Tourism INTERNET Marketing Blog 1.0 - Travel & Tourism

Global Internet Landscape

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:37:00 -0700

When we think the Internet is everywhere and non-censored, this map provides some reality. This map was commissioned by Reporters Without Borders, which also publishes a World Ranking of press freedom. By the way, the World Ranking of Press Freedom is quite interesting in itself (with the three worst violators of free expression - North Korea at the bottom at 168th place, Turkmenistan (167th) and Eritrea (166th). But also interesting to see that the USA slipped from 17th place last year to 53rd place this year. Finnland, Iceland, Ireland, and the Netherlands lead the list.) As the list of the 15 internet-restricting countries (followed by their ranking on said list) indicates, internet censorship that limit or prohibit their citizens’ access to internet as a way of censoring the free flow of information, is a strong indicator of press censorship in general:

1. Maldives (144)
2. Tunisia (148)
3. Belarus (151)
4. Libya (152)
5. Syria (153)
6. Vietnam (155)
7. Uzbekistan (158)
8. Nepal (159)
9. Saudi Arabia (161)
10. Iran (162)
11. China (163)
12. Myanmar/Burma (164)
13. Cuba (165)
14. Turkmenistan (167)
15. North Korea (168 and very last on the list)

During my recent trip to China, I experienced its Great Firewall (and its insistence on self-censorship by non-Chinese companies operating within the Middle Kingdom) myself. Other countries also maintain firewalls, notably Saudi Arabia, while less-developed nations might just not allow their citizens to own computers.

When we look at this map, it is also interesting took at the Internet-penetration map from CNN/Business 2.0.

What does that mean for Global Tourism? Well, for one, you could select one of these countries if you want to be sure to completely unplug from your daily work life (you can always tell your boss that you did not get the email...). On a more serious note, obviously it makes global travel e-commerce with these countries more difficult, and may put these countries at a disadvantage when it comes to tourism growth, but it also makes more difficult to potentially reach citizens in these countries with messages. That's why it is always important to look at a multi-channel strategy, and never forget your past relationships with your traditional tour operators and other influencers.

Tourism India on YouTube

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 08:17:00 -0700

Lots of National Tourism Offices, as well as regional and city destination marketing organizations are trying to leverage social media platforms to connect with consumers. What I personally think is exciting that social media bridges the gap between web marketing and CRM, and it is actually becoming the new way to build customer relationships.

Incredible India, the Tourism Authority of India has also now entered into the social media space - at least leveraging the distribution of brand material on UGC sites. Just last week, Secretary of India's Ministry of Tourism, Mr Shilabhadra Banerjee, launched a Brand Channel on YouTube to help communicate the wonders of India to a worldwide audience. The "Incredible India" campaign will see promotional Incredible India videos being made available to the YouTube community at www.youtube.com/India. Mr S. Banerjee said India has to show the world the progress made since its Independence 60 years ago. As per the Neilsen NetRatings. www.youtube.com has about 48 million unique users in US only and it is the 8th most trafficked website in the world. This Channel www.youtube.com/India will give further international exposure to "Incredible India" (which includes content related to India's Independence) and, with its dynamic video content, will complement the already content-rich web presence of the Ministry of Tourism’s website http://www.incredibleindia.org. Presently there are 18 Films/Videos uploaded on the site and more will be added in due course of time.

Lots of national tourism offices are looking to invest in India, and some of them have even opened offices in India. But tourism itslef is very important for India as well. Having done a little resaerch, Tourism has been one of the largest net earners of foreign exchange for India recording earnings of Rs. 29603.56 crore in 2006 compared to Rs.25172.25 crore in 2005. There has been a further increase of 18.2% in foreign exchange earnings in the first 7 months of the current year 2007 with Rs.18258.57 crore as compared to the corresponding period in 2006 with an earning of Rs.15958.14 crore. Foreign tourist arrivals have increased by 78% in the last five years and foreign exchange earnings during the same period have grown by 122%. The year 2006 saw an increase of 13% in foreign tourist arrivals (4.41 Million, by preliminary estimates) over 2005 with arrivals of 3.91 Million. The first 7 months of the year 2007 have already seen an increase of 11.9% with an arrivals of 2.76 Million as compared to the first 7 months of 2006 with an arrival of 2.47 Million.

Continue reading "Tourism India on YouTube"

Dating on Airplanes...?

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 09:20:00 -0700

The opportunities of Social Media in Travel are just amazing! We all anticipated the launch of Virgin America. A few months ago, I wrote about AirTroductions, who allows people to connect with like-minded fliers - either in the personal or professional realms - who are traveling on the same flights.

While KLM's forray into Social Media was to connect business people travelling to emerging markets such as China and Africa, now, Virgin America, wants to encourage meeting people while on the airplane via SMS. Built into the back of seat console is something Virgin calls a "seat to seat chat." Presumably, it only works for passengers who put their seats into "discoverable" modes, but a very cool idea nonetheless. If Virgin America would build a community similar to the one KLM built but focused on meeting like-minded people (whatever that may mean), and allows people to match-up before the flight, I think things could get interesting in the air...

Have a look at what else Virgin America's new in-flight entertainment system has to offer.

The New 7 Wonders of the World are annouced...

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 00:31:00 -0700

I think we have all heard it by now...the new seven wonders of the world have been announced. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Canadian Wonders.

Over 100 million votes tallied in the first ever global election and the results of the New 7 Wonders campaign, were announced in Lisbon’s Benfica Stadium.

In the random order in which they were announced by hosts Bipasha Basu, Hilary Swank and Ben Kingsley, the New 7 Wonders of the World, as chosen by the people of the world, are:

The Great Wall of China
Petra, Jordan
The Statue of Christ Redeemer, Brazil
Machu Picchu, Peru
Chichén Itzá, Mexico
The Colosseum, Italy
The Taj Mahal, India

To bring the new seven wonders to life a little bit, enjoy this interesting mash-up that has each of the seven wonders mapped out on Google Maps, along with a YouTube video for each of the wonders.

What amazes me epecially is that due to the power of the Internet, this initiative was made possible, and millions of the world’s citizens, from the four corners of the globe, of all races, religions and ages, have overwhelmingly shown their enthusiasm for global dialogue - something that would not have been possible just a few years ago.

I am happy that the Great Wall of China is on the list as it was a great experience to see it (note: it is important though that you go to the right spot, otherwise you are in crowds of tourists). It is too bad though that the Pyramids in Egypt did not make the list. I was able to see the pyramids last year, and was in Rio three years ago, and the pyramids are truly one of the most amazing structures I have ever seen! And not that the Statue of Christ Redeemer was not impressive, but it does not compare to the Pyramids of Giza...but that is just my personal opionion. I guess, in a compromise with UNESCO, they have been declared the pyramids an honorary wonder. But UNESCO is also not happy that many other worthwhile structures didn’t make the cut, such as Angkor Wat.

The opportunity is now open to nominate the Top Natual Wonders.

T-List on Facebook

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:09:00 -0700

Let's build a community amongst Travel-related bloggers on Facebook!

Join the T-List Community on Facebook

The T-List stands for Travel-related blogs, and was created back in March 2007 by Matthieu at the Radar Blog.

The idea is now to take the T-List a step further, make it social, and build a community among Travel-related bloggers. Facebook is a great tool do so. Let's connect amongst ourselves (I am already connected with a quite a few other T-List Bloggers, so let's use this group as our platform. And why? Well, just because Facebook is quite amazing, and so travel-related bloggers can start sharing thoughts amongst each other...but other than that, for no particular reason.

Here is what you need to do if you are a Travel-related Blogger:

1. Go to Facebook, and sign-up or sign-in.
2. Search for "T-List Community" (note: if that fails, paste this URL in the browser address bar while signed in: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2416336297
3. Join this Group (top right hand side)
3. If your blog is on the current T-List (please see below), or should be on the T-List, please enter your information on the Facebook WALL below.

You should add:
- Your name
- Your company
- Your location
- Your blog's name
- Your blog's URL
- Quick description of your blog
- Optional: What is your differentiator/what do you want to achieve with your blog

Here is the most current T-list of some worthy travel blog sites I was able to find:

General Travel Blogs

Travel Industry Blogs

Foreign Language Travel Blogs

French Travel Blogs

Italian Travel Blogs

ADV Italia

Dutch Travel Blogs

weekendhotel weblog

German Travel Blogs

Spanish Travel Blogs

Tourism Destinations are going Web 2.0

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:03:00 -0700

More and more Tourism Destinations, especially at the national level are now looking to go Web 2.0. The Austrian National Tourist Board launched phase one of their initiative, Cool Austria (I do have to say though that I love their cheesy and tacky tag line: "My land is your land"), and VisitSweden is developing theirs. And we at the CTC just launched a few initiatives ourselves; phase one of our community site on Canada.travel, our "We are more" contest, and our community on Yahoo! Canada.

Austria's site is a full fledged community site, where you can connect with fellow travellers, including maps mash-ups, and message boards. It seems though that CoolAustria has challenges generating content - one thing we anticipated early on, and solved through our partnership with Realtravel.

Sweden is looking to incorporate Personas, which should be interesting.
But what Sweden did launch is a fun interactive map, leveraging Google Maps.

And then there are our friends from Australia who launched a partnership with American Express to build a site called MyAussieVacation. The site features mobile applications, Google Earth, and the Australia Travel Wiki (build in Wetpaint). Now, I do have to admit, the Australia Travel Wiki is cool, should be interesting to see if they can generate content, or if it is done with help via feeds...
Note: I told my friend Chris Clarke about Wetpaing and the Austrailia Travel Wiki, and we played around with it, and he launched a test wiki for the hospitality and travel industry at Chrispitality. I encourage all you tourism/hospitaltity marketing bloggers to sign up, add your blog, and get involved.

It seems like everybody is taking a slightly different approach, which is exciting to see. Both William Bakker and Karin Schmolgruber blogged about the new US version of Holland.com. You can read their analysis, which I completely agree with. The only thing to point out is that while I have to agree that from a website design standpoint, the site is clever (maybe a bit too much flash for my taste) and makes probably the best use of new social media web technologies, in my opnion it does not do a great job in stimulating a conversation with travelers - as Joe Buhler stressed in his recent blog post. Now, I noticed a button on the side, promoting Holland's planned presence in Second Life, but would be interesting to see the connection. Clever nevertheless, but even though the site includes tag clouds, and bookmarking tolls, I am not sure if this is the future of destination websites, and since designing a stylish side does not necessarily create value for consumers as well. But in any event, a huge step ahead of most destination websites, especially at the national level. So well done Holland, for taking that step!

I also support Holland's direction to test this approach in one market first, in this case the US market. I am not sure though if this really a test managed by the Netherland Board of Tourism and Conventions' Headquarter back in Leidschendam, or if this initiatve was driven by the US office (smile). This is pretty common - I just recently wrote about New Zealand's social media campaign site for the UK.

I can say that many of our global market office at the Canadian Tourism Commission are extremely creative, and always looking to leverage the web and emerging technologies. One of these examples is our German office, that a couple of years ago launched a very innovative web initiative targeting women interested traveling to Canada. This site, CeverWomen.de, not only makes use of blogs, newsletter, guestbook, online shop, forums, and podcasts, but it even has its own video site at CeverWomen.tv (including the new video magazine CANASTASIA). I think this is a very clever site (and I can say that as I was not involved in the conception of the idea), without lots of flash but some real conversations. Women can even look for their Canadian Dream Man. (and the guys can look at dream girls...maybe the German CTC team discovered that they were also getting a loyal male audience...?)

Lots of stuff going on (and I probably missed a few sites), and all of this and more will be topics at the upcoming Canadian E-Tourism Strategy Conference, Canada-e-Connect, being held in conjunction with the first ever Canadian E-Tourism Awards, featuring an exciting User-Generated Content and Social Media component itself. Stay tuned, and visit the Canada-e-Connect Blog as the awards will have a global twist as well...

New Zeal AND" Campaign - Secrets Unlocked...

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:57:00 -0700

I just got note that Tourism New Zealand just launched a new campaign (New Zeal AND) for the UK - well to be honest, I am not sure if it is actually Tourism New Zealand that built the campaign site or Air New Zealand (according to About Us, it is Air New Zealand, but it maybe a co-project)...in any case, an outstanding campaign website, which is supposed to change the common perception of New Zealand according to Sam from the Cake Group in London who created the campaign, and sent me the note. Hey, what is the perception of New Zealand anyhow?? Is it sheep?????????????? Well, I guess the goal is to highlight the energetic contemporary urban scene in the country and includes interactive city guides and Kiwi celebrities tips on where to go and what to do. Maybe New Zealand wants to get away from the Lord of the Rings. (Note: I have to say though, what Tourism New Zealand did a great job in extending the Lord of the Rings Movies online and integrating it with the tourism experince; it is probably one of the best online tourism execution I have seen in a long time...). What is my perception of Air New Zealand? Well, probably the best culinary experience in the sky! Nice!!

Launching today, the campaign also features a blog on the latest trends in
New Zealand and a MySpace profile allowing people to share experiences of
the country. In addition, visitors have the opportunity to share their New
Zeal experiences with others. You can also explore interactive city guides and if you've been to New Zealand, share your picks of what's hot in the contemporary culture scene. Kiwi celebrities are sharing their own Top 10 lists (very cool!). Users will be invited to submit inspiring photos, videos and words reflecting what New Zealand means to them. I think you'll agree it's a comprehensive website and is ideal for individuals wanting to get a more in depth look into the real New Zealand. Well done!

Visit to the CTC Office in Beijing

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Fri, 25 May 2007 13:54:40 -0700

Before starting the China Search Marketing Tour, Ian McAnerin, our Search Engine Marketing Consultant and I visited the Canadian Tourism Commission Office in Beijing. Even though, Canada currently does not have ADS (Approved Destination Status), outbound travel to Canada from China has been increasing steadily. We discussed how we may leverage the Internet, especially Search Engine Marketing and Optimization in order to increase awareness of Canada as a tourism destination in preparation of receiving ADS. As a note, the USA also has not received ADS, but is in discussions with the Chinese Government, according to the China Daily News.

(pictured above is the CTC China Office, Ian and myself, in front of the construction of the new CCTV Tower)

A new hotel brand in Canada soon to be launched

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:27:47 -0700

Groupe Germain out of Montreal is planning to launch ALT HOTELS later on in 2007, with its first location in Montreal. Some of the core elements are design, atmosphere and chic interiors with the best possible price *and* with serious efforts to minimize impact on the planet. The Montreal hotel will incorporate geothermal technology (use the earth's constant temperature of 10 degrees Celsius (at a depth of about three meters) to help heat and cool the hotel as needed), which is an industry first in Canada - and eco-friendliness becomes a focus. Other energy-saving measures include efficient lighting throughout the building, and heat recovery from water used in commercial washers. To save costs without skimping on style, ALT Hotels is using a new construction concept: pre-fabricated rooms. The sleek, modular rooms are built off-site by a furniture manufacturer, making it possible to assemble rooms while the hotel itself is still being built.
In addition, once in operation, every day, one happy customer that booked online will only be billed $1. A very interesting concept from the creators of Germain Boutique Hotels - congratulations to Co-President Christiane Germain, who also serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Have a look at the press release here.

A Thrill Ride from Peak to Peak

nospam@example.com (Jens Thraenhart) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:02:00 -0700

Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia in Canada just two hours from Vancouver, has announced its boldest move yet with the construction of the Peak to Peak Gondola, for completion December 2008. The two mountains will be united by a gondola that will set world records for length and height while providing an unmatched experience for winter and summer resort guests. The Peak to Peak Gondola will travel 4.4 kilometres in just 11 minutes, transporting winter and summer guests from Whistler’s Roundhouse Lodge to the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain, giving them unprecedented access to both mountains’ expansive and unique high alpine terrain and spectacular vistas.

I ran into Dave Brownlie, Chief Operating Officer for Whistler Blackcomb and Intrawest Mountain Resorts (pictured with me at the demo gondola at Whistler Mountain); Stuart Rempel, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Whistler Blackcomb; Alex Wasilov, President of Intrawest; Hugh Smythe, President of Intrawest Mountain Resorts; as well as Doug Forseth, Senior Vice President of Operations for Whistler Blackcomb - this past weekend during the Telus Ski & Snowboarding World Festival. I was able to talk to them about this extremely exciting project, which I thought I would share on my blog.

"This lift will be unique in North America, and probably in the world. Only in Kitzbuehl, Austria is a similar but smaller gondola in operation today. Ready for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, not only for skiiers and snowboarders, but also for summer mountain hikers will this make it possible to combine both mountains into one peak to peak experience. The adventure will include spectacular views of glaciers and peaks."

Some of the record breakers include:

1. Longest unsupported span for a lift of its kind in the world at 3.024 kilometres / 1.88 miles.
2. Highest lift of its kind in the world at 415 metres / 1,361 feet (above Fitzsimmons Creek).
3. Longest continuous lift system.
4. Most expensive lift ever built in North America, and only gondola installation of its kind in North America.

Check out the details at www.whistlerblackcomb.com/peaktopeak