Campaign Harnesses the Power of Online Video to Inspire Travelers and Drive Travel Bookings
Chicago – Leading online travel company Orbitz Worldwide (NYSE: OWW) and Empire State Development, New York’s chief economic development agency which administers the world-famous I LOVE NEW YORK tourism program, have launched a seven-part online video series, “Orbitz Originals: New York State,” which can be viewed exclusively at Orbitz.com/NYState. The series, which is the first by Orbitz to feature a U.S. destination, kicks off by highlighting the extraordinary Catskills and Adirondacks regions as seen through the eyes of award winning travel expert Richard Bangs. It will be followed by future episodes focused on other tourism regions throughout the state.
Research points to online video as an important source of inspiration in the travel planning process, prompting 45 percent of leisure travelers and 74 percent of affluent travelers to book travel after viewing an online travel video*. PHD, the media agency for Empire State Development, recognized this potential and helped bring the partners together on the new media collaboration. “Orbitz Originals: New York State” harnesses the power of online video to stimulate audiences with stunning visuals in a compact format that offers an unprecedented level of integration between inspiration and the act of booking travel at Orbitz.com. The marketing partnership will run through January 31 alongside an Orbitz.com winter sale offering up to 30 percent off hotels across New York State.
Each episode of “Orbitz Originals: New York State” explores a specific theme in the featured destination, including “Adirondacks: Olympic Sized Experience,” “Catskills: Spirit of Place,” and “Microbrews & Megabites,” to name a few. Richard Bangs then takes viewers on his adventures throughout the landscape, providing a trip template that viewers can replicate themselves via travel bookings made at Orbitz.com/NYState.
“I LOVE NEW YORK is excited to work with Orbitz in providing this innovative online series that will introduce travelers to our state’s many diverse destinations,” said Harvey Cohen, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of Empire State Development. “It is one more example of our renewed effort to work with local tourism regions to highlight the diversity and beauty of our entire state.”
Beginning in the Adirondacks, Bangs journeys through a perfect mix of wilderness and civilization amid spectacular landscapes, unique culinary attractions and luxurious mountain resorts. The Adirondacks are home to Adirondack Park, the largest natural wilderness area in the Eastern United States, and Lake Placid, the only North American city to have hosted two separate Winter Olympics (1932 and 1980). In the Catskills, Bangs explores the natural beauty and celebrated hospitality that make the region one of the nation’s premiere vacation retreats. Alongside a vast array of outdoor adventures with hundreds of lakes, streams and trails, unique places to stay include mountaintop resorts, family dude ranches and charming inns where guests are surrounded by natural beauty and mountain landscapes at every turn.
“Orbitz is a leader in leveraging innovative media platforms that connect passionate travelers to beautiful destinations with a wide range of activities and attractions,” said Josh Winkler, vice president of partner marketing at Orbitz Worldwide. “Previous ‘Orbitz Originals’ installments have seen tremendous success driving travel to international locations such as Ireland and the Cayman Islands, so we’re thrilled to feature New York as the first U.S. destination in the ‘Originals’ series.”
*Source: The Traveler’s Road to Decision, Google and Ipsos MediaCT (July 2012)