marketing - Blogs - Tripatini2024-03-29T13:18:03Zhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/feed/tag/marketingHow to Start Your Affiliate Marketing Online Business?https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/how-to-start-your-affiliate-marketing-online-business2022-06-15T16:20:00.000Z2022-06-15T16:20:00.000ZNandahttps://tripatini.com/members/Nanda119<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/10901697884?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>Do you know that affiliate marketing business is one of the best and most profitable ventures you can do online? If you are planning to begin your affiliate internet marketing business, you may be attempting to find systems to start the business. This text will help you to discover the best secrets you should use to establish a successful affiliate internet marketing business.</p><p>Before beginning your affiliate business, you need to find out your personal interest. This is important because when you discover your private interest, you can easily be the best one in the field you are interested in. List all possible areas you like and are highly fascinated by and then prioritize these fields to find the best one for you. Once you decide your field, you are prepared to create your affiliate business in that area you love the most.</p><p>Then, perform some research, find an online marketing course and find out about affiliate promotion. You want to learn what the affiliate marketing is, how it functions, what benefits you can expect from it and what systems you want to use to maximize those benefits. For example, you want to learn traffic creation, list building, and consumer analysis strategies to maximize the benefits of affiliate marketing.</p><p>After studying affiliate marketing and becoming ready to take action, find a profitable niche and select successful products in that niche. You may either start with information products or physical products. Both have unique advantageous over the other one.</p><p>Next, purchase your website hosting package. Later, select a name for your domain and select your own site name and also purchase a website hosting package. When buying your web hosting package, buy the most secure, stable and trusty website hosting package for your affiliate business.</p><p>Next, start to set- up your associate website. Some of the new affiliates may think they don't have to have an internet site to do this business. Actually, this is not true and you definitely need to build your blog or website to insert your affiliate links and to be able to promote the offerings before sending potential buyers to the merchants' websites. The hidden secret to become an affiliate millionaire is essentially about building prime quality blogs or websites. Another secret is that making review pages for the products you are promoting.</p><p>After building your blog or website, you need to start generating traffic to it. At about that point, you want to learn the techniques to generate carefully targeted traffic to your blog or website. Fundamentally, there are two main techniques to generate traffic: free traffic creation strategies and paid traffic generation techniques. As an inexperienced affiliate, you might need to go with the free methods until you are assured to start coughing up for your traffic. Free methods of traffic generation include a variety of effective strategies you will need to learn and use. A few of these methods are: writing and submitting content to article directory websites with your back links, placing classified advertisements, marketing your blog on the social network websites, socializing in forums related to your niche and <a href="https://1on1seotraining.com/why-learn-seo-strategy-this-year/">SEO strategies</a>.</p><p><span style="font-size:8pt;"><em>Internet marketing implies difficult work particularly at the start. Nonetheless, when you start driving the traffic to your blog or internet site, you will start to get the favorable results of the business. The secret is to be patient, consistent, relative and dedicated. As long as you stay in this definition, you may absolutely get the successful contented end.</em></span></p></div>Old-New Forms of Tourism Product Developmenthttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/old-new-forms-of-tourism-product-development2017-10-24T18:24:38.000Z2017-10-24T18:24:38.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p><em><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009192871,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009192871,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="9009192871?profile=original" /></a><span class="font-size-1"><a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/es/image-photo/happy-beautiful-unrecognizable-tourist-woman-fashionable-533705191?src=jYbLiHoXKI8lSJ8x0H0olQ-1-19" target="_blank">Oleg_P</a></span></em><br /> <br /> <br /> The famous French phrase: “<em>plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose</em>” (the more things change the more they are the same) is a good starting point for tourism product development. Often what is old becomes new, and what we see as innovative was always right before our eyes. Some basic principles of tourism product development are that “every community has a unique tale to tell, we just have not yet uncovered it”. Another key factor is: “Be who you are, do not be what you are not”. Finally, "what was “then” may well become what will be tomorrow”. In other words things that were pedestrian a century or more ago, may become tomorrow’s unique tourism attractions. Below is a listing of some ideas for the “re-creation” of tourism products. This section is divided into a part one, (1) the theories and methods and (2) some practical ideas that may (or may not be) a right fit for your community or tourism business.<br /> <br /> <strong>Part 1: Principles to consider</strong><br /> <br /> -Know your community. Most tourism directors and officials believe that they know their community. Often what they mean to say is that they know the city’s streets and locations of hotels, restaurants, attractions etc. There is, however another knowledge, often forgotten. It is the hidden tale behind the obvious. Do we know what tales these buildings might tell us if they could speak? What lies below the surface? It is from the ephemeral locale (rather than the physical locale) that ideas for new products are born.<br /> <br /> Start then by asking yourself questions such as”<br /> <br /> -<strong><span style="color:#ff00ff;">What are the key components within your tourism industry and what story do they have to tell?</span></strong><br /> <br /> · Hotels<br /> · Restaurants<br /> · Shopping<br /> · Attractions<br /> · Weather<br /> · Other?<br /> <br /> -<strong><span style="color:#ff00ff;">How do these factors impact your community and what is the interaction between them? For example look at the:</span></strong><br /> <br /> · Sociological factors<br /> · Economic factors, national and international<br /> · Political factors<br /> · Security and safety<br /> · Environmental factors<br /> · Education and educational opportunities<br /> · Convention and meetings<br /> <br /> <br /> Then put this information all together, and use it to know your tourism community’s strengths and weaknesses:<br /> <br /> -Seek ways to create new combinations from already existing attractions. Many communities have attractions that are marketed as singular products. Take the time to think how these attractions can compliment and support each other. Convention and Visitor Bureaus or Ministries of Tourism do their industry a service by developing ways that all of the tourism industry’s many components can interact. Develop half-, full-, and multi-day packages and tours. The ultimate goal is to entice visitors to stay longer and spend more money.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">-Know your market.</span></strong> Just because the attraction seems commonplace to you does not mean that it will be commonplace to your clients. People want what they do not have, see, feel, or touch. Thus, a person who has never heard the silence of a desert’s night may be fascinated by something that is all to normal to the local population. Connect each attraction to the unstated narrative that forms the basis of your community.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">-Seek projects that compliment your community's current. </span></strong> Do not be afraid to cluster. Visitors hate having to travel great distances between sites in the same city. In most cases, clustering, without overkill, is successful. Encourage development that builds on current strengths.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">-Open up new avenues. </span></strong> Look for new development that although is different from what you have, does not destroy current successes. Take the time to think about what visitor population segmentations are compatible. Keep in mind that some groups cannot coexist with other visitor sub-groups or may be unacceptable to the local population. <br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">-Do not be blind to new possibilities.</span></strong> Obtain ideas and insights from both local and outside experts. Outside experts are not blinded by local prejudices. Often outside experts will see an asset that is so common to locals that it is overlooked. These specialists are not hamstrung by current local realities.<br /> <br /> Often the further a tourism product is from reality the more the income the product will produce. The representation of a tourism product placed in a new reality is called “simulata”. For example, few people may pay to be in a gun-fight, but many will pay to see the reenactment of a gun fight<br /> <br /> <strong>Part II: New Types of Tourism Product Development</strong><br /> <br /> Below are a few of the areas where tourism has created whole new products that build on local cultures and turn the mundane into the unique.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">-Take advantage of where you live.</span></strong> If you live in a rural community create a farm tour experience, but make sure your farmers are in favor of this idea before you begin. If you have local cooperation, then the the Israeli kibbutz (collective farm) model is one to consider. Kibbutzim (plural of kibbutz) allow people from all over the world to have a taste of a rural farming community. Not only do the kibbutz guests provide free and needed labor, especially during the harvest periods, but the tourists pay for the privilege or learning how to work the fields.<br /> <br /> <strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">-Look at new potential demographics.</span></strong> Tourism is a celebration of the unique and the different. What demographics might become a new tourism product? For example, is your community gay friendly? The gay tourism market will continue to grow. Many gays and lesbians have more expendable income than the heterosexual population, but be careful not to generalize. Also do not assume that because a couple is gay, that the couple does not have children. Today’s gay populations range from the single to the married, from the person who seeks to travel so as to meet new people to the gay married couple that seeks a gay friendly family atmosphere.<br /> <br /> -<strong><span style="color:#0000ff;">Grandparent-grandchildren vacations are an often overlooked demographic.</span></strong> Grandparents love to spoil their grandchildren and in taking a grandchild on a special trip may also provide a need reprieve for their own children. There are some key factors in making this demographic work. For example, one is that grandparents will easily panic if they do not believe the location is not safe. This demographic is a perfect example how tourism safety and security pay off in economic benefits.</p><p></p></div>Itty Bitty Hello Kitty Rules the Roomshttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/itty-bitty-kitty-rules-the-rooms2014-06-16T17:17:32.000Z2014-06-16T17:17:32.000ZBev Malzardhttps://tripatini.com/members/BevMalzard<div><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rP1t9ES5Lp4/UTWMIFfYsAI/AAAAAAAABIw/ruQa_5r5KHQ/s1600/2013-02-26+00.25.30.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rP1t9ES5Lp4/UTWMIFfYsAI/AAAAAAAABIw/ruQa_5r5KHQ/s320/2013-02-26+00.25.30.jpg?width=240" width="240" class="align-center" alt="2013-02-26+00.25.30.jpg?width=240" /></a></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2818866046091392226"><div style="text-align:left;" dir="ltr"><table align="center" style="width:720px;" border="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="370" align="left" valign="top" rowspan="3"><div>I don't get Hello Kitty. Well, I do get Hello Kitty - I get the merchandising, the appeal to pre-adolescent females and the cutesy factor that seems to adorn all young Asian girls and indeed little girls all over the shopping world. I get that it's a character of fiction - I don't get the look (Kitty is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow), I don't get why Kitty doesn't have a mouth.</div><div class="separator" style="clear:both;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear:both;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8GzLbvhjOIo/UTWMcjxPktI/AAAAAAAABI4/wO4KwLIM4Xg/s1600/2013-02-26+00.55.57.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8GzLbvhjOIo/UTWMcjxPktI/AAAAAAAABI4/wO4KwLIM4Xg/s320/2013-02-26+00.55.57.jpg?width=320" width="320" class="align-center" alt="2013-02-26+00.55.57.jpg?width=320" /></a></div><div>Researching the erstwhile feline, I found out she was created by Yuko Shimizu in 1974, and first appeared on a vinyl coin purse, introduced to the Japanese public and then Kitty conquered the US in 1976. <span style="font-size:13px;">The character Hello Kitty is a staple of the</span> <i style="font-size:13px;">kawaii</i> <span style="font-size:13px;">segment of Japanese popular culture. She is a Sanrio character (there are many Kitty family members - now I'm creeping myself out as I'd like to meet them), and Sanrio has groomed Hello Kitty into a global; marketing phenomenon worth $5 billion a year. </span><span style="font-size:13px;">(In 1962, Shintaro Tsuji, founder of Sanrio, sold rubber sandals with flowers painted on them. He noted profits soared with the addition of cute designs on sandals and hired cartoonists to design cuties for his merchandise. )</span></div><div>Anyway chubby kitty cat is all over the world now - and every little girl knows her. And surprisingly (not) many adults have embraced her too . . . I don't get it. But I'm starting to . . .</div><div>The target market for Hello Kitty broadened to include teens and grown-ups as a retro brand - for those who could not get her when they were young. In 1999, 12,000 different products had Kitty appearing on them worldwide. And now it gets silly - in 2009, the Bank of America began offering Hello Kitty-themed cheque accounts, where the account holder can get cheques and a Visa debit card with Kitty's mouthless face on it = MasterCard debit cards have featured Kitty as a design since 2004. <span style="font-size:13px;">(Thanks to Wikipedia for some of this info - hope it's correct.)</span></div><div>And now to the Grand Hai-Lai hotel in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where I stayed last week. A wonderful hotel with elegant rooms and friendly staff AND a Hello Kitty Suite. It features a living room, dining room and a master bedroom, and it offers 50sq.m of space.</div><div> </div><div><table style="width:720px;text-align:center;" border="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td width="350" height="40" valign="middle" style="text-align:left;"><div class="separator" style="text-align:center;clear:both;"><a style="margin-right:1em;margin-left:1em;" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2359j0yn4Bo/UTWOfhJ1RSI/AAAAAAAABJY/-6lFg_eZn2I/s1600/2013-02-26+00.56.06.jpg"><img width="320" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2359j0yn4Bo/UTWOfhJ1RSI/AAAAAAAABJY/-6lFg_eZn2I/s320/2013-02-26+00.56.06.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-02-26+00.56.06.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="text-align:center;clear:both;"><a style="margin-right:1em;margin-left:1em;" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGQFSXZYjYQ/UTWOfP8mcrI/AAAAAAAABJQ/Wb6sHi5yezA/s1600/2013-02-26+01.06.20.jpg"><img width="320" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GGQFSXZYjYQ/UTWOfP8mcrI/AAAAAAAABJQ/Wb6sHi5yezA/s320/2013-02-26+01.06.20.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-02-26+01.06.20.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="text-align:center;clear:both;"><a style="margin-right:1em;margin-left:1em;" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CW983rfnFZU/UTWPo98oHZI/AAAAAAAABJo/6Rr8Gx6keqo/s1600/2013-02-26+00.55.25.jpg"><img width="320" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CW983rfnFZU/UTWPo98oHZI/AAAAAAAABJo/6Rr8Gx6keqo/s320/2013-02-26+00.55.25.jpg" border="0" alt="2013-02-26+00.55.25.jpg" /></a></div><div class="title3" style="text-align:justify;"></div></td></tr><tr><td class="t1" valign="top" style="text-align:left;"><div>In the delightfully pink suite, decorated with sweet Hello Kitty miniature vases and paintings, residents will find a Hello Kitty mini-studio and a complete Hello Kitty tea set. The large bathroom has a jumbo sanded Kitty mirror - take your time and enjoy a Kitty bubble bath!</div><div><br /> Grand Hai-Lai and Sanrio Corporation of Japan present the "Hai-Lai Kitty House" situated in the hotel lobby, where Hello Kitty limited editions and gifts are exclusively sold. Enjoy shopping in pink-decorated romance! All Hello Kitty amenities provided in the rooms are available in store. <span style="font-size:13px;">I purchased a Hello Kitty pair of slippers - at the Hello Kitty store in the hotel, and one of my travelling companions, writer Christine Retschlag tried out the Hello Kitty bicycle. There's a Hello Kitty car for bride and groom who come to the hotel to have a Hello Kitty wedding. </span><span style="font-size:13px;">The Hello Kitty breakfast features a Kitty face stamped in the toast and a Kitty moulded sweet. There's even a Hello Kitty face drizzled in tomato sauce on the fried egg.</span></div><div><br /> It was a Hello Kitty overload looking at the HK scene but one can't be cynical or churlish while the young woman showing us with giggles and glee all the hotel has to show of Kitty - they softened all the kitsch blows and were delighted with my slipper purchase - I would go so far to say they were impressed with me - and I got a discount.</div><div>Kitty update:<br /></div><div>I was in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak, Borneo and found cakes in the window of a mall cake shop: cup cakes, big cakes and faces covering cookies.</div><div><br /> My Hello Kitty fixation continues as friends and family now give me Hello Kitty paraphernalia - this is my latest - a Hello Kitty toothbrush for my birthday.</div><div><br /> It's never ending . . .I was in Vienna two weeks ago and found a Hello Kitty shop in the backstreets . . . .</div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p></div></div></div>Booking.Com’s Fun ‘Booking Epic’ Campaign and Video Raise the Bar for Travelershttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/booking-com-s-fun-booking-epic-campaign-and-video-raise-the-bar2014-01-20T14:39:58.000Z2014-01-20T14:39:58.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008814479,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008814479,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008814479?profile=original" /></a></p><p></p><p><br /> <strong>Turning the mundane, frustrating experience of booking a hotel online into a fun moment, is an act of legerdemain that only Booking.com is probably able to pull off.</strong><br /> <br /> Take a look at their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjYUb42X4zE&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">YouTube</a> commercial to see what I mean. It’s wry, funny and self-deprecating.<br /> <br /> It’s a spoof on hotel TV commercials that in and of itself, is a smart TV commercial for Booking.com’s new U.S ad campaign: “Booking Epic.”<br /> <br /> But we have come to expect these sorts of creative approaches from the company that’s the largest brand in the global online accommodation sector.<br /> <br /> Last year it won the coveted Adrian Award bestowed by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for its first U.S advertising campaign, ‘Booking.yea’, which, Chief Marketing Officer, Paul Hennessy said reflects their commitment to helping travelers experience ‘the delight of the right’ with their accommodations.<br /> <br /> <br /> <a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008814699,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008814699,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="225" alt="9008814699?profile=original" /></a><br /> The new 2014 campaign builds on that success. The “Booking Epic” experience is designed to delighting consumers and “raise the bar for travelers.”<br /> <br /> <strong>The company, with 25 different varieties of accommodations, 400,000 properties in 193 countries, asks travelers to share even the smallest detail that went into making their accommodations epic. Or “Epic.”</strong><br /> <br /> What could that be?</p><p>It could be the cashew nuts.<br /> Or the complimentary breakfast.<br /> How about the minbar, or the incredibly powerful hair dryer?<br /> Or…<br /> <br /> <strong>It’s pretty self-explanatory, but clever, because people don’t book a hotel room, they book an experience</strong>. They book a story.<br /> <br /> The campaign was created by Wieden+ Kennedy Amsterdam Creative, and the theme is simplicity itself: A successful hotel stay is shaped by thousand of little and often weird details that Wieden+Kennedy directors say cause travelers across the globe, to glow.<br /><br /> The video itself is airing from January 14 on across the United States as a compelling component of “Booking Epic” showing people getting in touch with what they really like and want about their hotel stay.<br /><br /></p><p></p></div>Some of the Principal Issues Facing the Travel Industry Part Two of a Two Part Series (Part One is in last month’s edition)https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/some-of-the-principal-issues-facing-the-travel-industry-part-two2016-03-14T01:09:20.000Z2016-03-14T01:09:20.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p align="center"><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4">Last month we examined some of the challenges facing the tourism industry in 2016. This month we examine some of the other challenges with which tourism leaders may have to contend in 2016. It should be noted that although the material in both the February and March editions is treated as separate challenges, there is often an interaction between them and these challenges are not stand alones but rather part of a total whole.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">Be prepared for economic instability.</span> We are now seeing the stock market on a roller coaster and coupled with low gas prices, there is a sense of ennui and foreboding. Last year’s feel good combination has now changed to one of wait-and-see in the United States, Latin America and Europe. Experts indicate that there are multiple clouds on the horizon. These include an unstable European economy, recession in countries such as Brazil and low employment rates, and a slowing down of the Chinese economy. It is essential to remember that although unemployment is low in the US, this figure does not necessarily reflect a strong economy, but rather that millions of people have ceased looking for work. In this world of false recoveries, low unemployment does not translate into the willingness on the part of the public to travel more.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-View the world carefully.</span> The political world will continue to be unstable and when instability hits people are less likely to spend money on luxury items such as travel. Political instability is now a major concern in Africa and Latin America, with the Middle East, Europe, and North America open to terrorism attacks and Latin America still suffering from high levels of crime and drug trafficking. Furthermore, no one knows how Europe’s refugee crisis will play out and what the consequences of increased crime will be on European tourism. Brazil, along with much of Latin America, is suffering from both issues of crime and issues of health and sanitation.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-Be aware of the lack of trained personnel.</span> Because many tourism areas have grown rapidly there are too many location where there is a dearth of skilled labor. Tourism needs people who are both inspired and well trained. Yet, too few people in the tourism industry speak multiple languages, are proficient in high tech computer skills or have a good knowledge of statistics and how to utilize them. This lack of education and training creates not only numerous financial losses but also creates lost opportunities and the inability to adapt to new challenges.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-Low Salaries, recruitment and retention.</span> Many on line and front line workers receive low salaries, have low levels of job loyalty, and change jobs with high level of rapidity. This high turnover level makes training difficult and often each time a person leaves, the information is lost. T o make matters even more challenging these are often the person with whom visitors come in contact. The formula tends to guarantee low job satisfaction and low levels of customer satisfaction. This situation has resulted in the lack of availability of skilled manpower by the travel and tourism industry, one of the largest if not the largest employment generators in the world. If tourism is to be a sustainable product then it needs to turn part-time jobs into careers without pricing itself out of the market. If the travel and tourism industry hopes to continue to grow it will need trained personnel, and a willing and enthusiastic workforce at every level from the managerial, to skilled workers to the semi-skilled worker.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-Nonsensical regulations and over regulations.</span> No one is arguing that tourism should be an unregulated industry, but often governments’ desires to regulate trumps common sense. All too often decisions are made so as to avoid a law suite or negative media coverage. Too many regulations are reactive to problems that are minimal while refusing to be proactive regarding growing problems. Often the desire to over-regulate puts tourism businesses in jeopardy and fail to help the consumer.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-The lack of adequate and truthful marketing. </span> Too many locations tend to either exaggerate or simply fabricate. The lack of truth in marketing means that the public not only loses confidence in the industry but investors fear being burnt. Marketing has to be both innovative and true. Tourism is a highly competitive industry and requires good and innovative marketing that captures a place’s essence while making people aware of the locale’s tourism offerings.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-The lack of amenities or the over charging for the use of amenities.</span> In too many locations around the world there is a lack of simple amenities. From clean and potable water at hotels to well maintained public rest rooms. In all too many locations finding simple public services is a constant challenge. Signage is often unintelligible to the foreign tourist, parking turns an outing into a nightmare, and as hard as it seems to believe there are all too many “good” quality hotels that charge for internet service. In many locations the hotel’s in-room phone service is outrageously expensive even for local calls. The lack of amenities or the over charging for their usage destroys the sense of hospitality and turns guests into mere customers.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">-The need to develop or update tourism infrastructure.</span> Around the world tourism suffers from poor infrastructure. These infrastructure challenges range from substandard docks and ports of entry to modes of transport to urban infrastructure such as access roads, electricity, water supply, sewerage and telecommunication. As airplanes begin to carry more people airports will face not only the problems of handling large numbers of arriving passengers but also will need to find ways to unload luggage faster, and transit people through immigration and customs lines. The lack of infrastructure will also impact issues of security as governments attempt to ferret out potential terrorists while creating a warm and welcoming arrival experience.</span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">The airline industry will continue to be the part of tourism that visitors love to hate.</span> Air travel has gone from elegant to pedestrian. Today passengers are crowded onto planes as of they were cattle and treated as if they were criminals rather than honored guests. Airfares are so complicated that passengers need a college course to understand them and the once popular airline loyalty programs continue to degenerate. Service is often so bad that when flight attendants smile, passengers actually thank them. Unfortunately the “getting there” has become part of the “being there”, and unless the tourism industry can work with the airline industry to change attitudes, be less mercenary and more flexible the entire industry may suffer. When poor air service is combined with infrastructure problems the combination may in the long run be deadly and “staycations” may over take vacations.</span></p><p align="center"><span class="font-size-4"> </span></p><p><span class="font-size-4"><span style="color:#ff6600;">Nothing works if visitors are afraid and not secure.</span> The spread of terrorist groups throughout the world is a major threat to tourism. Tourism must learn to create not merely security and safety but ‘surety”: the interaction between the two. That means that locations without TOPPs (tourism policing) programs will suffer and eventually decline. Private security and public security will need to learn to interact and work well not only with each other but with the media and marketers. The old and outdates adage that security scares visitors is more and more being replaced with the adage that the lack of security provokes fear among visitors. Cyber crime will continue to be another major challenge the travel industry faces. Tourism cannot merely hobble from pandemics and health crisis to the next. Also, unless the travel and tourism industry can protect visitor privacy and lower the incidents of fraud, it will face an ever greater and daunting challenge during 2016. </span></p></div>Culinary Tourism: Food as a Tourism Marketing Agenthttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/culinary-tourism-travel-marketing2016-04-03T21:39:07.000Z2016-04-03T21:39:07.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9009047697,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="750" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9009047697,original{{/staticFileLink}}" class="align-center" alt="9009047697?profile=original" /></a>There's little doubt that food is a major part of the tourism experience. If tourism is about seeing new sights and having new and unique experiences, then the culinary world is a major part of the tourism experience. Because eating is an essential part of living, food or culinary tourism has a broad base of appeal. In fact, often when visitors return home, one of the first questions that people ask is ‘how is the food?” <br /> <br /> The interaction between tourism and food is often called culinary tourism. In reality this is a broad term that often means different things to different people. Often scholars define culinary tourism along the lines of: visitors having the opportunity of partaking in unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences. Culinary tourism tries to provide authentic local cuisines that represent both the tastes and smells of a nation as a part of that locale’s cultural offerings and heritage. This definition, however, may speak more to a locale’s “haute cuisine” than to the eating experience of the average local resident. <br /> <br /> The World Food Tourism Association supports this assertion, noting that “only 8.1 percent of all foodies self-identify with the “gourmet” label.” Thus the association argues that most people enjoy good food and drink but there is no necessary relationship between the enjoyment of a culinary experiences and the cost of that experience.<br /> <br /> Often the most interesting culinary experiences come from a variety of social and economic classes. Furthermore, every community has a culinary food potential, although often visitors or tourists do not get to experience it and at times the local population under appreciates it. To help you create a local culinary tourism experience that will add pride to your own community and at the same time, provide unique travel experiences, Tourism Tidbits offers the following ideas, cautions, and experiences:<br /> <br /> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> - Culinary tourism tends to work best when it is combined with other aspects of tourism.</span> Although we all love to eat, when visiting a location we usually want to do more than eat. Pair your tourism culinary offering with other compatible and complementary offerings. A good example of food and tourism activities is the ski business. That business does a good job of encouraging people to ski during the day, use up calories and then not feel guilty about their caloric consumption during the après-ski period.<br /> <br /> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> - Know your own food traditions. </span> All too often, locals either do not realize that a particular food expresses the unique flavor of a locale and all too often are ignorant of the food’s history. Combine the eating experience with the cultural or historical experience. Create food centers that allow people to experience not only the local tastes but also the local atmosphere. Create ways that people cannot only sample the local cuisine but either take samples home or purchase the receipts.<br /> <br /> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> - Make sure that people know what they are getting.</span> Although food consumption is big business, we live in a world of multiple eating restrictions, be these restrictions due to religious, ethnic, medical, or health reasons. A location can lose all the good will obtained through culinary tourism simply through misinformation or through a poorly trained staff. Food is both an issue of pleasure and comfort, but also highly emotionally charged. Poor food training or lack of sensitivity toward food avoidance needs can result not only in an unhappy customer, but in worse case scenario, a law suite.<br /> <br /> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> -There are multiple subsets to culinary tourism.</span> Culinary tourism has multiple sub-categories. For example there are places that emphasize their beer tourism such as Germany, wine tourism such as California, France, Italy or Portugal, chocolate tourism in Switzerland and Belgium. Each of these culinary tourisms is subset of the larger world of culinary tourism. All of these locations have a number of things in common. These include: (1) they base their tourism on numerous locations where visitors can both sample and compare. Thus, for wine tourism to work, there must be a cluster of vineyards in close proximity to each other, (2) there is coordination with other components of the tourism industry, from tour companies to international guides, (3) the beer halls, vineyards, chocolate stores must collaborate with each other.<br /> <br /> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> - Assure that local foods are fresh and wholesome.</span> There is nothing that can destroy culinary tourism faster than a reputation for lack of hygiene or for being a place in which people get sick. Make sure that the water supply is adequate and potable. Emphasize foods that are fresh, local, organic, and sustainable. Using seasonal foods means that your culinary tourism product changes with the seasons and that you can encourage repeat visitation. Remember to keep things as uncomplicated as possible. When it comes to culinary tourism remember the simpler and easier to understand the better. <br /> <br /> <span style="color:#ff0000;"> - All forms of culinary tourism are especially appealing to rural areas. </span> These are areas that often lack indoor attractions, are close to food sources, and often have preserved local traditions. Rural food tourism locations that are most successful have found ways to protect their food ecology and offer interesting and hardy meals at reasonable prices. The keys are (1) excellent and friendly customer service (2) unique or wholesome foods, reasonable prices, and local marketing so that the outsider knows not only where to go but also hours of service. Rural culinary tourism can easily be linked to heritage and historical tourism. These locations may not require a great deal of paid labor and often provide unique experiences. For example, church suppers create a tourism experience, a social experience and a way for the local church to gain additional revenue.</p><p></p><p></p><p><span class="font-size-1"><em>image | <a id="portfolio_link" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-588604p1.html" name="portfolio_link">Anan Kaewkhammul</a></em></span></p><p></p><p></p></div>Does Social Media Noise Actually Hurt the Travel Biz?https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/does-social-media-noise-actually-hurt-the-travel-biz-12013-01-09T17:14:23.000Z2013-01-09T17:14:23.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008745469,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="300" class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008745469,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008745469?profile=original" /></a><strong>Or, Are Facebook and Twitter a Waste of Time for the Travel Marketer</strong>?<br /> <br /> How surprising is this: <strong>In the second half of last year, fewer that 1% of visitors arrived at a hotel or travel booking site, "via a social media link or a link shared by by a friend</strong>," reports <a href="http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/hotel_marketers_wasting_time_on_facebook_and_twitter" target="_blank">Hotelmarketing.com</a>.<br /> <br /> Does this mean hotels are wasting their time chasing the Holy Grail of Twitter and Facebook? Could be.<br /> <br /> <strong>We love our friends' photos and status updates, the report goes on to say, and it's very true that social media platforms and channels do develop loyalty.</strong> <br /> <strong>The contests do lead to deeper branding, but, it seems, all that presence and activity don't lead to proportionately to increased bookings.</strong><br /> <br /> What does? It seems to depend on the industry. <a href="http://www.imediaconnection.com/printpage/printpage.aspx?id=33254" target="_blank">IMedia Connection</a>, a marketing site, reports that science, business, news and entertainment visits prompted by links from other sites (Blogs; Social Media Sites) jumped from 9% in August 2011 to an average of 32% in August 2012."<br /> <br /> But the "voice-of-customer surveys" also shows that the same kind of connectivity growth did not apply to the hospitality/travel business, especially hotels. They lag behind.</p><p><strong>In fact, the number of visits that come from search engine results or typing in a URL ranged between 55 and 61% - vs. the 1% of visitors arriving at a hotel or travel booking site by way of a Social Media channel or link shared by a friend.</strong><br /> <br /> The apparent conclusion of the study is that "social media noise" matters less when booking a holiday or a hotel, than the "informed" or "perceived impartiality" afforded by key word searches and personalized research.<br /> <br /> Interestingly, as iMedia point out, other industries like the automotive industry also benefit less by social media presence and more by targeted, SEO searches. Again, how come?</p><p>It seems car buyers are not especially concerned with keeping up with the Smiths, an imperative implied implied in social media. Price, budget and specifications matter more than what friends say.<br /> <br /> But by no means should the travel industry step back from its investment in social media.<br /> <br /> It needs to be aware that spending to optimize SEO may be as good or better an investment that courting bloggers or counting too much on social media's clout. As we have said, an integrated approach is critical, where each marketing dollar support the other, especially, it seems, in travel.<br /></p><p>image/courtesy anthodges.co.uk<br /><br /><br /></p></div>Family Travel Marketing Strategies Fail Familieshttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/family-travel-marketing-strategies-fail-families2012-09-25T17:30:00.000Z2012-09-25T17:30:00.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008735662,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-left" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008735662,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="468" alt="9008735662?profile=original" /></a></p><p>In a previous post, <a href="http://newmediatravel.com/why-is-hotel-web-content-so-boring/" target="_blank">New Media Travel</a> asked “Why Is Hotel Content So Boring?”<br /> The point was that hotels, airlines, and often the entire travel industry, are inclined to present images of the perfect family: a leggy blonde mother, two gorgeous light-haired kids and a handsome, fit dad playing in the blue water.<br /> <br /> Or, lest they offend anyone, their glossies and web images are full of empty hotel pools, empty dining rooms and empty lobbies.<br /> <br /> Why?<br /> <br /> Hotels report that showing a racially mixed family or a same-sex family or whatever might offend potential visitors to a hotel or destination. In fact, one hotel exec said that even showing families might offend childless couples, and deter them from becoming guests of the property.<br /> <br /> But the USA is nothing if not a fascinating blend of mixed marriages, races, families, and sexual preferences. In truth, says HotelNewsNow, in 2010, traditional families made up only 20% of “married family” households.<br /> <br /> <em>The Brady Bunch</em> has given way to <em>The Modern Family</em>.<br /> <br /> The report from <a href="http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/8940/Marketing-to-the-modern-family" target="_blank">HotelNewsNow</a>, also says mixed-race families, same-sex parents, single parent and other non-traditional households “are among the fastest growing family segments.”<br /> <br /> But regardless of their growth and financial clout, these new families feel alienated and discriminated against and ignored, especially by the travel industry.<br /> <br /> <a href="%28http%3A//www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/data-points-modern-families-142950" target="_blank">AdWeek</a> has a very interestting infographic that breaks down the preferences and makeup of these non-traditional families.<br /> <br /> <strong>Highlights</strong>:<br /> <br /> • Seventy-six 76% of these new families opt to buy brands and travel services from companies that support causes the families believe in<br /> • But a huge 71% report that advertising they see does not show families like theirs<br /> • <strong>And 46% are “turned off” by advertising that “depicts the ideal family.”</strong><br /> <br /> John Fareed of <a href="http://www.johnfareed.com" target="_blank">Fareed Hospitality and Consulting</a> goes so far as to ask whether the travel industry in general and hotels in particular are aware of the dramatic change in the family segment.<br /> He argues, as did NewMediaTravel, that the travel industry, in its images, brochures, language and especially its videos must create a true emotional representation of what the hotel or destination is like.<br /> <br /> Most importantly, the travel industry has to find the courage to present the American Family as it is: a complex mosaic of non-traditional connections, and not as the idealized pictures in their brochures.<br /> <br /> Why it’s taking travel so long to adapt to the new demographic reality is puzzling. Perhaps the report will be a wake up call.</p></div>Dealing with Tourism Criseshttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/dealing-with-tourism-crises2014-06-07T20:09:54.000Z2014-06-07T20:09:54.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p>The tourism industry is highly vulnerable to crises be these man made or nature made, be these crises of a political, health or natural variety. Almost since the start of modern tourism, tourism professionals have had to take into account that the media devotes a great deal of time and space to disasters, especially if these disasters result in the loss of life, cause suffering, and produce some form of economic damage. During the period of time when the media focus in on the crisis, media coverage becomes a secondary crisis in and of itself and can threaten a tourist destinations reputation by negatively affecting visitors' perceptions of the locale.</p><p></p><p>For this reason tourism destinations cannot wait until a disaster has occurred in planning for a potential marketing crisis. Rather than wait until there is a crisis, the smart tourism professional will have a multitude of plans ready in the hope that he or she will never need to implement that plan. Perhaps the boy scout motto of “be prepared” is one that every tourism professional should also make his or her own. Then should a disaster occur then the plan can be modified to meet specific needs. To help you begin to develop a tourism disaster plan here are a few ideas:</p><p></p><p><span>-Determine what type of disaster is occurring</span>. In any disaster the first rule of marketing is to take a step back and to determine (1) is this really a disaster and (2) what type of disaster is it. The word marketing disaster can refer to anything from negative publicity due to a political or ethical gaff to negative publicity due to a physical tragedy. Thus, the first rule of marketing disaster management is to determine exactly what is the disaster. Is it a physical disaster, a public relations disaster, a weather related disaster? It may not be what happened but rather how you handled what happened.</p><p> </p><p><span>-Get out in front of the media.</span> The first person to speak about a problem often defines the problem and its scope. It is essential that the tourism professional take control of the situation right from the very beginning and that s/he determines how the disaster is presented to the public.</p><p></p><p><span>-Tell the truth and do not be defensive.</span> When faced with any form of media disaster do not increase the disaster by lying or becoming defensive. It is a lot better to tell your side of the story in clear and eloquent terms. Focus less on what happened and more on how you are or are planning to deal with the issue. Be specific and remember that most people today can see through spin and creative marketing fiction. Using such spin only tends to increase the length of time that the media deals with the story and prolongs your agony.</p><p></p><p><span>-Have a coordinate effort.</span> One of the greatest errors that you can do when faced with a marketing disaster is lack of coordination. Know who is in charge and defer to that person/persons. Do not try to second-guess the person in charge. On the other hand if those in charge are failing to get beyond the media crisis and do not seem to have a viable plan to handle the marketing disaster, then further action must be taken. It is not an error to change the course of action if the action is not working.</p><p></p><p><span>-Determine if the disaster is the event or the way the event is being handled</span> Often a major problem in managing a marketing disaster is not what has happened but what is perceived to have happened. In tourism, this means changing perceptions to truth and focusing in what you are doing to solve the problem. Give as many problem-solving specifics as possible and do not be afraid to admit that you do not have all the answers. People can accept that fact that you do not know an answer but have a harder time accepting the fact that you are hiding something from them or not telling the truth.</p><p></p><p><span>-Try to bring negative news coverage to its conclusion as soon as possible.</span> Know the news cycle and how you can turn the media's attention away from you. Assuming that the incident is producing negative coverage for you and hurting you in both the short and long term then the faster you can leave a new cycle the better that will be for your location.</p><p></p><p><span>Develop a simple message that can be repeated over and over again.</span> The acronym KISS (keep it simple stupid) is a good rule of thumb. State what you need to tell the public in a simple and uncomplicated way. Use direct sentences and keep your answers short. Develop one or two talking points and then do not be afraid to repeat them until they become associated as a counter balance to any negative reporting that may occur.</p><p></p><p><span>-Use pictures and the alternative (social media) to get your side of the story to the public.</span> Often a photo can say a million words and you do not have to surrender your right to show photos to the world to the media. In today's post-media world, anyone in tourism has access to social media and can simply upload photos that help to tell your side of the story. Email blasts are especially helpful in getting the word out and explaining your organization's viewpoint. Do not be afraid to take out ads, create newsletters etc. The important thing is that you control your crisis by taking the leadership position.</p></div>Family Travel Must Portray the “Real” American Familyhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/family-travel-must-portray-the-real-american-family2014-04-23T12:19:09.000Z2014-04-23T12:19:09.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008839291,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img width="500" class="align-center" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008839291,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="9008839291?profile=original" /></a></p><p> <br /> <em>Go ahead, type in “Perfect Family” in Google images. What do you see? Probably no one you recognize as a “typical” family. Pretty shocking.</em> <br /> <br /> <br />New Media Travel once asked <a href="http://newmediatravel.com/why-is-hotel-web-content-so-boring/" target="_blank">“Why Is Hotel Content So Boring?”</a><br /> <br /><em>The point was that hotels, airlines, and often the entire family travel industry, are inclined to present images of the perfect family: a leggy blonde mother, two gorgeous light-haired kids and a handsome, fit dad playing in the blue water.</em><br /> <br /> Or, worse, lest they offend anyone, their family travel glossies and web images are full of empty hotel pools, empty dining rooms and empty lobbies. <br /> <br /> Why? <br /> <br /> <em>It seems showing a racially mixed family or a same-sex family or whatever might offend potential visitors to a hotel or destination.</em> In fact, one hotel exec said that even showing families might offend childless couples, and deter them from becoming guests of the property. <br /> <br /> But the USA is nothing if not a fascinating blend of mixed marriages, races, families, and sexual preferences. In truth, says HotelNewsNow, traditional families made up only 20% of “married family” households. <br /> <br /> The Brady Bunch has long given way to The Modern Family. <br /> <br /> A report from <a href="http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx/8940/Marketing-to-the-modern-family" target="_blank">HotelNewsNow</a>, also says mixed-race families, same-sex parents, single parent and other non-traditional households “are among the fastest growing family segments.” <br /> <br /> <em>But regardless of their growth and financial clout, these new traveling families feel alienated and discriminated against and ignored, especially by the family travel industry. </em> <br /> <br /> AdWeek has a very fascinating and informative if somewhat dated <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/data-points-modern-families-142950)" target="_blank">infographic</a> that breaks down the preferences and makeup of non-traditional families.<br /> <br /> Highlights:<br /> <br /> • Seventy-six 76% of these new families opt to buy brands and travel services from companies that support causes the families believe in<br /> • But a huge 71% report that the advertising they see does not show families like theirs<br /> • <em>And 46% are “turned off” by advertising that “depicts the ideal family”</em><br /> <br /> One wonders if the travel industry in general and hotels in particular are aware of the dramatic change in the family segment.</p><p><br /> Judging by its images, brochures, language and especially its videos the <em>family travel industry hasn’t yet created a true emotional representation of what the new American family really is.</em> <br /> <br /> The family travel travel industry has to find the courage to present the American Family as a complex mosaic of non-traditional connections, and not as the idealized pictures their marketing promotes. <br /></p></div>How Facebook Will Dominate Our Travel Impulseshttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/how-facebook-will-dominate-our-travel-impulses2013-12-05T15:17:47.000Z2013-12-05T15:17:47.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008812654,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008812654,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="412" alt="9008812654?profile=original" /></a></p><p>If you’re looking for a sales job in travel, now might be the time to approach Facebook.<br /> <br /> <strong>The giant social media site is on a mission to elbow its way further into the travel space and has been reorganizing its sales force.</strong><br /> <br /> As <a href="http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/wooing_travel_industry_will_be_facebooks_key_focus_in_2014/" target="_blank">HotelMarketing</a> reports Facebook has been recruiting for travel sales representatives as it looks to turn travel, one of its fastest growing verticals, in to one of its biggest. Next year, 2014, is the target year.<br /> <br /> <strong>All those images, and stories and happy travelers’ tales posted minute by minute on the site really do stimulate dreaming and planning about travel.</strong><br /> <br /> So, while sales efforts will still be country-based, the new emphasis will be on narrow verticals, especially travel.<br /> <br /> <strong>A recent study by research agency Sparkler, show that Facebook already enjoys prominence in the critical five stages of travel: dreaming, planning, booking, experiencing and finally, reflecting.</strong> <br /> <br /> And of course posting.<br /> <br /> Impressively, <strong>52% of the site’s users said that when they view Facebook, they already “started dreaming about a holiday even when they didn’t have one booked, and that 95% use Facebook for travel related activities prior to going on vacation.”</strong><br /> <br /> It seems that the pictures and comments of friends and families intensify the desire to travel, stimulate the “dreaming and planning” stage more than TV ads and mailers of empty beaches.<br /> <br /> See <a href="http://newmediatravel.com/no-more-boring-hotel-web-sites-please/)" target="_blank">New Media Travel’s No More Boring Hotel Websites</a> for more on the failure of empty hotel rooms, lobbies, guest rooms to stimulate travel.<br /> <br /> As a result, <a href="http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/facebook-says-wooing-travel-industry-will-be-key-focus-in-2014/4008746.article" target="_blank">MarketingWeek</a> quoted Andy Pang of Facebook UK as saying he hoped travel companies will now see how important it is to advertise on the site.<br /> <br /> <strong>Leaving nothing to chance (or consumer choice), the Facebook team is looking to improve ad targeting so travel brands can address “travel intenders,” consumers who may not even know they are planing to travel,</strong> but will more easily do so, once they engage the travel advertising on Facebook.<br /> <br /> And so it goes.<br /> <br /> image/Drew Meyers</p></div>Report: E-mails Are 40% More Effective Than Twitter or Facebook, Combinedhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/report-e-mails-are-40-more-effective-than-twitter-or-facebook2014-01-10T19:55:14.000Z2014-01-10T19:55:14.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9008809299,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9008809299,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="347" alt="9008809299?profile=original" /></a><strong>Report: E-mails Are 40% More Effective Than Twitter or Facebook, Combined</strong><br /><br />So, after all the excitement about Facebook and Twitter as communities and marketing panaceas, good, “old fashioned” e-mails prove to be 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter combined. </p><p>That is, if your goal is to acquire customers, and not just share the latest family news or travel experience. </p><p>Apparently, says <a href="http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/email_is_40_times_more_effective_than_facebook_and_twitter_combined" target="_blank">Hotelmarketing</a>, the reason is simple: <strong>91 percent of all US consumers still use e-mail daily. And “the rate at which e-mails prompt purchases is not only estimated to be at least three times that of social media, the average order value is 17 percent higher.”</strong></p><p>But wait. </p><p><a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/why_marketers_should_keep_sending_you_emails" target="_blank">McKinsey&Company</a> who did the research points out that there is a significant shift in consumer behavior. The research company noted a 20 percent decline in e-mail use between 2008 and 2012, as e-mail surrendered ground to “social media networks, instant messaging and mobile-messaging.” </p><p>But the journey doesn’t stop at clicking open an e-mail.</p><p>Marketers who fail to realize that opening an e-mail is just the first step, are in serious trouble. Clicking an e-mail that opens to a generic home page is not getting anyone anywhere.</p><p>An optimized landing page is a necessity, and since 45 percent of all marketing e-mails are opened on a mobile device, Google’s warnings hit home: <strong>Sixty-one percent of users are “unlikely to return to a mobile site they had trouble accessing.” </strong></p><p><strong>More painfully, 40 percent will visit a competitor’s site instead!</strong></p><p>Obviously, as the report’s authors point out, while e-mail use may be declining, the volume of e-mail continues to rise: <strong>838 billion e-mails in the U.S. in 2013. </strong></p><p>Targeting the e-mail message to the right person has become a mantra. So has the injunction to make an e-mail feel personal. </p><p>It’s a lot of work, but the the research cited Williams-Sonoma which reported a 10% improvement in response rates by personalizing their e-mails, based on the customer’s on-site and catalog shopping preferences. </p><p>E-mail is dying; long live e-mail.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></div>Are Travel Marketers Wasting Their Time on Social Media?https://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/are-travel-marketers-wasting-their-time-on-social-media2013-10-17T17:36:56.000Z2013-10-17T17:36:56.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><p><a href="{{#staticFileLink}}9296580293,original{{/staticFileLink}}"><img class="align-right" src="{{#staticFileLink}}9296580293,original{{/staticFileLink}}" width="462" alt="9296580293?profile=original" /></a>How surprising is this: I<strong>n the second half of last year, fewer that 1% of visitors arrived at a hotel or travel booking site, "via a social media link or a link shared by by a friend</strong>. So reports <a href="http://hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/hotel_marketers_wasting_time_on_facebook_and_twitter)" target="_blank">Hotelmarketing</a>.com<br /> <br /> Does this mean hotels are wasting their time chasing the Holy Grail of Twitter and Facebook?</p><p>Could be. We love our friends' photos and status updates, the report goes on to say, and it's very true that social media platforms and channels do develop loyalty.<br /> The contests do lead to deeper branding, <strong>but, it seems, all that presence and activity don't lead to proportionately to increased bookings.</strong><br /> <br /> What does? It seems to depend on the industry. <a href="http://www.imediaconnection.com/printpage/printpage.aspx?id=33254" target="_blank">IMedia Connection</a>, a marketing site, reports that science, business, news and entertainment visits prompted by links from other sites (blogs; social media sites) jumped from 9% in August 2011 to an average of 32% in August 2012."</p><p><br /> But the "voice-of-customer surveys" also shows that the same kind of connectivity growth did not apply to the hospitality/travel business, especially hotels. They lag behind. In fact, the number of visits that come from search engine results or typing in a URL ranged between 55 and 61% - vs. the 1% of visitors arriving at a hotel or travel booking site by way of a social media channel or link shared by a friend.<br /> <br /> <strong>The apparent conclusion of the study is that "social media noise" matters less when booking a holiday or a hotel, than the "informed" or "perceived impartiality" afforded by key word searches and personalized</strong> <strong>research</strong>.<br /> <br /> Interestingly, as iMedia point out, other industries like the automotive industry also benefit less by social media presence and more by targeted, SEO searches.<br /> <br />Again, how come? It seems car buyers are not especially concerned with keeping up with the Smiths, an imperative implied implied in social media. Price, budget and specifications matter more than what friends say.<br /> <br /> But by no means should the travel industry step back from its investment in social media.<br /> <br /> It needs to be aware that spending to optimize SEO, may be as good or better an investment that courting bloggers or counting too much on social media's clout. <strong>As we have said, an integrated approach is critical, where each marketing dollar support the other, especially, it seems, in travel.</strong></p><p></p></div>Tourism Security as a Marketing Toolhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/tourism-security-as-a-marketing-tool2012-11-02T20:27:36.000Z2012-11-02T20:27:36.000ZPeter Tarlowhttps://tripatini.com/members/PeterTarlow<div><p></p><p>Tourism security professionals and managers often (and justly) complain that they are considered expendable due to the fact that the other parts of the tourism industry perceive them as adding nothing to the bottom line. In fact often tourism officials believe that security is simply and added and required expense that must be accepted, be that expense a burden. This month's Tourism Tidbits focuses on the other side of the coin, and emphasizes that not only is tourism security not simply a necessary burden that most be paid for, but if used properly tourism security is a powerful marketing took that can bring people to one's hotel, location, attraction, or community. </p><p></p><p>Classically tourism security divides along the private/public fault line. That is to say that tourism security is often either divided into the public (police mode: often called TOPPs units) or private (security company mode) or some combination of these two. Large hotels often have their own security departments or have their own security officers as part of a risk management department. In other cases, security may be the shared or may be the exclusive purview of the local police department and./or of private security professionals. Often these people (police and private security professionals are not well trained in tourism security.</p><p></p><p> Many of them are given nothing more than a uniform and told to go out and meet the public. This lack of training is clearly not the way to handle tourism security and often causes more problems and nightmares than help. This month Tourism Tidbits focuses on how tourism security not only should not be a necessary financial burden to a tourism business, but also if handled correctly should become a major part of that business's marketing efforts.</p><p></p><p><span>Tourism Security matters to the public.</span> Once upon a time, tourism officials were afraid that if the public viewed either TOPPs units or private security guards then their guests would wonder if there were not hidden dangers lurking and therefore become afraid. Although there was never any research backing this perception, the common belief was that security personnel should be neither seen nor heard, that they were not to be considered professionals and that they should be paid the least amount likely. Post 9-11 research has demonstrated exactly the opposite. Not only does the public desire added visible security, but also that good security provides the reassurance necessary for people to spend additional money or seek return visits.</p><p></p><p><span>Studies, such as the one conducted in Anaheim, demonstrate that visitors count a hotel's security as an important fact in deciding between competitors.</span> In a study conducted in Anaheim, California several years ago, visitors reported that safety & security is a top factor in selecting their destinations. Of those participating in the 2004 survey some 55% responded that safety & security was the most important factor, giving it the highest rating of "10." Other studies have demonstrated that international visitors rated tourism surety even higher, with an average score of "9.3.". </p><p></p><p><span>-The same factor reappeared when travelers were asked about hotel security/safety.</span> The average rating here was "9.1" with 61% of all respondents giving it a "10." This result ought to be a wake up call to GMs. Those places of lodging that give security a high priority are positioning themselves for economic success for the foreseeable future. Those places of lodging that choose to ignore security concerns are risking not only legal action but also risk losing money.</p><p></p><p><span>-</span>Visitors continue to make it clear that, in this "era of terrorism" and in places where there is street crime, a highly visible police and security presence makes them feel more comfortable, willing to stay on the streets longer and more likely to spend money. <span>Cities that fail to account for the following facts are likely to lose much of their reputation. Some of the facts to consider are:</span></p><p></p><p>-Tourists are lucrative targets</p><p></p><p>-Visitors often carry large sums of cash, credit cards and other valuables</p><p></p><p>-Tourists are on unfamiliar grounds and therefore more vulnerable</p><p></p><p>-Visitors are often likely to be relaxed, off guard and sometimes careless</p><p></p><p>-Tourists are less likely to report crimes, thus crime figures do not reflect reality. What they will do is turn to social media, thus creating a marketing nightmare for the place in which they were victimized.</p><p></p><p>-Visitors rarely are willing to return to the crime's location to testify</p><p></p><p>-Tourists Areas are also susceptible to terrorism</p><p></p><p>- Repairing of a locale's reputation can be extremely costly</p><p></p><p> <span>It is extremely costly to repair a tourism locale's reputation once lost.</span> Many visitors report that they the feel safe when traveling, but their sense of "safe" is often distorted by media coverage (or lack of it) and distance</p><p></p><p><span>Lack of familiarity breeds misconceptions</span>. The further a visitor is away from the spot (of bad news) the more it seems to encompass everything. This is not only true regarding security issues but also natural disasters and other weather related issues.</p><p></p><p><span>Tourism security is more than merely having police patrols or a uniform that reads "tourism security".</span> Tourism security professionals and TOPPs officers know that tourism is a major form of economic growth and that a tourism locale's security depends on professionals who are well trained, who understand the importance of customer service and how to differentiate between the security for individual tourists and for tourists attending conventions and mega-events. In a survey of over 700 meeting planners indicated that 77% of planners feel the safety/security of a destination is more important than any other criteria in choosing a locale for their convention or major events<br /><br /><br /></p></div>The Tourism Website Traffic Questionhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/the-tourism-website-marketing-traffic-question2013-08-15T17:22:15.000Z2013-08-15T17:22:15.000ZTourism Tim Warrenhttps://tripatini.com/members/TourismTimWarren<div><p> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's another key question that I have been hearing a lot (both in emails and the comments on this blog) and give you a couple more examples of social proof (video testimonials). The question is this:</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><em>“What about traffic to my web site?”</em></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, how do you get people to your website?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a great question, and I am really pleased that so many of you are asking it – it shows that we have some really sharp readers. <img src="http://www.travelbusinesssuccess.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" alt=":-)" class="wp-smiley" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, in the beginning of the Internet, we were in the “build it and they will come” era. Now as Dan Austin commented in the recent video interview, this is “Field of Dreams Tourism Website Marketing”, that just doesn’t work.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">“Webmasters” often cold-call businesses, and showing them some fancy looking site and giving them some pie-in-the-sky sales pitch about how they would build some fancy site for them (really just one of those Dead on Arrival brochure sites), and then they would tell them how many million users there were on the Internet… and if only 1% of those people visited your site, it would mean wealth beyond dreams.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">OK, maybe I am exaggerating a bit… but not very much!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">With all these questions I have been getting about traffic, it is obvious that we have all gotten a little more sophisticated – or at least we have been through the wringer a few too many times.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In any case, this is the deal with traffic (and remember, I am not a propeller head, but I have been studying this stuff non-stop for over 10 years now).</span></p><p style="text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-4"><strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.travelbusinesssuccess.com/the-tourism-website-marketing-traffic-question/" target="_blank">See the 4 key traffic points below these 2 video (social proof) examples.</a></span></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember, getting your clients recommending, reviewing and endorsing you, is one of the best ways to communicate your credibility. Watch these two very short customer comments now. I want you to see I practice what I preach.</span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:medium;"><strong>Alaskan Tour Operator/Lodge Owner – Sales Up 41%</strong></span> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align:left;"><object width="480" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/weQsMlOqkts?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" ></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="internal" ></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" ></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/weQsMlOqkts?version=3&hl=en_US" ></param><param name="" value="" ></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque" ></param><embed wmode="opaque" width="480" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/weQsMlOqkts?version=3&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal"></embed> </object></p><p style="text-align:left;"><br /> <span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:medium;"><strong>20 Year plus Adventure Travel Industry Icon</strong></span></p><p><object width="480" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data="http://www.youtube.com/v/WHvaLp8jDlw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" ></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="internal" ></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" ></param><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WHvaLp8jDlw?version=3&hl=en_US" ></param><param name="" value="" ></param><param name="wmode" value="opaque" ></param><embed wmode="opaque" width="480" height="360" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WHvaLp8jDlw?version=3&hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="never" allownetworking="internal"></embed> </object></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#800000;"><strong>KEY POINT #1:</strong> <strong>Traffic is important, but conversion is just as important… and maybe more so.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, if your travel website doesn’t convert visitors into inquiries, bookings and arrivals, it doesn’t matter if you are getting 10,000 visitors to your site every day. It really is that simple.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The better your site converts, the more money you make. And the way I show you how to build your websites and marketing communications in my course, when your site delivers a lead… that lead is already pre-sold to a large degree. So you are not only getting more business, you aren’t working as hard once you get that business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Another key thing about conversion – the better your conversion, the more liberties you can take in spending money to get visitors to your site.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, a lot of traffic sources are free; (and I am going to show you how to get it). However, you can also pay to drive targeted traffic. Well, if your site is converting 5 visitors out of 100, versus your competitor’s site converting 1 visitor out of 1000, then you can spend more money to drive people to your site.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus, all the website conversion coaching you will get in the New Tourism Marketing Success Course, will also help in all your travel marketing conversions. J</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#800000;"><strong>KEY POINT #2: The best traffic is key word targeted.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The traffic that you want at your site is traffic from people that are specific to your travel and hospitality service, destination or activity offerings. This is the traffic that is going to turn into business.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Remember in my interview Dan Austin said that his webmaster wanted to optimize his website for “Yellowstone camping” because there was a lot of search volume? Since Austin Lehman Adventures doesn’t do camping, it would have been a very expensive mistake for Dan if he relied totally on his web master…</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Since Dan had educated himself, he understood why that was bad advice and was able to better direct his web master’s online traffic building.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The good news is that it is easier to “earn” free traffic from the search engines, if that traffic is targeted properly in your website. This is a nice paradox – the correct key word traffic is not only easier to get, but it is a lot more valuable.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">My course is built to help you capture your best-targeted traffic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">But most of the travel and hospitality website marketers completely miss this point. Which leads to another big point…</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#800000;"><strong>KEY POINT #3: The traffic game is not static.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the deal (and this is probably the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing about traffic)… I wish that the traffic question had one easy answer. Then we could get that solved and move on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The search engines are CONSTANTLY changing. Google goes through a major update about 6 to 10 times a year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">They call this the “Google Dance” and that is when they shake up how they list web sites. If you already have a site, you have probably seen this as your “rankings” change over time (usually for the worse). The truth is that sometimes this makes the game very easy, and sometimes we have to adjust the way we are doing things.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, you can’t just sit still.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">That is why it is so critically important to have a team onboard that understands this stuff, and is constantly on the lookout to figure out what’s working NOW.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">As you have seen in my interviews (or maybe heard on my Travel Business Success Podcast on iTunes over the last 4 years), I am constantly researching and sharing best practices, especially in the world of Internet tourism marketing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus as founding VP of Maverick Business Adventures with Internet Marketing Guru Yanik Silver, and my personal friendship with dozen’s of Internet marketing millionaires via Maverick, I have awesome knowledge and support on what’s working online.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">These Maverick Internet superstars and many others I have worked with over the years are the ones, who are watching Google, and Yahoo, and MSN.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">When they notice a change, something new that is working… I hear it first and jump on it and adapt it to my teaching. And when they are perfected, those changes are instantly rippled throughout my trainings and course, so EVERYONE who is a course customer of mine gets the latest “unfair” advantage.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#800000;"><strong>KEY POINT #4: This isn’t just a web site.</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">As I mentioned up in Point #3, the traffic game is always changing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">That makes this piece critical – you aren’t just going to get a world-class website marketing course from me, but you will get ongoing training and support. When my “advisory board” and I uncover some new traffic secret, you are going to hear about it first.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">You see, sometimes the traffic game is really easy. Sometimes the slightest tweak in your web site can bring in a ton of traffic.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">These are things you never knew about before (that isn’t your fault, of course – you have a business to run, you can’t stay on top of all this techno-geek stuff)… but they can drive a lot of traffic to your site.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">With my new course, I will make sure you get the training to take care of it in an efficient and painless matter. Or I will refer you to one of my strategic alliances I use to get my techno-geek stuff done. J</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t get me wrong – since things are always changing, there AREN’T always these magic bullets out there. But we are always looking for them, and when we find those magic bullets then we will get them in your hands ASAP.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;color:#800000;"><strong>BOTTOM LINE:</strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Traffic is critically important. You need a tourism website that <strong><span style="text-decoration:underline;">CONVERTS that traffic to dollars,</span></strong> you need E-marketing education that helps you captures TARGETED traffic, and you need the training and SUPPORT that will adapt to a constantly changing search engine battlefield.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">To your success, Tourism Tim</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. We have two <a href="http://www.travelbusinesssuccess.com/why-is-doreen-so-excited-about-my-new-tourism-marketing-course/" target="_blank">very cool traffic techniques that will get you free website traffic and help your search engine ranking quickly too covered in the course.</a> We will cover that in one of our early follow-up “Master Mind” sessions after the grand opening of the course next week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">PPS I am going to show you next week this cool “<strong>Tourism Marketing Return on Investment”</strong> Calculator I had built so you can see for yourself how much more money you will earn when you increase your sales conversion even just a little. It’s amazing what how a small increase in traffic and inquiries which convert to new sales and arrivals, have a <span style="text-decoration:underline;">HUGE</span> difference in your bottom line.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">PPPS <span style="text-decoration:underline;">Here’s a kind note I got last night from Linkedin Connection and subscriber <strong>Linda Sorgiovanni in Italy.</strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">“Dear Tim;</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you for your message. I watched your 58 minute film a few days ago about web marketing for the travel industry. It really helped as I am in the process of redoing my website.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I live in Florence, Italy I have been a tour guide and driver for ten years.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks again and I look forward to your other films.” Best Regards, Linda Sorgiovanni</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">If you haven’t seen this special training<strong>, <span style="color:#800000;">Why Most Travel Websites Are Dead On Arrivals, and What you Need to Do to Make Sure Yours isn’t One of Them</span></strong><span style="color:#800000;">,</span> I have decided to keep this posted for a while longer.</span></p></div>Creating a Blog for a Hotelhttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/creating-a-blog-for-a-hotel2011-04-18T03:30:00.000Z2011-04-18T03:30:00.000ZAdriana Gallegoshttps://tripatini.com/members/AdrianaGallegos<div><p>So the hotel you work for has asked you to start a blog, so how do you start? Well that’s easy go to either wordpress, blogger, tumbler, etc and open up an account and blog away.</p><p>Well it’s a little bit more complicated than that as </p><p><span><a href="http://www.briansolis.com/2006/06/opening-up-corporate-kimono-corporate/"></a></span></p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.briansolis.com/2006/06/opening-up-corporate-kimono-corporate/">Social Media Guru Brian Solis explains in one of his blog posts,”Think about a blogging strategy. Sit down with the executive and marketing team, including PR and Web. Chart-out an official plan, identify prospective participants and writers, and dedicate time to making it happen! Work with sales and customer service to learn the real pain-points and needs of the market. Capture it, distill it, and publish often. Most importantly, read the comments and interact. It can only help. At the end of the day, any company reaching business customers should take the time to understand how their products and services can help them succeed. Blogging is about embracing this unique technology and strategically and carefully opening up windows to expose the corporate culture. Acquiesce the successes and failures of your corporate evolution, in order to prove that your experience and leadership skills are legitimate, respectable, and most importantly, in line with your customer’s objectives.”</a><p><span> </span></p><p>A hotel needs to always keep 3 things in mind when blogging <a href="http://londonhotelsinsight.com/2010/09/20/best-london-hotel-blogs-dissected/">brand-building, keyword-rich and social media-integrated</a></p><p> </p><p>For example if the brand of your hotel is to be known as expensive and luxurious then make sure all the blogs posts have that air of royalty meaning that the tone must be more formal or sophisticated. Your brand has a lot to do with the type of guest you tend to attract or would like to attract so remember your target audience when blogging, what should the tone be like.</p><p>Once all blog contributors understand the hotel’s brand and who it’s target audience is it’s then time to get creative. Running a hotel requires a large community of employees all working together to make sure each guest is satisfied. I’m sure employees have many stories about their interactions with guests so why not blog about them.</p><p><a href="http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/price_more_important_than_destination_says_travelzoo///"></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/price_more_important_than_destination_says_travelzoo///">Also in a new Survey from Travelzoo found that 64% of people say hotel prices are more important than the destination when choosing holidays. The survey, which examined consumer behaviour, found that most holiday planning was based on price and user reviews.Of those surveyed, 93% compared prices before booking and 81% used hotel review sites.</a><a href="http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/content/article/price_more_important_than_destination_says_travelzoo///"></a></p><p>So maybe instead of writing about destinations or food start including key words like, “deals, discounts, half-price, and contests” into the content of your blogs. Also link those key words to show others what kind of products, events or food they can get for the money they’re spending on the hotel. Not all blogs should be about deals but at least make sure a few posts are about them.</p><p>Before starting the blog take a month to train all blog contributors about the hotel, SEO (key words), and the frequency of posting. During that month have a brainstorm about topics, and also have the marketing staff from each of the hotels present so that the contributors know who to ask questions to about events, guests, etc.</p><p>After the training the blogger should have an idea what he or she will blog about for the first month and then for the next month both the blogger and the hotel marketer will discuss the topics for the next month.</p><p>Remember there are millions of blogs out there so make sure your blog is the one that stands out and clearly states the hotel’s brand!!!</p></div>Why Travel Public Relations Must Changehttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/why-travel-public-relations2010-07-20T23:30:00.000Z2010-07-20T23:30:00.000ZKaleel Sakakeenyhttps://tripatini.com/members/KaleelSakakeeny<div><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vMA-MgfwK_-lXJ15P8QIJg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_AnBusKXSA8o/TEYWB_pu8ZI/AAAAAAAAB64/DYSYGwNuSOc/s288/pr.jpg" alt="pr.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;text-align:right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/travel.video/NMTImages?feat=embedwebsite">NMT Images</a></td></tr></table><br />Why Travel Public Relations Has to Change<br /><br />In his very successful book, <a href="http://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books_dms.htm">The New Rules of Marketing and PR</a>, social media guru <a href="http://www.davidmeermanscott.com">David Meerman Scott</a> sounds the death knell for public relations as we have known it in the last hundred or so years.<br /><br />In fact, until the advent of social media, public relations hasn't changed much since the 18th century when its use was first recorded. The term actually appeared in 1897 in the Year Book of Railway Literature. <br /><br />Then and mostly now, PR professionals simply "shouted" their message. Or to use Meerman-Scott's term, they still use the "Spray and Pray" approach: spraying a message by sending out random, untargeted press or news releases, and praying some journalist somewhere will take notice and publish the material.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the "spray and pray" approach no longer works in today's New Media marketing and public relations campaigns. <br />Unfortunately travel PR professionals are among the slowest to realize that, as are the schools that train the travel PR professionals. <br /><br />The "new rules" unequivocally state that untargeted press releases are spam. Period. That's revolutionary, by current travel PR standards. <br /><br />On any given day, I receive a huge number of text-heavy, word-dense releases addressing me as, "Hi There" or "Hello" or "Hey," or "Good Morning." Often they come with several images and a PDF file attached, and I don't even know who the sender it. Nor do they know me. <br /><br />My name is not "Hi There." And why send a press release about a destination, property or piece of travel news without knowing who I am or, worse, the kinds of travel content I write about? <br /><br />Merman Scott asks how difficult is it for the PR specialist to read and comment on a blog or article a journalists or blogger has written, or at least to know the name of the author, and pitch an idea based specifically on knowledge of that blogger or journalist's work.<br /><br />Some travel publicists get it like <a href="http://www.mfaltd.com">Missy Farren Associates</a> in New York. They only send relevant, specific, brief and to the point queries, inviting dialogue and further discussion.<br /><br />Granted, PR professionals are at the mercy of their clients who often dictate what should be in a release. But in travel PR (or any PR) it's not about getting the boss' face on TV, or a post about the boss published.<br /><br />It's about identifying and getting to know those specific media people who can get the boss' destination or property on TV or in a post or in a mainstream media article. <br /><br />The new rules of travel PR are about engaging the media, having a conversation with them and creating a content partnership. Call them by their names and discuss ideas that will excite the public, the actual customer for travel. Create a lasting relationship. <br /><br />Please leave the "Hi There" to the spammers.<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /></div>New step towards internet marketing opportunites for tourism in West Africahttps://tripatini.com/profiles/blogs/new-step-towards-internet2009-12-21T11:09:46.000Z2009-12-21T11:09:46.000ZWest Africa Discoveryhttps://tripatini.com/members/WestAfricaDiscovery<div>Last month a Nigerian Telecoms company announced that it will expand their top of the range fibre optic network to include Benin and Togo thus giving more opportunities for Internet based marketing to a wider number of businesses and individuals.Phase3 Telecom, Nigeria’s leading communications network provider plans this move to bring the total of network connected West African countries to six, enabling faster and more efficient communication for the region and linking them to the rest of the world. By doing this they also allow the possibility of the network spreading even further to Ghana, and maybe beyond to cover the whole of the West Africa region.As my interests are in the Responsible Tourism industry within the West African region, I see this as a great opportunity for Responsible Tourism projects to invest in internet marketing and potentially attracting a wider market to their countries. This could contribute towards the development of sustainability, and put emphasis on the valorisation and conservation of cultural, historical, natural and social heritages.New technology and tourism marketing could work hand in hand to achieve the goal of putting West Africa on the map as the next Responsible Tourism destination. This in turn would valorise the awe-inspiring and inspirational elements that make the region so special and increase the awareness of markets that were not before reachable towards the potential for sustainable development, renewable energies and responsible tourism in the concerned countries.This may be the next big step in the development of the West African region, the step that may unite the countries of West Africa through communication so that they can work together as a community towards their common goals.To read the article that prompted me to write this blog, click <a href="http://allafrica.com/stories/200909150368.html" target="_blank">here</a>.To visit our web portal, follow <a href="http://www.westafricadiscovery.com" target="_blank">www.westafricadiscovery.com</a>Email me at info@westafricadiscovery.co.uk</div>