Social Media & a Conference Kick-off at 35.000 Feet?

Wondering in what new ways can social media, a conference and a plane be connected?

While the latest surveys show that about half of airline passengers are interested in booking destination-related services while flying,  the airlines’ ability to take advantage of the extended in-flight touchpoint with Wi-Fi implementation, provides even further marketing opportunities to reach flexible, spontaneous travelers and not only. Still, there are definitely more opportunities that remain untapped.

Take for example the case of the world’s first conference kick off on an airplane! 

The Social Media Tourism Symposium, known as #SoMeT14EU, is making its debut in Europe by aiming high – 35,000 feet above ground.

It will actually be very interesting to see if this could be the start of new perceptions in conference organization and the entire MICE industry.

On April 8, SoMeT and Finnair kick off the conference at Helsinki Airport and then take to the skies aboard a Finnair plane.

Conference delegates arrive at the Helsinki airport in time to connect with Finnair flight AY429 to Rovaniemi, where the conference continues on April 9 and 10.

Finland’s airport operator, Finavia hosts a welcome reception in the airport at ‘Wine & View’, where delegates can check in and collect their SoMeT name badges. The first keynote presentation begins on the inflight entertainment system once the plane reaches cruising altitude.

SoMeT is the only conference of its kind that provides an opportunity for destinations and tourism businesses to share ideas and learn more about how to leverage social media within the tourism industry.

“As an airline connecting Europe and Asia and seeking growth especially in the quickly growing Asian market, we’re constantly looking for new ways to utilize social media. We hope to learn from the speakers as well as provide inspiration for the attendees in return. I’m sure the airline conference will be a fun event, and we’ll make our outmost to make our guests feel welcome in Finland, the coolest destination there is at the moment,” Aku Varamäki, Social Media Manager from Finnair, says.

Rodney Payne, CEO of Think! Social Media, the digital marketing agency that produces the SoMeT conferences says: “We’re very excited about this world-first conference launch on a plane. SoMeT is already one of the most progressive marketing conferences for destinations around the world, and now we’re taking SoMeT to new heights.”

We cannot wait to experience this first hand, as abouTourism will be amongst the speakers at the #SoMeT14EU!

Learn more about SoMeT at:  sometourism.com &  fb.com/SoMeTourism

Tourism Meets Social Media at SoMeT14EU

On April 9-10, the Social Media Tourism Symposium (SoMeT) is coming to Europe for the first time. This is the premier event for tourism boards and destination marketers who are interested in how social media has created new marketing opportunities and challenges for destination marketing organizations.

SoMeT has run for four years in the USA and after recently expanding to Australia, SoMeT is coming to Europe in April, 2014 too. This is an amazing opportunity for destination marketing professionals to attend a world-class event.

At ENTER2014, we caught up with the CEO of Think!, the company behind the event. Apparently, there’s a very big development in the works for this year’s event.

‘This year, we’re excited to be holding SoMeT Europe in Rovaniemi. We’ve got a very exciting development in the works, that’s going to be a world-first involving an airplane and a lot of social media!’

AbouTourism will be there, as Manolis Psarros is one of the SoMeT14EU speakers and we look forward to seeing you there as well.

Stay tuned for more information in the next few days.

Past Event Snapshots:

  

More information can be found on the website: www.sometourism.com

and the SoMeT fan page: facebook.com/sometourism.

Best Wishes from ABOUTOURISM

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the AbouTourism Team !

Global Competitiveness Survey: Arabian Peninsula Destinations Image

Based on a survey carried out among international travelers, TCI Research reports that Dubai achieves the highest scores both in awareness and positive image, compared with the other destinations from the Arabian Peninsula.

With 93% of prompted awareness and 3 out of 4 travelers having a positive image of Dubai, the Emirate surpasses its competitors in the region. However Abu Dhabi and Qatar also enjoy strong levels of awareness but still need to improve their image to rival Dubai, especially on female travelers.

More “emerging” destinations in the region like Ajman and Sharjah are known (even only by name) by around 1 out of 4 travelers and still have opportunity to build a stronger awareness and consolidate their image.

Commenting on the results, TCI Research CEO Olivier Henry-Biabaud adds: “While the overall image of Arabian Peninsula destinations may be often challenged by travelers, Dubai remains the most known destination in the region enjoying a solid brand capital. However the competition within the region and at international level is intensifying with both mature and new players: in this context, beyond awareness and image, actual visitors’ experience remains an essential factor of success for keeping a competitiveness advantage”.

Technical note:
Flash online survey based on 300+ international travellers from 30 different markets, aged 18-70 years old.
Data collected in July 2013.  Source: TCI Research traveller panel.

About TCI Research
TCI Research is a Brussels based leading independent research agency specializing in tourism destinations’ competitiveness evaluation. It carries out the UNWTO Innovation Award Winning TRAVELSAT Index, a reference global benchmarking survey benchmarking countries, regions and cities’ competitiveness based on visitors’ experience.

abouTourism is the exclusive representative of TRAVELSAT© Competitive Index in SE Europe/Eastern Med Destinations. For more information you may contact us at: info@abouTourism.com or  (+30) 210 8941610.

Check out previous International Competitive Survey results by TRAVELSAT:

Tourism Competitiveness Survey: Beyond Sun & Sea

Film Tourism & Travel Motivation

BRIC Visitors & Shopping – Global Competitive Survey

Global Tourism Survey: Visitors Expect Better Digital & Mobile Experience

Market Segmentation: Who’s your Target?

It’s time to take advantage of the available data to get to know your target audience! Segmenting your market will give you the information you need to reach them all with relevant messaging both on traditional and on social, local and mobile media.

In this post we see three new destination marketing campaigns targeting specific market segments. So, based on your tourism product mix and brand positioning, whom is your destination marketing activity targeting? Is it for example the perfect match for the fabulous 40+, the LGBT market or the hip people?

Philly for LGBT Travelers

In 2004, Philadelphia broke ground with an advertising campaign aimed at LGBT travelers.

That campaign — “Get your history straight and your nightlife gay” — won accolades in the travel industry and generated business.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. has now introduced a follow-up campaign. A 30-second commercial spot, “Miss Richfield’s Selfie Tour,” follows the exploits of the character Miss Richfield 1981 as she snaps pictures of herself and friends at Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Rocky Steps and other sites. Miss Richfield is a flashy drag queen character created by Minnesota native Russ King.

“Ten years ago, Philadelphia was proud to officially ‘come out’ as a gay-friendly destination when we invited LGBT travelers to visit,” said Meryl Levitz, president and CEO of GPTMC. “With our new commercial, we’re going beyond our history roots and reiterating our invitation, celebrating both the city’s evolution into a premier destination and the LGBT community’s progress over the last decade.”

Starting next month, the commercial will air on the Bravo and Style networks in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. and on Logo TV nationally. It will also run on advocate.com, out.com and outtraveler.com. GPTMC says it’s only the third major campaign of this kind, behind Philadelphia’s own 2004 effort and a 2011 campaign done by Key West, Fla.

Destination D.C. is Cool- or is it?

Destination D.C., the city’s official convention and tourism corporation—has announced the “D.C. Cool.” campaign, aimed at luring visitors away from only seeing traditional tourism spots, like the National Mall, monuments and Smithsonian museums, and getting them to visit various other cultural landmarks and neighborhoods outside of downtown D.C. .

The campaign will launch in February, in order to coincide with an installation the Portrait Gallery is doing that month called “American Cool,” which will feature mostly black-and-white photos of American icons that define, well, cool: Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Miles Davis, which is where the organization got the idea from, according to Destination D.C. .

The D.C. Cool campaign will also use Destination D.C.’s partnerships with Cultural D.C., the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, in order to introduce visitors to the the city’s vibrant nightlife and restaurant scene.

“So many people think of D.C. as big government, and money men, and serious history, and that’s all good. But there’s such a bigger piece to the city,” Maciejewski said. “D.C. Cool is all about getting them off the National Mall to experience the nightlife, and the neighborhoods, and the restaurants. To get a feel for the cool side of the city.”

The key pillars of D.C. Cool are the words “bold, original, unique, dramatic and inspiring.” The vibe the city is trying to portray is highlighted in a short video that attempts to embody cool: There’s deep-voiced narration that sounds suspiciously like Morgan Freeman, there’s the oh-so-trendy fish-eye camera shots, there’s jazz in the background.

While the campaign’s title may attract haters, since after a recent presentation about D.C. Cool to stakeholders and press not everyone was impressed, Destination D.C. is relying on the people of the city to tell visitors what’s cool, which is actually pretty cool.

Thailand:  The Health & Wellness Destination for the 40+

As part of its international “Find Your Fabulous” wellness and medical tourism campaign, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is unveiling a friendly global competition intended to salute ladies who are still fit and fabulous after their 40th birthdays.

The Fabulous 40+ Photo Contest invites women from around the world to submit images showing off their fabulous form, and the contestant showing the most youthful, age-defying appearance will be rewarded with an exclusive 3-day Find Your Fabulous trip to Bangkok.

Candidates become fans of ThailandMedTourism and the Find Your Fabulous campaign; then, they submit their most fabulous photos. The winners of the Fabulous 40+ Photo Contest will be determined by the number of “votes”. The one with the most votes will be the winner, followed by the first and second runners-up respectively. The winner will receive a 3-day/2-night exclusive health and beauty package for herself and one friend.

The TAT hopes that the Fabulous 40+ Photo Contest will further illuminate Thailand’s thriving medical & wellness industry and the wealth of top-quality, convenient, and affordable aesthetic treatments on offer for international tourists of all shapes and sizes.

Sources: Destination D.C., Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), www.bizjournals.com

Study Snapshot: Adventure Tourism Market Study 2013

The newly released 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study, produced by the George Washington University (GW) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), estimates the value and provides an updated profile of the adventure travel market.

According to the study, which included three key outbound regions: Europe, North America and South America, growth in the adventure travel market has accelerated at a 65% yearly rate since 2009.

The study estimates the value of the global outbound adventure travel sector to be US$263 billion, excluding airfare, up from US$89 billion first reported in the benchmark consumer study. When this US$263 billion is combined with the estimated $82 billion spent for related gear, apparel and accessories, adventure travelers spent more than $345 billion in 2012 for travel related to adventure.

The GW/ATTA’s market value results reflect the growth in the international tourism market which reached an all-time record of more than one billion international tourism arrivals in 2012, as reported by the UNWTO. Also viewed as a key contributor to this significant growth pattern is the increase in the percentage of European and South American travelers classified as adventure travelers, an increase in the average spending by adventure travelers globally ($593 per trip in 2009 to $947 in 2012), recovery from the global financial crisis, and the emergence of new source markets.

Highlights from the Adventure Tourism Market Study include:

• Adventure travelers are younger than non-adventure travelers, with an average age of 36;
• In 2012 nearly 42 percent of travelers from the three regions reported an adventure activity as the main activity of their last trip (the activity would have been one of those identified in the survey as hard or soft adventure options);
• The average length of a soft adventure trip was ten days in 2012 compared to eight days in 2009;
• Adventure travelers read publications such as National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler and Men’s Health, which cover traditional adventure and recreation topics, as well as unrelated but popular publications such as Cosmopolitan and Vogue;
• Nearly 54 percent of travelers plan to participate in an adventure activity on their next trip, compared to the 42 percent of travelers currently participating in adventure activities. The increase in interest comes largely from soft adventure activities;
• 73 percent of adventure travelers plan to participate in an adventure activity on their next trip. Only 22 percent of adventure travelers plan on doing the same adventure activity as their last trip;
• 45 percent of adventure travelers plan on using a tour operator on their next trip, compared to only 31 percent of non-adventure travelers;
• The percentage of adventure travelers using Facebook (78 percent) has more than doubled since 2009.

Access the Full 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study

Check out all the latest Tourism & Travel Trends in TrendSpotting 2013

Destination Marketing: Use Your Babies, Bananas & more

As a fact, major events can have a major impact on the visitor economy of their host destinations, but it is up to the destination tourism authorities to set how much. It is also up to the destination to think outside the box and try to capitalize on every single – or set of- strength and assets it has to support its tourism marketing efforts. In a few words….Go bananas…

As the royal baby is now born, we also take a look at how UK tourism agencies approached this special event to capitalize on the world wide interest, marketing the royal birth and the whole destination at the same time.

Bananas:  The Equador Ambassadors

Ecuador has decided to let one of its largest exports advertise the country as a tourism destination through QR codes, with its Banana Ambassador campaign.

Since the main tourism issue the country faced was the lack of adequate international awareness and considering the lack of a large enough advertising budget to change that, the Tourism Ministry decided to leave that up to the 24 million tons of bananas it exports worldwide each year.

Each banana now contains a QR code on its sticker to encourage consumers to learn more about where their food comes from. When they scan the code, they are led through to a promotional video for the country, and then the Ministry of Tourism website.

Royal Baby & Digital Tourism Promotion

With all the craze surrounding the Royal Baby birth, there came the UK’s opportunity for an anticipated increase in tourism numbers and the  tourism authorities tried to capitalize on it at the maximum. Here is a selection which shows an integrated approach across digital channels.

Visit London, featured special articles and cross promoted relevant family attractions and sights all over London via its Blog, its website featured a dedicated Royal Baby page, while it also promoted its special Royal Baby merchandise.

VisitBritain used Twitter & Facebook to communicate the occasion while at the same time promoting any relevant aspect of the destination there is. From offering tips on tours for “Top Will & Kate sights” to the “trail of young royals throughout history”, the relevant tweets and Facebook posts are constant.

The agency is using this special event opportunity to further promote the country as an ideal family destination:

while also moving traffic to its other digital channels, such as their Pinterest account with dedicated photos and albums:

Glasgow & the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) has just unveiled its new branding, “PEOPLE MAKE GLASGOW”, placing the people of Glasgow at the heart of the new brand after it had asked their views during the past months. The brand is designed to highlight the essence of the spirit that transformed from a degraded rust belt city that lost its ship building industry into a city whose top resource is the intelligence, creativity and innovation of its people.

In parallel, VisitScotland has recently revealed the first details of its campaign to promote Glasgow and the wider country in the run-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games as it is planning to spend £2.5m, marketing the event nationally and internationally.

The agency has already targeted thousands of potential domestic visitors, through a series of direct mailing initiatives and e-zines. Television adverts will be shown across the UK and Ireland later this year. Fam trips are being organized for select travel trade representatives while sales missions will also take place in target markets.

As the Games will attract athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories, VisitScotland said it planned to use the enthusiasm generated by London 2012, with marketing in the South East of England, as well as focusing on the North West of England, including Manchester, host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

As the Tourism Ministry stated, “Our message is clear: enjoy a magnificent Commonwealth Games, enjoy one of the best cities in the world – now go and enjoy the rest of Scotland.”

Black Sea Tourism Forum & Workshop

The Black Sea Tourism Forum & Workshop taking place on October 10-11, 2013 in Athens, Greece, is organized by the City of Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) and the United Nations Developmental Program Black Sea Trade & Investment Programme (UNDP BSTIP).

The Black Sea Tourism Forum & Workshop will host selected tour operators, travel trade representatives and tourism suppliers from all 12 countries of the Black Sea region as well as top selected buyers of the European travel market aiming to become the platform for effective tourism collaboration amongst all countries involved.

This two day trade event features a dedicated B2B workshop day and a full networking & educational day for suppliers offering plenty of marketing opportunities.

The event is supported by top international organizations and associations, such as WYSE Travel Confederation, the International EcoTourism Society TIES and the Adventure Travel Trade Association ATTA as well as by national travel associations from the Black Sea countries such as: the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies TÜRSAB, the National Association of Travel Agencies of Romania ANAT, the Hellenic Association of Travel & Tourist Agencies HATTA , the General Pan-Hellenic Federation of Tourist Enterprises GEPOET, the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels HCH and the Hellenic Federation of Hoteliers HHF amongst others to be confirmed.

Check out the event’s program here

Find full event & registration details here

abouTourism destination consultancy is responsible for the concept development and technical coordination of this travel trade event.

LGBT Market Trends & Destination Marketing

As the global visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community increases, there has a steady increase in interest in this community as a consumer group, a trend which is particularly evident in the travel industry.

A 2012 Global Tourism Report on LGBT Tourism published by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) shows that gay/bi men had taken an average of 3.9 trips in the past 12 months. With lesbian/bi women, that number was 3.3 trips.

As highlighted in an older post (see here), for destination marketing, caution is necessary against making assumptions about the LGBT market, with the international organizations publishing the aforementioned studies stating that the wedding market for this sector is a big driver, and that the LGBT sector appears to have bucked the recession trend, bringing higher-than-average spend to their holiday destinations. Generally savvy in digital media, LGBT travel is also influenced by social media and digital or actual word of mouth.

This year has also seen to major developments for the international LGBT community with the legalization of same sex marriage by several countries worldwide.

In April, New Zealand became the first country in the Asia Pacific to legalise same sex marriage and is now the 13th country to legalise gay marriage, after Uruguay passed its law earlier in the month, followed by France.

This comes in contrast with the latest news coming from Russia just a few days ago where Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law allegedly one of the most draconian anti-gay laws on the planet. The new law comes only seven months before Russia is to host the Winter Olympics in Sochi expecting visitors and visitors from around the world.

Meanwhile, several destinations have just launched dedicated tourism campaigns targeting the LGBT market. Here is a selection of the latest initiatives:

“Make History” in New Zealand

Tourism New Zealand launched a nationwide ‘Make History’ campaign in Australia this June, capitalising on the recent attention New Zealand gained by passing the Marriage Amendment Bill.

The tourism organisation is holding a competition offering the chance to be the first Australian same-sex couple to wed in New Zealand.

The new campaign has received significant attention from Australian media since the competition launched on Friday 21 June 2013.

The campaign is being conducted in partnership with the Star Observer, a weekly gay and lesbian community newspaper, with the competition winners set to be announced 15 July 2013. Prize includes return flights from Australia, accommodation, a special wedding ceremony and stylish reception.

According to the organization, the significant attention the change of legislation received in Australia has provided a great platform to further promote New Zealand as a wedding and honeymoon destination for anyone and everyone.

New York Loves LGBT

Since New York legalized gay marriage in 2011, there has been a continued push to promote the state as a same-sex wedding destination. With the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision striking down the Defense Of Marriage Act, the state is also highlighting the other big draw: same-sex marriage.

As New Yorkers celebrated pride weekend in the end of June, New York Governor Cuomo announced a new “I Love New York LGBT” tourism website- lgbt.iloveny.com. The new campaign invites LGBT travelers to explore why there is so much to love in New York State.

The site will help the LGBT community plan their New York State vacation by listing popular destinations while it also features a calendar of LGBT events and resources.

The logo for the new campaign features the iconic ‘I Love NY’ logo with a rainbow-colored heart. The content is dedicated to the LGBT market segment while it also highlights the state’s long history with the LGBT community.

Sources: Tourism New Zealand, New York State Tourism, UNWTO, IGLTA.

Check out all the latest Tourism & Travel Trends here.