These days, reviews are just a few keystrokes away, and an astounding 98 percent of consumers are reading them before giving their business to a company. Yelp, Facebook, Google, TripAdvisor and other websites are hotspots for online reviews and comments that can either dramatically increase or wreak havoc on your business, your brand and ultimately […]
Now, perhaps more than ever before, your visitors are steering clear of cookie-cutter trips. Rather than simply being tourists who tread the beaten path, they’re increasingly demanding to be travelers and to enjoy authentic, experiential opportunities to interact with their destinations and the locals. Even when on the move, wherever they roam, they seek ways […]
Influencers were once the go-to for brand endorsements—consumers saw them as authentic and trustworthy compared to celebrities. But now, influencers have become so popular that many are seen as celebrities in their own right, and consumers aren’t responding the same way as they used to. Enter micro-influencers. There’s some debate about the follower count for […]
For DMOs and CVBs promoting their own corner of the world to travelers, it may sometimes seem like the budget you’re granted just isn’t enough to accomplish all of your goals. Enter…co-op marketing! By creating a program that allows local tourism and hospitality partners to buy into a campaign to co-promote their offerings with travel […]
This past September, Marriott International announced its recommitment to climate stewardship, setting science-based emissions reduction targets with a long-term goal of reaching net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050. While Marriott’s long list of initiatives is truly admirable and aspirational for many hospitality businesses, you don’t need to be the world’s […]
Any successful marketing campaign should explore the place that each channel plays, such as print, email, direct mail, search, TV, radio, PR—and video. As marketers, our job is to design a program that contains a balanced blend of communications tools to gain awareness and drive—ideally—measurable results. Unfortunately, alternatives are often overlooked, which could play an […]
The past two years have taken the travel sector on a wild ride—from brutal decimation in 2020 to the renaissance of the road trip in 2021 to the growing, but guarded, optimism of today. Most experts predict that the industry will not fully recover (read: achieve 2019 levels) until 2024. So we’re exploring where that […]
Over the past two years, many of us devoted quite a bit of time to gazing into our crystal balls, desiring to see total industry recovery. Thankfully, lots of our wishes did materialize in real life. But a few? Not so much…at least, not yet. Because here we stand, well into 2022, still contending with […]
Solo travel is nothing new. In fact, we’ve been blogging about it since 2017. But each year unveils fresh insights about this lucrative niche market—so we’re unpacking the 2022 trends inside the still-going-strong solo travel trend. All The Single Ladies By single, we’re not (necessarily) referencing relationship status. These on-their-own female sojourners may have a […]
Across industries, user-generated content (UGC) has become a key marketing tool. Retailers, small businesses, restaurants and more are leveraging UGC, and tourism is no different. But first, what is user-generated content? According to CrowdRiff, it’s “any content that is voluntarily created and shared by individuals, fans or consumers of a brand who are not associated […]