Professional: Surfing the World Wide Web

In 2009 approximately 44% of all travel reservations are to be generated through the Internet (40% in 2008, 34% in 2007, 29% in 2006). Moreover, another 30% of all travel reservations are to be initiated by the Internet, but made offline via call centers (Merrill Lynch). That means, cumulatively, more than two thirds (2/3) of all travel bookings in the world are influenced by or made via online reservation websites. With such a huge success of online travel industry, it is interesting and imp...

Interview with Euromonitor International Industry research analyst Angelo Rossini Internet is growing in popularity as an information source for travellers worldwide. What groups of would-be tourists use the net the most? The medium and high socio-economic groups are still the ones especially using the internet as a source of information for their trips. However, the internet is today expanding its influence as a source of information for travellers to all socio-economic groups for which it i...

Your hotel website is vitally important in acquiring reservations. It is the first and more often the last experience a potential guest may have of your hotel. Hoteliers must therefore cast a critical eye over the website and address the fundamental question: Is your hotel website doing its job properly? To reveal the true performance of your website, you must identify the number of reservations you generate through your website. The easiest way to measure your site’s production is to look at...

The role of user-generated reviews is exploding. TripAdvisor(TM) attracts nearly 30 million monthly visitors and 88% of these visitors are influenced by content they read. Word-of-mouth adds a layer of credibility and is more effective than other more formal forms of promotion. Why is this important? Because with an increasing number of user-generated reviews and people reading and acting on them, the impact of guest satisfaction and dissatisfaction is multiplied and has a quicker economic impa...

Last month an unlikely underdog stunned the marketing world at the International Cannes Advertising Festival. At the show, a single marketing campaign took home a Grand Prix award in three categories simultaneously – direct, cyber and PR – something that had never happened before in the 50+ year history of the show. Contrary to what you might expect, the unanimous winner of this unprecedented victory was not a Fortune50 brand with an advertising budget of millions, but a small Touris...