Travel booking website BTCTrip is now allowing its customers to pay in both Litecoin and Dogecoin for their flights and accommodations.
In June 2013 BTCTrip started to accept bitcoins as payment option of online flight and hotel booking and now expanded the payment offers by means of inclusion Litecoin and Dogecoin. It was made for the cryptocurrency user community, and also to compete Expedia and the likes of Travelocity.
BTCTrip founder and CEO Martin Fernandez in interview with CoinDesk said that addition the popular altcoins to the company’s payment options allows to draw attention of growing communities in the conditions of intensive development of the digital currency industry.
As the Dogecoin community actively develops and than his followers becomes more increasing this decision can be considered quite reasonable.
Fernandez follows this community because they are trying to do new things and therefore introduction of dogecoin was very important. As he considers BTCTrip is a innovative company in cryptocurrency communities.
Technical aspect is following: Georgia-based BitPay will continue to process BTCTrip’s bitcoin payments, but Santa Monica, California-based GoCoin will be handling the litecoin and dogecoin payments.
During the interview Mr. Fernandez placed emphasis on altcoins as a smart, long-term business strategy to stimulate the adding litecoin and dogecoin payments by new digital currency users.
Also he noted that at bitcoin’s price increase conversion levels of its company are narrowed. Therefore during this period litecoin and dogecoin payments can become alternative as they are characterized by the strong buying power.
Mr. Fernandez spoke with enthusiasm about the dogecoin community but also noted progress in litecoin’s one. For him Litecoin was the second means of payment in the market.
It should be noted increase of competitiveness by means of introduction the new payment methods. CheapAir and Expedia are main competitors for BTCTrip, but they use only Bitcoin as digital currency: CheapAir – for hotels, flights and Amtrak bookings and Expedia only for hotel bookings. Thus, the introduction of the new payment methods will bring BTCTrip success according to Fernandez.
Confirmation of competitiveness is inclusion BTCTrip as part of PhoCusWright’s Travel Innovation Summit, which will be this November. Also BTCTrip will take part in the leading global travel industry conference.
In conclusion of interview Mr. Fernandez said: “I always repeat the same sentence, we are not accepting bitcoin [and dogecoin], we are accepting bitcoiners and dogecoiners. We are accepting the cryptocurrency community.”
Polina is an undergraduate student at Belarusian State Economic University (BSEU) where she is studying at the faculty of International Business Communication for a degree specializing in Intercultural Communication. In her spare time she enjoys drawing, music and travelling.
