Online Travel | Americas

Google to foster travel communities
Google yesterday unveiled several new applications. One of them, Google/Co-op uses communities to enhance search results. It's capabilities where demonstrated with a travel example. more...

 

"So, how does Google Co-op work and is this Google's foray into community-based searching? For that I spoke with the lead product manager, Shashi Seth. Seth said that yes, indeed, Google Co-op is the search engine's push into community-based searches."

skull and crossbones mark dungeon where misbehaving slaves were left to die

 

Paolo Boni is president and CEO of VFM Interactive

3 May 2006 -- http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000392/4027309.html

 

When it Comes to Building an Online Travel Brand, Delivering a Compelling "Show and Tell" of the Travel Experience is Paramount | By Paolo Boni
 

For travel professionals responsible for online marketing, one word defines what is meant by "compelling content" – EXPERIENCE. This was the recurring theme heard loud and clear at a session in which I participated at TIA's TravelCom in New York last month.

The session, "Using Compelling Content to Build Your Online Brand," involved several industry experts, including moderator Gary Sain of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell (YPBR), Jeff DeKorte of AOL Travel, Paul Peddrick, of TIG Global, Scott Ribeiro of Fountainbleau Resorts, and myself, Paolo Boni of VFM Interactive.

The situation is this: broadband has reached mainstream levels with more than 60 percent U.S. household utilization that is transforming how consumers interact online. It was only a few short years ago that flash and rich media were avoided to simplify the shopping path. Today, consumers are hungry for more interactive exchanges online that "show and tell" the "real-life" elements of the travel experience. This is supported by studies show that people retain 20 percent of the information they hear and only 10 percent of the information they read – but 50 percent of the information they see and hear.

With active participation from the standing-room audience of more than 400, the 45-minute session provided lively discussion – and some healthy debate. What surfaced were five basic principles that can help travel marketers strengthen their brand online today while better preparing them for the internet-driven tomorrow.

1. Convey the Experience without Compromising the Purchase Path
   
   According to YPBR's annual Travel Monitor, a company's website is one of the leading sources for travel planning. The panelists all agreed that regardless of the type of travel business, the travel experience actually begins at a company's website and interactive content like rich media help bring this experience to life.
   
   In fact, AOL Travel recently changed its business model based on the power of the Web.
   
   "We recognize the Web is not only a means for brand building but it is also a mechanism that can hurt a brand since bad news and experiences tend to travel faster than good ones, " said AOL's DeKorte . "AOL has specifically developed capabilities for rich media, engaging content and entertainment experiences that require broadband to gather and build an audience."
   
   While rich media such as video and tours create the essence of the experience, e-commerce professionals rightfully want to protect a straight-forward booking process. Scott Ribeiro with Fontainebleu Resorts reports 80 percent of his site's visitors book immediately so he doesn't want to disrupt the purchase path with a lot of extraneous media. The solution? Ribeiro provides on-demand access to rich media the other 20 percent of Fontainebleu's visitors can control.
   
   
2. Ensure the Experience is Consistent Across All Consumer Touch Points
   
   After enriching the online experience on one's own website, the panelists unanimously agreed that the next critical success factor is ensuring the brand is represented consistently across all touch points where consumers shop – from traditional online travel agencies to portals, travel research and destination sites, to meta-search and major search engines, etc.
   
   TIG's Peddrick likens consumers' multi-source shopping behavior to, "squeezing cantaloupes," which means the "show and tell" experience a company creates on its own site must be replicated in every third-party outlet to avoid brand dilution and commoditization and drive purchases.
   
   While managing uniformity across distribution points can seem daunting, companies like VFM Interactive help travel brands simplify this process by creating company-approved profiles with photos and rich media– like tours and videos -- that are simultaneously updated and distributed to more than 20,000 authorized third-party sources, including Yahoo!, Trip Advisor, Travelocity and Orbitz, to name just a few.
   
   
3. Expand the Branded Experience with Non-Core Content and Functionality
   
   Extending online services beyond a brand's core offering goes a long way to making the brand more relevant and showcasing the entire travel experience. Gary Sain reported YPBR's research shows the value of additional features such as customer reviews, destination information and maps, hotel recommendations and the ability to book local activities are among preferred website features frequently cited by consumers.
   
   TIG Global's Peddrick said many of TIG's hospitality clients experience increased website utilization and longer interactions after adding features such as local destination guides or user-generated content, like reviews and weblogs.
   
   A relatively easy way to expand content is to develop closer working relationships between local Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) and suppliers to cross market services. Another is to tap into the host of vendors offering easy and cost-effective "plug and play" interfaces to seamlessly integrate specialized information such as reviews, destination activities, and map features into any travel site.
   
   
4. Optimize Your Site for Search
   
   According to Gary Sain of YPBR, if your company is trying to balance limited resources between your website and search engine marketing strategies, you will be best served by investing in the company site first since everything else you do online is trying to direct consumers there.
   
   As companies succeed in creating more enriching experiences online, there are simple resources that help optimize the site, content, destination and pages for web crawling to deliver higher natural search results on search engines and other third-party sites.
   
   AOL offered an example to an audience member about how AOL has recently opened its Destination Guides to DMO websites to provide greater destination content for AOL users, which in turn provides web links and additional traffic to DMO sites. TIG and VFM routinely help their travel clients improve site performance as well as distribution effectiveness.
   
   
5. Embrace Technology… The Future is Here
   
   When asked to describe predictions for the online travel landscape in five years, panelists used descriptors like "live experience," "interactive," "on-demand," and "fully integrated."
   
   Whether short-segment videos, user-controlled tours, GPS mapping, PDA configuration or mobile-enabled payment, the changing landscape of technology and increased global penetration of broadband will continue to change how travelers shop, compare and purchase travel and related activities online.
   
   For example, YPBR reports only two in 10 travelers today are seeking PDA integration, yet VFM is already developing a PDA integration tool that will allow travel companies to participate in growth here through our media production, management and distribution services.
   
   As travel companies define and differentiate their brand online, marketers must think holistically and ensure their online offering is effectively conveying the entire consumer travel experience. This ultimately requires more compelling and rich content beyond just the core brand and company website to penetrate all distribution sources.

The TravelCom panelists agreed the future is really now and by developing your travel company's technology platform and rich content today for the trends of tomorrow, you will ensure your brand is well positioned – and more competitive -- in the future.

For more information related to the recent TravelCom panel, Using Compelling Content to Build Your Online Brand, contact any of the participating companies below.

• Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown and Russell: info@ypbr.com
• VFM Interactive: info@vfmii.com
• AOL Travel: travel.aol.com
• TIG Global: info@tigglobal.com
• Fountainbleau Resorts: www.fontainebleau.com

Paolo Boni is president and CEO of VFM Interactive

Trends in European internet travel distribution

Online travel sales increased by as much as 34% from 2004 to 2005 and reached EUR 25.2 billion in the European market in 2005 - or 10.3% of the market (up from EUR 18.9 bn. or 7.9% in 2004).

A further increase of about 25% during 2006 to about EUR 31.5 billion may be expected (12.6% of the market). The European online travel market could increase by 6 or 6.5 bn. EUR per year after 2006.

The UK accounted for 35% of the European online travel market in 2005, with Germany in second place at 20%. The direct sellers accounted for 66% of online sales in the European market in 2005, intermediaries 34%.

In 2005 the breakdown of the market by type of service was as follows: Airtravel 56%; Hotels 16%; Package tours 16%; Rail 10%; Rental cars 2%. Concentration in the European online travel agent market has increased following several acquisitions. 

Get the full story at Center for Regional and Tourism Research Denmark

Yahoo Local Rolls Out Fixed-Price Local Ads

IN AN ATTEMPT TO ENCOURAGE smaller, less Web-savvy businesses to purchase online ads, Yahoo Local late last week said it rolled out flat-fee pricing for text ads.

The listings are available at the top of the page on Yahoo Local, for monthly fees ranging from $20 to $300--with the highest prices charged to advertisers in the most popular categories and the largest cities. For now, the ads include basic directory information, such as the business name, address, phone number, map, and a link to its Web site; Yahoo also is testing images in the ads, according to Aytek Celik, senior product manager, Yahoo Local.

The fixed-rate offering--which marks a greatly simplified model compared to online auctions--could persuade less sophisticated marketers to experiment with Web ads, said Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence.

Many local advertisers believe that search marketing is important, Sterling said, but are stymied by the complexities of managing keyword bids. But small local businesses are already familiar with flat-fee pricing, making it more appealing to them. "The model that most local advertisers are used to is a flat-fee or fixed-fee model, where they know exactly where they'll appear and for how long," Sterling said. "They don't necessarily want to spend the time to learn about search engine marketing and optimization," he added.

Good News About Global Warming?

Tired of reading bad news and dire predictions about climate change? Here's some good news about global warming—or at least as good as it gets.

According to a new report by researchers at Duke University, the extreme global warming predicted by many previous studies is unlikely to occur.

But don't get too excited just yet.

Earth will certainly experience significant global warming over the next century. Probably between 2.5 degrees and 8 degrees Fahrenheit, if the new research is correct, instead of the 16 degrees some studies have forecast.

"This still commits us to quite a bit of climate change, but it leaves the door open to avoiding the largest and most devastating consequences," said Gabriele C. Hegerl, a Duke University climate expert who led the study, in an interview with The Washington Post.

That doesn't get us off the hook entirely, mind you, because an overall increase of even a few degrees could lead to massive storms, droughts and flooded coastal areas, but we should be able to avoid human extinction and the worst environmental disruptions if the new predictions hold true. Best of all, perhaps, Hegerl says the new research may convince governments that there is still time to take action to reduce global warming.

The Duke researchers used computer models to analyze historical climate data up to 700 years old and to predict "climate sensitivity," which shows how much the global average temperature is likely to change if carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere double.

"This is the first use of several different independent data sets to come up with a constraint on climate sensitivity," said Reto Knutti of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. "It's a very solid piece of science."

More information:

Climate Change Will Be Significant but Not Extreme, Study Predicts – The Washington Post

Internet Brands acquires Wikitravel

Internet Brands, Inc, an operator of media and e-commerce sites for "large ticket" consumer purchases, announced the acquisition of Wikitravel and World66, two leading community travel guides of up-to-date, traveler-focused content. The sites are growing exponentially, collectively attracting more than 2 million visits per month, more than triple a year ago.

Both websites utilize wiki-based collaborative editing technology, and are built on the principle that travelers often get their best information from other travelers. The Wikitravel website offers more than 12,700 travel guides in 10 languages, with contributors working together to continually enhance the site's content. World66 delivers nearly 80,000 articles on more than 19,000 destinations all over the world. The sites have extraordinary community participation, currently receiving as many as 10,000 editorial contributions per week—meaning that on average a new addition to the travel guides arrives every 60 seconds, 24 hours per day. This rate of participation is also rapidly increasing.

Internet Brands will be investing in technology and other resources to help the sites continue to rapidly scale.

"Thanks to our active community, Wikitravel has had tremendous success, and this partnership is the best way to make the investments needed to take the site to the next level," said Evan Prodromou, Wikitravel co-founder. "Internet Brands has extensive experience with content-rich sites and is attuned to the unique needs of a community-driven site."

"We're delighted to join forces with the Wikitravel and World66 communities," said Bob Brisco, CEO, Internet Brands. "The sites are blessed with a large group of talented, passionate community leaders, and we look forward to helping by providing the needed infrastructure and support so the sites can grow even more rapidly."

"We believe that this arrangement will make the projects stronger," said Richard Osinga, co-founder and CEO, World66. "World66 and Wikitravel have complementary strengths, and Internet Brands brings the vision and resources to move ahead much more quickly."

Wikitravel founders Prodromou and Michele Ann Jenkins will continue to lead the Wikitravel site and community and will guide the integration of the World66 community. The founders of World66 will also stay closely involved with the project.

Both Wikitravel and World66 will continue to evolve under the collective guidance of the user community. "We look forward to working with the communities to develop new features, applications and content," said Prodromou. Both sites are open content travel guides available under a Creative Commons license.