Growing Mobile Travel Marketing

Travel apps are leading industries in usage growth at the same time that travel companies are digging deeper into mobile app development as they aim to connect with consumers at all points during the travel journey, according to the latest survey results. Services that support everything travelers are doing during the entire travel experience cycle, from planning to booking to sharing their experiences.

These efforts are getting consumers’ attention. A May 2012 Nielsen study, “Courting Today’s Mobile Consumer,” showed that in the US travel apps were seeing the highest year-over-year growth of any industry or product-related app category, at 116%, well above the growth in overall mobile app use (84%).

Travelers are showing a penchant for using their phones to do more than simply complete an on-the-go booking. For example, comScore’s “Mobile Travel Advisor” survey from February 2012 showed that US travelers were often using their smartphones for mobile hotel-related searches such as finding things to do nearby or places to eat near their hotel.

At the same time, the 2012 SITA Passenger Self-Service Survey has revealed that passengers want more self-service and mobile-based offerings to help improve the travel experience.

The annual survey – which included more than 2,500 passengers from over 70 countries – found that 70% of passengers now carry smartphones, which is fuelling demand for services such as self-boarding and flight information updates.

In response, travel marketers are incorporating social check-in partnerships, concierge services, customized coupons and other in-destination services into travel apps to create customer service touchpoints and brand loyalty opportunities as well as ancillary revenue streams. These recommendations are relevant to locals as much as they are to tourists, making the apps more widely marketable.

The trend toward mobile travel app usage points back to the fundamental nature of travel as a mobile activity. As smartphones proliferate, they’ll more often be looked to as the go-to resource for travel information on the fly.

Source: eMarketer, www.sita.aero

Destination Videos & Apps: Inspire and Engage!

Mobile applications provide an efficient experience merging a huge amount of information and services down into one small mobile device, cancelling any previous reliance on maps, guide books or assistants making travel arrangements. As a recent CNN article notes, all sectors of the  travel and tourism industry are increasingly responding to the customers urge to transfer of most travel arrangements online. And they are not the only ones. In general a study by Forrester Research forecasts that companies will spend up to $17 billion over the next four years creating apps for their products. Revenue from selling these apps could reach $38 billion by 2015. 

What seems to be becoming clear to a growing segment of the industry and especially to destinations is that it is now more important than ever to be providing complete, spot on and inspiring information before, during and after visits!

Brazil’s New -Trip Planning- YouTube Channel

It’s fresh, it’s organized, it’s interactive, it’s innovative.

Embratur, the Brazilian Tourism Board, just launched its two brand new tools in New York– an interactive YouTube Brand Channel and Brasil Quest, a new video game app.

The new branded YouTube channel is being used as a trip planning tool, providing customized content based on the time, duration and type of prospective visit. The channel of course offers a wide selection of videos for every Brazilian destination, which were already uploaded in YouTube by users and travellers, while it also features an interactive map integrated in every video.

Being able to create their own itinerary based on the selected dates, duration, company and interests they can then view the available videos on various destinations and make their selection forming their itinerary. They can then save their virtual trip, change it and create new ones. Booking them though is still not a possibility! Maybe that’s the next step.

The second initiative was the launch of a free “Brasil Quest” game app for iPhone, iPad and Android, which launched at Times Square this week. The game celebrates the 12 Brazilian host cities of the 2014 FIFA World Cup through the journey of YEP, an alien that decides to visit Brazil in search of happiness and becomes enchanted with the country’s beauty and offerings.

Source: www.braziltour.com

Wales is going Mobile

Mid Wales Tourism (MWT), which represents more than 550 tourism and hospitality businesses across Mid and South Wales, recently launched the ‘Show Me Wales’ iphone/ipad app and mobile website as an ‘one stop shop’ for visitors and locals, providing a comprehensive guide to things to see and do across the whole of Wales.

‘Show Me Wales’ is a comprehensive tourist guide to Wales including full details of hundreds of attractions, activities, places to eat, towns & villages and places to stay. The search functionality allows visitors to choose an area, search near a town, search near their current location, drop a pin and filter the data to highlight specific interests.

Each business entry describes the attraction with pictures, opening times and full contact details. Integrated with the Maps app, a quick link shows directions from their current location by car or on foot.

The app will be usable inside and outside of Wales, utilising GPS. Once the user is inside Wales, the app will plot and guide a user directly to the requested establishment from where they stand.

As MWT comments “It offers a sophisticated search facility so that when a visitor crosses the Welsh border the really clever bit kicks in. Using GPS technology, the app will locate the user and, using Google maps, will plot a range of tourist attractions, activities and even bookable accommodation within a user-specified radius.”

Source:  www.midwalestourism.co.uk

Study Snapshot: Hospitality Industry Trends & Marketing Plans

A new survey showing the industry’s outlook for 2012 incorporating responses from more than 9,000 accommodation owners and managers worldwide, has just been released by TripAdvisor.

The TripAdvisor 2012 Industry Index brings forward the hotel industry’s outlook for the year ahead, ranging from hotel representatives’ economic outlook to their plans to engage tech-savvy travelers.

Key findings of the survey include the fact that 58 % of global respondents, led by U.S. representatives, predict their businesses will be more profitable in 2012, while more than a third anticipate a better overall economic climate this year compared to 2011.

Many hoteliers are also planning to monitor traveler mentions of their properties on social media and roll out programs to reach travelers “on the go”, as 50% of global respondents plan to see an increase on their social media marketing budgets for 2012.

However as far as additional services are concerned 62% of accommodation owners/managers do not expect to add additional services or amenities in 2012, while 85% of global respondents do not foresee adding additional fees for services or amenities in 2012.

47 % of global respondents plan to offer a program using mobile devices (e.g. mobile apps, special offers and booking on mobile devices, etc.) to engage with travelers in 2012, with this projection strongest in Italy with a 62%, followed by U.S with a 61%. 28% of these plan to invest in mobile marketing in 2012 for the first time.

Unsurprisingly the two most popular special offers/deals that accommodation managers plan to use most often in 2012 are discounts on rooms and special services such as free wireless internet. France leads the free in -room internet access plans with a 91%.

Check out the full report here.

Check out the latest Tourism & Travel Trends for 2012

 

Survey Shows Increased Demand for Destination Specific Offers and Info by Business Travelers

Sabre Travel Network has revealed some of the results of its biannual mobile survey of business travelers.

According to Sabre, the results confirm that the explosion of mobile travel services over the past several years has single-handedly “consumerized” business travel. Tomorrow’s travelers will expect even more convenience and functionality from their mobile devices, and corporations and travel management companies must meet those needs or risk being left behind.

“Our survey shows that business travel today is personal,” said Chris Kroeger, senior vice president of Sabre Travel Network. “Travelers want the same functionality and convenience from their business travel tools that they have in their daily lives. People use travel services on their smartphones everyday and for every trip – before, during and after they travel. The corporate travel industry needs to keep pace with the services and apps that travelers can access in their personal life and incorporate those into the world of managed business travel.”

According to the Sabre’s survey, 63 percent of business travelers want to receive destination specific offers from local businesses – an 85 percent increase from 2009 – and 47 percent of business travelers use their smartphone daily to view or receive advertisements, a 95 percent increase from 2009. “One of the biggest trends we see in the survey data is travelers’ desire for local business information and offerings based on their location via their smartphone or tablet,” said Kroeger. “Travelers will look for this information from suppliers, travel management companies and technology resources such as online booking tools like GetThere. Smart and savvy travel management companies will use technology as a way to fill this need and improve customer support and solidify customer loyalty. ”

Sabre’s survey also found that business travelers increasingly want to access navigational tools and maps on their mobile devices. Seventy-two percent of business travelers are interested in having the ability to view hotels on a map, an increase of 26 percent from 2009. Forty-three percent of business travelers reported daily use of their smartphone to access navigation services. And 71 percent want to receive driving directions to a specific location via their smartphone. “Consumers already rely on their mobile devices to help them navigate their way through cities around the world,” Kroeger said. “In the future, they’ll look for mobile services that are not only location-based but contextually-aware such as airport navigational tools with the ability to find in-airport businesses but also have deals and offers pushed to their smartphone.”

Sabre’s survey showed that nearly three-quarters of business travelers are interested in shopping and booking air options. More than two-thirds want to shop for and make hotel reservations via mobile devices and 66 percent of respondents reported interest in the ability to add a hotel reservation to an existing itinerary. But the highest growth was seen in the ground category. Sixty-two percent of respondents are interested in booking rental cars via their smartphone, a 32 percent increase from 2009, and 60 percent of respondents want to shop for car rentals using their smartphone, a 33 percent increase.

 “Today’s business travelers expect transactional capabilities from their mobile devices including buying air extras and in-flight amenities,” Kroeger said. “Tomorrow’s business travelers will move from physical passports, wallets and credit cards and will expect their mobile device to fill those needs as continued advancements in mobile payment, commerce and banking make it easier to electronically transact via mobile devices.

Sources: www.travelpulse.com, www.sabre-holdings.com

DMOs Going Mobile – Are you there yet?

As mentioned in an earlier post the internet is now involved in 85% of holiday purchases while smartphone mobile usage is steadily increasing along with the demand for more travel information and location based applications.

Since a DMO’s role is not only to promote the destination as a whole but also the tourism businesses and suppliers in that destination, considering the latest web developments they need to go where the consumer is instead of trying to convince them to come to them. Towards this direction a DMO website should be visually appealing, easy to use and providing value adding features and information in order to keep the visitors. Considering therefore that 43% of mobile phone users are now carrying a smartphone, and more than one third of mobile users plan to book their travel on their phones in the next year, DMOs need to be looking at smartphone marketing.

Let’s have a look at how several DMOs around the world (certainly not an exhaustive list) have entered the mobile destination marketing arena:

VisitEngland unveils iPhone application

VisitEngland has launched its first official iPhone application to inspire users to make the most of their time in England, whether they are planning a trip or are already in their destination.

Users can personalise their search according to indoor or outdoor activities, or the most popular ‘must-see’ things to do, and those sticking to a budget can be inspired by hundreds of free ideas. Each result comes complete with a Google Map location.

VisitEngland has had a successful partnership with the Guardian over the past two years, which has enabled the Enjoy England iPhone app to include free access to Guardian travel content. There are also over 1,000 readers’ tips, plus additional ideas from enjoyengland.com, detailed information on the whole of England available offline as well as the possibility to save any attractions or great ideas to favourites.

The post-launch phase will see an additional function, which will enable users to capture a special moment or favourite view using the app which will then send a hard copy of the picture as a postcard to the chosen address.

Sources: www.enjoyengland.com, www.breakingtravelnews.com

Colorado Tourism Office launches new mobile website

Travelers planning an epic Colorado road trip this summer will able to share their pictures of Hanging Lake and the Maroon Bells, as well as their Foursquare check-ins with an easy click from their smartphones, thanks to the snazzy new mobile website launched by the Colorado Tourism Office this month.

The mobile site is designed for iPhones, Android devices and other smartphones and features buttons for hot deals, timely specials from hotels and restaurants and listings for special events and concerts. It serves as a launchpad to  connecting with the Colorado Tourism Office via social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Foursquare.

“Mobile technologies are rapidly evolving and they enable us to engage visitors before and during a trip to Colorado,” said Colorado Tourism Office director Al White. “The mobile My Colorado feature, currently a popular function of Colorado.com, enables visitors to share their itineraries with friends following the completion of their trip, using the connectivity of social media channels,” he added.

Sources:  www.colorado.com , summitcountyvoice.com

Visit Orlando is using mobile marketing to spearhead its latest campaign

Visit Orlando, the convention and visitor’s bureau is promoting the chance to win a free trip for four to the city. Once entered in the contest, consumers can opt-in to receive ongoing promotions and information about Orlando as a travel destination.

“The strategy with this campaign is twofold,” said Eric Harber, president and chief operating officer of Hipcricket, Kirkland, WA. “First, Visit Orlando will be introduced or reintroduced to potential visitors. Second, the organization is building a loyalty club of opted-in consumers,” he said. “This allows Visit Orlando to interact with these people on an ongoing basis and offer them promotions, deals and suggestions of fun things they can do while visiting Orlando.”

The contest is currently being promoted through a number of channels, including SMS and banner and in-app ads on several different media properties. An SMS mobile call to action is also being included in radio spots, on VisitOrlando.com and on a billboard in New York’s Times Square. With the call to action, consumers are being asked to text a keyword to a shortcode in order to be entered in the contest. Although the contest kicked off in April, results regarding the number of people texting in have not yet been disclosed.

Hipcricket, the mobile marketing service provider who co-developed the campaign, did say that Visit Orlando has been able to build a mobile database of opted-in consumers for future marketing initiatives. Building a mobile database is a key component of a mobile marketing strategy and allows for continued consumer interest long after the initial promotion has ended. Businesses are also able to maintain a voice and command attention in a competitive industry.

“An opted-in consumer has raised his or her hand and is open to ongoing engagement,” Mr. Harber said. “For Visit Orlando, this keeps the entity top of mind and builds loyalty via offers and information that consumers desire.”

Sources: www.mobilemarketer.com, www.visitorlando.com

Hong Kong Tourism Board launches augmented reality mobile applications

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Cathay Pacific Airways recently announced their joint initiative – DiscoverHongKong Mobile App Series – one of the first smart phone travel application series in the world that makes use of the augmented reality technology.

HKTB Chairman Mr James Tien said: “In recent years, Wi-Fi technology has advanced progressively, leading to greater functions for smart phones and the popular trend of promotions via the mobile platform. Our visitor survey also showed that more than half of all visitors to Hong Kong bring a smart phone with them during their trip. Capitalising on this trend, we have joined hands with Cathay Pacific to devise the DiscoverHongKong Mobile App Series, enabling visitors to find tourist information near their location easily when they are travelling in Hong Kong. These mobile applications also provide a platform for the HKTB to introduce the mega events and activities, as well as retail and dining outlets in the city, maximising the effectiveness of our promotions.”

The DiscoverHongKong Mobile App Series currently includes two applications. One of these is “DiscoverHongKong AR”, which features over 100 attractions, 5,000 retail outlets and 2,000 dining establishments, as well as the shopping malls and open-air markets all over Hong Kong.

Combining the augmented reality technology with the global positioning system (GPS) and camera of the smart phone, the application shows points of interest, including major attractions, shops accredited under the HKTB’s Quality Tourism Services Scheme and award-winning restaurants, in visitors’ vicinity. All visitors need to do is use the camera of their phone as a viewer, and the points of interest will appear overlaid on the real-world views on the phone screen. They can also tap each of these points of interest for detailed information (such as introduction and address), and refer to the offline map for transportation routes, making the application a round-the-clock digital travel guide for travellers.

The other application, “DiscoverHongKong City Walks”, leads visitors through four themed walking trails in the urban areas of Hong Kong. Also using the augmented reality technology, a detailed offline map and the GPS, this application acts like a docent by providing in-depth information on each of the attractions along the trails, enriching visitors’ travel experience in Hong Kong. There is also a search function for users to locate shops, restaurants, MTR exits and Wi-Fi hotspots near the trails.

In addition, the HKTB is collaborating with PCCW to provide Wi-Fi services at over 8,000 hotspots for visitors to access DiscoverHongKong.com and download the travel applications onto their smart phones at no cost. This service helps to enhance visitors’ experience during their stay in Hong Kong.

Sources: finchannel.com, www.discoverhongkong.com

Tourism Victoria, BC has a Mobile Application

Visitors and locals alike have a new way to get the latest information about all there is to do in Victoria, British Columbia since September 2010. The launch of Tourism Victoria’s travel guide-like mobile app is a major initiative for the organization and a new all-inclusive feature for Greater Victoria.

Rob Gialloreto, President & CEO of Tourism Victoria stated: “Tourism Victoria is delighted to launch this free mobile app to help visitors explore our remarkable destination. It combines traditional destination information with a digital focus to capitalize on what we’re seeing as a more mobile-focused visitor base. With a great mapping tool and instant access to our digital initiatives, we’re confident this app will do nothing but showcase Greater Victoria to potential visitors.”

One of only a handful of destination marketing organizations in British Columbia to have a mobile app, Tourism Victoria has really focused on being digitally present in an ever-increasing online-based market. Similar destination specific apps attain between 400 and 1000 downloads per month and Tourism Victoria is poised to achieve similar results. Part of the organizations digital strategy efforts, the mobile app launch now joins Tourism Victoria’s mobile website m.tourismvictoria.com, various social media efforts including twitter and facebook, and developing blogs green Victoria and going local.

Designed for quick access information, Tourism Victoria’s mobile app connects users to a comprehensive list of member suppliers and events. Specific features on the app include: activity ideas, interactive and GPS enabled maps, a calendar of events, and a direct Twitter link. In addition, all of Tourism Victoria’s member suppliers are showcased on the app. Attractions, accommodations, transportation, outdoor activities, dining, shopping, theatre, arts and entertainment, tours, and various visitor services listing are all capable of direct connection from the app to the member by phone, email, or website.

Sources: www.tourismvictoria.com, m.tourismvictoria.com

Have any more cases in mind or would like to know more about a similar subject? Feel free to let us know through the comments area below!