Travel Marketing News

Is Google gunning for travel?

2006-04-18T12:23:00.000+01:00

Anyone scouring the Times job section recently may have noticed that Google is on the prowl again, this time for a travel executive. If the speculation is to be believed, Google is making its first inroads into the world of vertical search, and it is travel information that it is after.

Whilst it may be hard to believe that Google needs more data, a vertical travel search could make it a valid option for your average Joe wanting to book a holiday. What's more, a lot of blog activity generated by 'the ad' ahs thrown up the idea that Google may incorporate video streaming into its holiday results, making a potential Google Travel a very interesting advertising prospect.

Can you really find the best deal online?

2006-03-13T10:26:00.000Z

Despite the abundance of cheap deals, great flights and reasonable accommodation online, many tourists are still reluctant to part with their hard-earned cash, or submit the organisation of their precious few days a year out of the office, to the mercy of a nameless, faceless entity.

Yet in the face of stiff competition, are high street travel operators really upping their game and offering better service and specialist knowledge in the face of cheaper deals elsewhere? It would seem that in a lot of cases the answer is a rather depressing, no. Too many travel operators are neglecting to cash in on their 'always happy to help' advantage by being, quite frankly, unhelpful. There is also a nagging doubt that high street travel operators are no longer the specialists; offering lots of holidays to lots of places is not always an advantage if it dilutes understanding.

This of course is not to say that face-to-face holiday booking should be discounted, but high street agents may need to raise their game if they want to offer a viable, personable alternative.

New tourism angle for Scotland

2006-03-01T16:51:00.000Z

Forget haggis, loch ness monsters and beautiful scenery - the Scottish Tourism Board has set its sights on some new attractions.

Kilt-clad men are apparently the most appealing thing about Scotland, especially for those involved in the current sweepstake to find the 20 most eligible Scotsmen.

More insurance for unprotected travellers

2006-02-22T14:30:00.000Z

With the rise of independent travel there are a growing number of unprotected travellers, who are possibly unaware of the risks they face. A legal ruling defining package holidays has revealed that where many travellers thought they were protected by the agent, unless the deal was booked in one complete transaction with all the components dependent upon one another, then there is no protection if an agent or airline goes bust.

Winter Olympics set tone for Turin tourism

2006-02-13T09:42:00.000Z

Formally overshadowed by the fashion of Milan and the romance of Venice, Turin is staking its claim of the tourism pie whilst hosting the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Long held-dear by ski fanatics (Turin is home to the some of the best skiing in the World) yet the city itself is often over-looked if not completely ignored by snow-bound travellers.

Once the home of Italian film, in its hey-day Turin even provided the location for some of the most iconic cinematic moments from The Italian Job. It is now hoped that some of these famous landmarks will be recognised during filming of the games, and that the spectators flocking to the slopes will venture into the town to explore its delights for themselves.

Holiday search costs companies big

2006-02-02T09:40:00.000Z

Its good news for holiday companies, but bad for business; British employees spend so long looking for holidays online that it is costing British industry an average of £2.5bn per year in lost productivity.

A survey of 1,500 workers found that 4 out of 5 spend 25 hours researching and booking a holiday and check an average of 6 different sites, all from their work computer.

Environmental impact of flights hits home for travellers

2006-01-31T12:05:00.000Z

There has always been a hardcore of holidaymakers who refuse to fly due to the severe environmental impact of a rapid increase in air traffic. Yet the trend is no longer confined to dreadlocked eco-warriors; conscientious objectors to air travel are going mainstream.

The recent announcement by Mark Ellingham, founder of the Rough Guide to not only reduce the number of flights he takes himself, but to also include a warning in each new book published about the environmental impact of flying is a sure sign that 2006 is the year of the eco-traveller.

The impact for travel agents could be catastrophic, although it is a situation that the canny can benefit from. In addition to 'offsetting' - a scheme where travellers can make their flight carbon neutral by opting to pay an extra fee to fund a sustainable conservation project, there is obvious money to be made in offering other forms of transport.

Nobody is expecting the environmentally-friendly public to stop going on holiday, they are just being encouraged to find more imaginative ways of getting there. UK-based resorts stand to benefit from renewed interest, as does train travel and even sea-based trips.

ABTA travel agents offer best service

2006-01-27T09:50:00.000Z

ABTA approved travel agents have been found to offer the best services to customers in terms of dealing with complaints, fair contracts and offering sound advice.

Approved by the Office of Fair Trading ABTA agents are monitored to ensure they maintain the standards necessary for approved status.

So for great travel package deals with operators you can trust contact Holidays-Direct now.

Rail travel top of the costs in UK

2006-01-23T13:53:00.000Z

The average cost per mile paid by Britain's railway travellers has soared to excessive levels; for an average £10 fare a British commuter will get about 38 miles, this is compared to 107 in France and a whopping 335 in Slovakia.

A hike in costs at the start of the New Year has made matters worse, London is now the most expensive city in the world for underground travel, and with prices going up by as much as 9% travelling by rail in the UK has definintely become rich person's public transport.

Travel entrepreuners hit the jackpot

2006-01-19T16:24:00.000Z

Two businessmen from Sussex have hit the business jackpot, although not before 20 years of hard-graft first.

It seems the resurgent popularity of camping and caravanning holidays has come good for the owners of Cinque Ports who have just sold their 19 holiday parks to Graphite Capital for a whopping £130m, making them two very happy campers indeed.

The cost of a term-time holiday has just gone up

2006-01-18T13:13:00.000Z

118 parents in the Doncaster region have just been fined for taking their children out of school during term-time, of these 26 now face court hearings for refusing to pay the £50 fine.

Ethics aside, the fining of parents for taking their children out of school could have some serious repercussions for the holiday industry. Traditionally the cheapest holidays were had to be had during term-time, but add a £50 fine, or a court hearing to the price and its not looking like so much of a great deal anymore.

Is Club 18-30 coming of age?

2006-01-16T11:18:00.000Z

Following a New Year slim-down, rumours are rife that Thomas Cook may be selling off its infamous Club 18-30 brand. Despite a sophisticated image overhaul by Saatchi & Saatchi, holiday numbers have not reached the 100,000 enjoyed at start of the century.

Bad press and a generally seedy reputation have been blamed for the demise in Club 18-30's popularity. Yet even the introduction of more wholesome activities such as scuba diving and golf have not brought the revellers back.

Whilst things are starting to look up for the brand, and Thomas Cook has not confirmed rumours, a selling or floatation of the company looks inevitable.

Go online or go under

2006-01-13T15:14:00.000Z

It is predicted that a third of all travel agents will close in the next 10 years unless online selling opportunities are maximised.

Speaking at a travel conference in Marrakech, Chris Motterhead, former boss of Lunn Poly, advised delegates that 30% of business should be coming from online sources. He also spoke of increased customer expectations; resulting in the onus being put on traditional agents to become tour operators, and even property landlords in their selected regions of expertise.

Can you trust the broucheres?

2006-01-11T10:04:00.000Z

Holiday Which? magazine has issued a scathing report on the ethics of unscrupulous holiday companies who advertise their resorts in an unrealistically optimistic light.

Whilst not accused of telling downright lies, some holiday companies have been charged with being 'disingenuously economical' with the truth by publishing pictures of hotels with building work and major roads carefully edited out.

Holiday makers are advised to question travel operators directly as to the state they may find their hotels in and to always stick to reputable agencies.

Late holiday deals beat January blues

2006-01-09T10:22:00.000Z

Holidays you like have the perfect anti-dote to the January blues; a selection of all inclusive holiday packages, bargain package holidays and late holiday deals to cheer up even the darkest January day.

With breaks to Malta, the Algarve and the Costa del Sol starting from just £175, you really can afford to get away from it all this January.

Mars and back in 6 hours? It could happen......

2006-01-05T08:49:00.000Z

Holiday-makers are becoming more adventurous in their choice of destination with exotic sounding cities such as Ljublijana regularly featuring in the top ten city break destinations, yet technology reported in the New Scientist could stretch the boundaries even further.

American scientists have developed a hypothetical spacecraft that, if their theory on the fabric of the Universe is true, could get you to Mars in just 3 short hours. The system relies on the creation of a massive magnetic field which will allow the spacecraft to slip into another dimension where, fortuitously, the speed of light is faster, meaning the spacecraft can whiz along in the super-charged slipstream.

So that beats queuing for hours at Heathrow at least, but when can you go? The US airforce is currently showing an interest in the technology, but in a best case scenario, testing may begin in 5 years... so it looks it may still be Malaga for a few summers to come.

Childless couples change holiday trends

2005-12-30T12:52:00.000Z

With a quarter of Brits taking their annual holiday in winter the traditional summer holiday is on the wane. The figures, produced by an International Currency Exchange survey, reveal a change in the demographics of the typical British household. An increase in the number of childless couples means that school term timetables are no longer the major considerataion for holiday planning, resulting in only 3 out of 5 Britons going on holiday last summer.

This is good news for travel agents specialising in winter sun resorts; typically in far-flung locations these resorts are popular with affulent couples looking or some luxury, and a child-free poolside.

Bumper Christmas holiday causes mammoth lost production

2005-12-23T12:22:00.000Z

Due to Christmas and New Years days falling on Sundays, this festive break is set to be one of the longest on record. The 3-week shut-down will cost £1.2 billion in lost production with 4 million British workers expected to be out of the office for a fortnight.

An other bumper crop is the number of people travelling abroad this festive period, estimated at 2.3 million. The holiday season has begun early with many companies gradually scaling down production from the 19th December and many employees setting off earlier on their travels to avoid the rush.

Long distance travel WILL pose a threat to health

2005-12-22T15:56:00.000Z

It has been announced that all journeys over 4 hours long will increase your risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. Whilst the risk is only small, it is undoubtedly real and should be acknowledged by all travellers.

DVT has been in the press quite a lot recently and whilst it is true that in some instances it can result in death, there are some fairly simple, yet effective steps that can be taken to reduce the risk. A person of generally good health is generally less likely to develop thrombosis, and older people do have a higher risk. Yet all members of the populace can protect themselves by wearing travel socks and, wherever possible, taking the opportunity to get up or at least move your legs if actually walking is impossible.

Online travel spend to grow by 10%

2005-12-16T15:38:00.000Z

Jupiter Research has predicted that online display and search advertising spend will increase annually at an average rate of 10% a year until 2010. The online travel industry is set to enjoy a whopping 13% annual growth rate

Oil explosion may casue travel chaos

2005-12-13T16:48:00.000Z

The recent oil explosion at Hemel Hempstead has caused chaos on neighbouring roads, which may extend to the skies. The huge plume of black smoke is obscuring visibility so badly that the M10 has been closed, and there are dangers that air traffic may be disputed - not only by the initial smoke but by possible ensuing oil shortages.

Travel meta-search engines pip the post for Europe

2005-12-07T16:07:00.000Z

Recent studies show that Europeans favour meta-search sites for finding holiday bargains instead of the pricier traditional online travel agent.

The report, published by 'eyefortravel' indicates that whilst American travellers prefer the security and personal touch of having all, or some elements of a holiday booked for them, and are happy to pay for the service, European travellers go for the cheaper option.

Because meta-search engines only offer price comparisons and no actual booking facilities, they are invariably cheaper, although the risk factor remains as clients are essentially booking their own travel, accommodation etc with limited idea of what to expect.

This cheap and cheerful model generally fits the profile of an online travel-shopper however who is, traditionally, looking for the best possible deal.

Travel meta-search engines pip the post for Europe

2005-12-07T16:06:00.000Z

Scottish National Day should cause more of a stir

2005-12-02T11:37:00.000Z

An article in The Scotsman National newspaper has caused a stir amongst radio and TV stations as well as prominent Scottish figures. The call to celebrate St. Andrew's Day in style has involved the First Minister, the Communities Minister and the Scottish National Party to name but a few.

The general consensus seems to be that more should be done to celebrate the 'Scottishness' of Scotland - and this should include a more formal recognition of St. Andrews day.

Holiday information in one place

2005-11-30T17:39:00.000Z

Get all your holiday information in one place with the brand new Newscertain. The online service allows companies to publish their press releases in the place where you want to find them.

By optimising articles Newscertain can also help ensure that when you search on your favourite keyword (such as bargain holiday) the results you see are the most relevant ones for you.

So why not save surfing time by cutting to the chase and getting it all your way?

Half of Brits don't take holiday

2005-11-28T11:59:00.000Z

Half of all Britons have taken no holiday in the last 12 months according to recent research. These figures are even worse amongst Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities with a whopping 66% having taken no leisure break over the last year.

Taken from a survey of 16,000 people, lack of finance and time were cited as the main reasons for missing out on holidays.

Is competition too fierce to remain competitive?

2005-11-25T10:18:00.000Z

Expert analysis of the online travel world has revealed that start-up companies will not be able to get a foothold in the market. So entrenched are the major players, and so fierce is the competition that start-up companies will not be able to offer the deals, or get the visibility needed to draw in business.
There have also been suggestions that price-comparison meta-search sites, such as Kayak, are not providing the expected response, mainly because there are too many of them offering a service that people are not interested in. In fact so over-run is the travel market with cheap deals that companies are now gaining a competitive edge by focusing on service instead of price.

Travel sites hit the big time

2005-11-21T16:21:00.000Z

Online holiday booking has been big business for some time now, but recent figures place it firmly on the map as a booming industry. 54% of British web-users have visited a travel site, equating to a staggering 14 million per month.

Obviously there are a lot of travel sites out there fighting over these visitors, but research shows that the over-50's market is growing faster than that of younger surfers providing some very nice niche marketing opportunities.

E-Passports a reality in US

2005-11-15T14:28:00.000Z

Any US passport issued after 2006 will contain a radio frequency identification device allowing the US Government to track the location of its citizens anywhere in the World. Introduced as a means of reducing international terrorism and cutting identity theft, there are serious concerns amongst human rights groups that such tracking is a mis-use of government power. There are plans for similar systems to be introduced in the UK and Germany.

Mondays busiest day for holiday shopping

2005-11-10T16:44:00.000Z

It seems lots of surfers avoid the Monday morning blues by booking themselves a holiday online, or that is certainly the case in America. Recent studies have found that in the period from Thanksgiving (mid November) to Christmas sees the most holidays booked on a Monday as shoppers compare High Street prices with online offers.

So any company wanting to make the most of natural opportunities, Mondays are the prime time to get offers up on your site and the phones manned.

High street travel agencies pushed out by online bargains

2005-11-08T09:16:00.000Z

Buying holidays on the High Street is a dying pastime for British Tourists if the recent closure of 110 Going Places shops this month is any sort of measure. The huge popularity of online holiday booking has caused several small independent companies to go bust this year and now it seems that the big players are also falling foul of online bargain hunters.

Compared to the peak in 1989 when there were some 7513 high street travel agents that number has now slumped to 6124, although with many companies stating that they cannot sustain cut-price online holiday deals indefinitely, the fate of the High Street shop may not yet be sealed.

eBay boosts hotel bookings

2005-11-07T12:44:00.000Z

With over 160 million visitors per month, eBay offers a vast, and tempting market place, one that hotels can now access. The Great Hotels of the World Organisation has struck up a deal with eBay where they can sell rooms to the highest bidder in a number of targeted ways. By agreeing a minimum price with eBay (which is not disclosed to the bidder) hotel rooms can be bought by the highest bidder, or snapped up as a special offer by a set date.

It is hoped that the system will not only allow more exposure in the competitive holiday-accommodation market, but also win over returning customers for participating hotels.

US online travel spending soars

2005-11-03T13:05:00.000Z

Improved user confidence and technological advances have been accredited with the growth in US online travel bookings; this trend is being seen across the globe.

Balearics car tax threaten to drive holidaymakers away

2005-11-02T10:48:00.000Z

In an effort to raise an extra 12million Euros in local taxes a controversial car tax will be imposed on car hire for tourists travelling to the Balearic Islands. It is feared that the tax would worsen already decreasing numbers of tourists to the islands which are no longer viewed as good value for money. With package holiday bookings already down 16% from last year the new tax could spell out disaster for the tourist trade in the Balearics.

Bird flu could close down air travel

2005-11-01T10:38:00.000Z

Australia's health minister has warned that should a strain of bird flu develop that is lethal for humans, international air travel would have to virutally be shut down.

Yahoo travel goes communal

2005-10-27T12:06:00.000+01:00

Yahoo has big plans to turn its travel facility into a participatory arena where any Joe Bloggs can go and add thoughts, advice and of course the obligatory photos. The 'trip planner' tool will enable users to share their itineraries and discoveries either publically or with a select group of family and friends.

Older travelleres denied cover

2005-10-26T08:48:00.000+01:00

Studies conducted by the British Insurance Broker's Association have found that up to two thirds of travel insurers will not supply cover for the over-70s.

With tour operators increasingly aiming deals at older travellers they make up a sizeable, and often affluent, section of the tour industry and so refusing to insure them could be a big mistake.

Bargain cruise company collapse a sign of the times?

2005-10-21T16:43:00.000+01:00

With debts totalling £1.8 million a Romford-based discount cruise company has recently gone bust, shedding 340 employees along the way. Experts in the market fear the collapse is a sign of the times with company's no longer able to sustain the heavily discounted holidays that customers have come to expect.

Thomas Cook deploys customer relationship technology

2005-10-20T14:02:00.000+01:00

Thomas Cook has invested in a costly 6-month program to track and target its customer services performance. The customer relationship management software will monitor changes in customer call patterns and transactions through the website in the hope of identifying and resolving problem areas.

Travel writer slams 'rubbish' Britain

2005-10-17T09:21:00.000+01:00

Bill Bryson, the well-known Anglophile travel writer, has appealed to tourism specialists to clean up their act if they want Britain to remain an attractive tourist destination.

The American has decried British cities and popular attractions as a 'national disgrace' and warns that, unless the problem is tackled, discerning travellers will turn their noses up at Britain's charms.

Chinese travel market booming

2005-10-14T09:10:00.000+01:00

Responding to increased demand from Western visitors, internal travel aggregator sites in China are cropping up all over the internet. Historically difficult to organise travel in China the news sites mean tourists can benefit from cheaper domestic prices, and book organise their trip before arriving in the vast country.

Avis best for car hire

2005-10-13T16:39:00.000+01:00

Avis has been voted best hire car company of the year by Telegraph readers.

Online agencies making it big

2005-10-12T10:04:00.000+01:00

35 million consumers used the internet for travel planning inApril 2005.

Flight protection levy scrapped

2005-10-11T09:23:00.000+01:00

The Civil Aviation Authority had put forward a proposed £1 levy on all flights to protect travellers if their airline went bust.

Amongst heavy airline criticism of the 'unnecessary' levy the Government has decided not to go ahead with the imposed cost.

Holiday flight delays soar

2005-10-07T11:24:00.000+01:00

Studies have shown that a third of all flights from UK airports suffered delays in spring an increase on last year's figures.

Government route means walking on water....

2005-10-06T12:31:00.000+01:00

The £40m Government travel website has been criticised for failing to offer the fastest and cheapest routes. Despite Department of Transport officials claiming that the site is 98% accurate there has certainly been a fair number of teething problems - journeys that involve walking across water being just one example.

.travel domain name goes live

2005-10-05T09:17:00.000+01:00

The first '.travel' domain have now gone live but only for companies authenticated by Icann as being genuinely involved in the travel industry.

Some travel companies however fear that dot-travel will go the same way as dot-tv and dot-biz domains, i.e. not very far and so are reluctant to invest in yet another domain.

Airport strikes in France cause chaos

2005-10-04T15:17:00.000+01:00

Strikes in two of France's major airports are predicted to result in the cancellation of nearly 400 short and medium-haul flights today, as well as causing major disruption for the capital's over and underground rail network.

With five if the countries biggest unions striking in protest of policies aimed at pepping up the sluggish French economy striking teachers, post office and government workers and bankers hope to force a re-think, although with many of the countries National newspapers also involved in the strike it may be a while before any impact is fully reported.

Bali bombings fail to shake tourist confidence

2005-10-03T10:39:00.000+01:00

Almost 3 years after the initial blasts the holiday paradise of Bali has again been targeted by bombers. Leaving 27 people dead the chilling certainty that bombers were directly targeting Western tourist resorts could have catastrophic implications for the tourist industry.

Yet unlike the bombings of 2002 this weekends' tragedy has not resulted in people flocking to the airport desperate for a flight out of Bali. Perhaps it is our increasing awareness that nowhere is safe from suicide bombers, but it seems recent events will not destroy the lucrative Indonesian tourist trade.

Dynamic messaging takes Cunard further

2005-09-30T11:08:00.000+01:00

Cunard line has launched its Dynamic Messenger Email Relationship Management Platform in an effort to increase sales with targeted, direct marketing.

Expanding on its previous email marketing system Cunard claims this system will be easier to manipulate and so can be used daily. Cunard is expecting to receive 9 times the revenues and 18 times the profits with email marketing vs traditional broadcast methods.

Email marketing available to even smallest hotels

2005-09-29T09:42:00.000+01:00

Lodging International has launched a new cooperative approach to e-marketing allowing even the smallest of hotels to get in on the act. The system will let up to 10 non-competing hotels send their details to nearly 80,000 travel agencies; working with Lodging International's creative team the hotels receive help with their campaigns and full tracking and response reports.

Currently only operating in North America 75,000 travel agencies have signed up to the scheme. With these levels of interest it surely cannot be long before similar co-operative systems are set up in the UK.

Speech recognition key to travel industry

2005-09-28T09:40:00.000+01:00

A recent report has found that three out of four UK residents communicate with machines via speech recognition technology on a daily basis. Of these 24% are travel-related transactions, meaning a big chunk of potential customers. With such large numbers at stake it is crucial that customers get a good impression from the outset, regardless of whether it is a person or a machine at the other end of the phone.

Travel Industry rallies round Katrina victims

2005-09-27T10:08:00.000+01:00

The American Travel Industry has launched a job bank website to help residents of New Orleans who lost their homes and jobs in the recent hurricane.

Various travel industry operators, including several hotel chains, have committed to posting upcoming vacancies on the site in the hope of helping the people of New Orleans get some semblance of normalcy back.

World Tourism Day held in Qatar

2005-09-26T11:30:00.000+01:00

A National Tourism Conference will take place in Qatar tomorrow to celebrate World Tourism Day. The Conference will feature some 200 delegates from various member states and focus on the role of transport in revolutionizing the tourism industry and how we live our lives.

E-commerce - the future of travel?

2005-09-23T10:19:00.000+01:00

The forthcoming Eyefortravel seminar will focus on the future of travel E-commerce and its possible Globalization.

With considerable growth imminent in the US, Europe and China online sales are setting the bar, particularly in the global market where profit margins tend to be larger. Eyefortravel will be exploring the possible Globalization of E-commerce and ways to maximise the bottom line whilst investing in this area.

Cheap deals to ban term-time truancy

2005-09-22T16:25:00.000+01:00

In conjunction with a £16m Government campaign, travel operators have agreed to offer advanced booking discounts during school holidays.

Traditionally a period of hugely inflated prices, many parents are tempted to avoid the school holiday exodus by taking their children out of school for an odd couple of weeks during term-time for a cheaper break. Now travel operators have agreed to extend some deals into the school holiday period to help reduce the number of school days lost.

Further details on the types of deals available are expected to be released soon following feedback from the 6 travel operators involved in trialing the scheme over the summer.

2005-09-13T12:11:00.000+01:00

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