are pleased to be providing the technical support for this first prototype installation in the United States. In the future we hope to be able to expand the benefits of the SAM technology from tourism to an increased use of high-capacity telecommunications in regional government including a heightened public access for San Diego's citizens."

The San Diego Data Processing Corporation (SDDPC) is working closely with Berkom USA to provide systems integration support to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. The SAM architecture is designed as a globally distributed network of servers with local nodes. Eventually, a San Diego-based SAM server will be accessible by SAM clients running on standard PCs throughout the San Diego region.

The San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is a private, non-profit corporation of approximately 1,500 organizations, businesses, local governments, and individuals. The Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes and markets San Diego County as a vacation destination and convention site. Tourism is San Diego's third largest revenue-generating industry, with visitors spending more than $3.8 billion in 1995.

San Diego Data Processing Corporation (SDDPC) is a California non-profit public benefit corporation established in 1979 by the City of San Diego. SDDPC's mission is to provide data processing and telecommunications services to the City and other governmental organizations. SDDPC is operated by an independent Board of Directors appointed by the City of San Diego acting through the City Council.

Berkom USA is an Austin, TX-based organization and the designated U.S. source for DeTeBerkom-developed high-speed multimedia applications. DeTeBerkom is a Deutsche Telekom group company established in 1993 with the mission of conducting research and development of market-suited application solutions for present and future telecommunications networks.

CONTACT: Berkom USA

Marcus Carpenter, 512/345-6968

email: [e-mail]

or

SDDPC

Jeryl Cordell, 619/533-4055

email: [e-mail]

or

San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau

Dan Flores, 619/557-2834