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The Arts and Tourism
October 11, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following article was originally published in eTurboNews, and is re-posted here with full permission from its author, Dr. Peter Tarlow, Founder and President of Tourism and More. Dr. Peter Tarlow An area of tourism that is often overlooked is the question of the arts and tourism. One of the reasons for this consistent overlooking may be the fact that it is hard to define the term “the arts”. In popular parlance the term usually means what is technically called the “plastic arts”. That is those forms of the arts that are restricted to paintings, sculpture and other visual concepts. Of course, the term can mean much more, from musical and dance performances to theater, from architecture to poetry readings all are art forms. In fact, anywhere that we find that the embodiment of the soul in a communication with other souls we find art. As such we may also think of both athletics and religious expression as a form of art. To simplify... Read More →
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How the New Facebook Will Impact Travel (Hint: Massively)
September 30, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: This guest article by Travis Pittman, co-founder and CEO of TourRadar and speaker at the upcoming 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit, was originally published on Tnooz. The introductory paragraphs are posted here with their permission – be sure to link through to read the entire article. Watching the livestream of the Facebook F8 event last week, I was curious to see what “BIG” news the young billionaire Mark Zuckerberg was about to announce. Curious on one hand to know how their updates would affect my own business, but also curious to see how Facebook was going to extend its lead over the recently launched Google+ platform. Facebook promised a lot and, in some ways, delivered on that promise… In the last couple of days I’ve dug further into the new Open Graph developer documentation Facebook. In doing so, I have attempted to briefly summarise how the Open Graph changes may affect its users and the travel industry. To read Travis’... Read More →
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Travel Marketers Aren’t Prepared for Flood of Affluent Chinese Tourists
September 30, 2011
A recent article in Ad Age Global has reported that, according to Chinese travel experts, the global travel and tourism industry is ill-prepared for the coming flood of wealthy Chinese travelers. The growing number of affluent Chinese travelers “will completely change the face of tourism,” especially in hot destinations such as New York, Las Vegas, London and Paris, said Pierre Gervois, president-CEO of China Elite Focus, which specializes in affluent Chinese outbound tourism… “Everyone stands to benefit because the Chinese market is growing so fast,” said Bruce Ryde, general manager of InterContinental Hotels’ Hotel Indigo Shanghai on the Bund, who appeared on this week’s episode of “Thoughtful China,” a video program produced in China. As early as 2012, China is expected to oust Japan as the world’s largest tourism market, with sixty-six million Chinese traveling in 2011, a number expected to hit 100 million by 2020, according... Read More →
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Google, Facebook and TripAdvisor Weigh in on Upcoming Travel Trends
September 16, 2011
In a recent guest article on Tnooz, Marco Saio, Director of Global Research and Projects at EyeforTravel, polled key people from Google, TripAdvisor and Facebook to see what they think will be the next major trends in travel, given the current disruptive trends (flash deals and tablets, anyone?) and the quickly changing landscape of both travel tech and consumer preferences and behavior. Some of their key takeaways are excerpted below. For Rohit Dhawan, the Lead Product Manager at Facebook, it is the very nature of the web which is shifting to social, not just individual sites and services, meaning that (real) people are at the center of marketing like never before. The era of the “on-going, two-way dialogue between brands and their customers” is truly here: Because of this connection, we’re seeing that businesses can now achieve effective word-of-mouth marketing at scale for the first time. We’ve always known that the best recommendations come from your own friends... Read More →
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New Study Proves State Tourism Promotion Campaigns Increase Visitation
September 15, 2011
Comprehensive Analysis of Michigan and Philadelphia Programs Reveal Increases in Jobs; State and Local Tax Revenue Washington, D.C. – Reducing state and local tourism marketing programs in the name of saving taxpayer dollars impedes economic growth, according to new research conducted by Longwoods International and commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association. A comprehensive analysis of recent campaigns by the State of Michigan and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) reveals that marketing programs drive greater visitation, generate new tax dollars and create jobs for states and local communities. “There’s a reason that America’s most prominent brands continue to increase their marketing budgets: it works,” said Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “This study proves that destinations must operate like Nike, Apple and similar businesses that have followed the marketing path to success. Substantial cuts to... Read More →
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Trends Report: As We Recover, Value Remains the Word of the Day
July 18, 2011
By Nicole Petrak, Assistant Editor to AdventureTravelNews and Special Projects for ATTA Editor’s Note: This is the third installment of a three piece quarterly trends article from the ATTA. Access Part I (Content: Where Media and Commerce Intersect in the New Age of Marketing) and Part II (Generation Y: Soon-to-Be Your Next Best Customers) for a full briefing of recent trends. © Porini - Mobile Camping Halfway through 2011 the general global forecast remains that the travel industry recovery is, if not in full swing, on the horizon for most parts of the world. Ypartnership/Harrison Group’s annual Portrait of American TravelersTM reveals that despite the projections for recovered travel demand, U.S. consumers are not ready to return to pre-recession prices and a search for value and good deals are still the top priority among U.S. leisure travelers – the vast majority of whom believe better deals can be found online (48% on online travel agency websites and 35% on online from... Read More →
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WikiLeaks: A Battle to ‘Carve Up’ the Arctic
July 17, 2011
Resource wars are possible as global warming melts polar ice – opening new areas to oil exploitation, cables indicate. Editor’s Note – While this story is not about adventure tourism, it’s a story surely and profoundly tied to the future of adventure tourism in the Arctic region – from multiple perspectives. According to a recent Aljazeera.com article, some new Wikileaks have made public secret U.S. embassy cables proving that multiple nations are competing for the future of the Arctic region’s resources. Global warming will expose approximately 22 percent of the world’s oil, as well as revealing new shipping lanes – both of which are seen as key resources to control by multiple nations. Per Stig Moller, then Danish foreign minister, mused in a 2009 cable that “new shipping routes and natural resource discoveries would eventually place the region at the centre of world politics”. Canada, the US, Russia, Norway, Denmark, and perhaps... Read More →
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Ethnic Travel Presents a Growing, Profitable Niche for North American Travel Agencies, According to New Amadeus Report
July 17, 2011
Report analyzes market opportunities and business drivers for agencies serving ethnic and heritage travelers in the U.S. and Canada; Amadeus offers solutions package tailored to the unique needs of North American ethnic travel agencies Miami, FL – Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, has released a new report focused on the growing niche of ethnic and heritage travel and the emerging business opportunities it presents for travel agencies in North America. The Amadeus report, “Understanding Ethnic Travel Agencies’ Cost Drivers and Business Optimization Opportunities,” takes an in-depth look at ethnic travel trends and travelers; explores the various business models of various types of ethnic agencies; and identifies opportunities for them to optimize their business and serve their clients. “With the foreign-born population in the U.S. at 38 million people, ethnic travel is an area that is positioned to... Read More →
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Tips on Managing Gen Y and Keeping Them Satisfied at Work: Guest Post by Anne Loehr
July 11, 2011
Assistant Editor’s Note: The following posts are from the blog of Anne Loehr, a Generational Speaker, Consultant and Author. Named the “Generational Guru” by The Washington Post, Loehr has worked with clients such as US Air Force, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, American Red Cross, Johns Hopkins University and John Hancock. She is also the co-author of a new book, Managing the Unmanageable: How to Motivate Even the Most Unruly Employee. For information on how Gen Y consumers will impact your travel business, read the second installment of ATTA’s quarterly trends article, Generation Y: Soon-to-Be Your Next Best Customers. Keeping Gen Y Satisfied at Work As a manager, you know that employees are more productive if they are more satisfied with their jobs. A January 2010 study by PWC Saratoga found that only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their job. In addition, PWC Saratoga found that over the past two recessions (1991 and 2000), voluntary turnover increased an average of... Read More →
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Content: Where Media and Commerce Intersect in the New Age of Marketing
June 16, 2011
By Nicole Petrak, ATTA Special Projects and Assistant Editor, AdventureTravelNews In the constantly evolving world of online advertising, the clear shift towards content – to entertain, inform, and transform interest into action – has been hailed by Internet gurus such a Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin as a new era. The travel industry is particularly lucky – opportunities for content generation and storytelling abound – but beyond posting video and pictures, and writing company blog posts – what does successful content generation look like today? Quality content must inform, and consumers will spend more time looking at a brand that gives useful information about a general topic of interest – only once they have all the information needed to make a decision will they be open to choosing your brand as the solution. Therefore, the more detailed information you give to help them with that decision, the more likely they are to view your brand as reliable and... Read More →
