A broad search on YouTube for "Sightseeing tours" shows a list of 1000 potential videos. A search based on "View Count" shows 2006 New York: Holiday Wonders, Chinese New Year Spectacular as one of the top ranked videos. It's 29 seconds long and has been viewed 219,378 times. This investment in a 30 second commercial continues to pay dividends long after it was produced [2006].

Other YouTube searches, for example, "bus tours sightseeing" shows 106 potential videos, while "boat tours sightseeing"  shows 119 video results. While many key words and phrases can be used to sort through thousands of online videos - [for example, a broader search "boat tours" reveals 4600 videos], there are opportunities to gain exposure for consumer searches. For example, a consumer based search such as

"boat tour" san francisco shows 15 videos.
and
"bus tour" seattle shows 3 videos.
 
Youtube continues to represent a new and possibly significant opportunity for tourism operators looking for ways to get their message out. See our post Is youtube.com a part of your marketing mix? if you're interested in reading more about this topic.

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Wilkening reports that a "Yes Effect Survey" found that almost two thirds of moms say "yes" to their kids more often while on vacation. The survey, conducted by Synovate, was commissioned by the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. and polled hundreds of moms and kids across the country to delve into the power of "yes," uncovering what moms say "yes" to on vacation as compared to topics kids typically get a "no" response to at home.

Moms shared that they hesitantly say "yes" to their kids on vacation to certain activities including: staying longer at a venue or attraction (64%); swimming in the pool (44%); riding a roller coaster or another ride (37%); and volunteering for a show or activity (21%).

Moms' top reasons for taking their children on vacation included: to provide new experiences (79%); to relax and have fun (66%); to get away from the stress of work, school and home (63%); and to spend one-on-one time with them (44%).

Another great tip about SEOmoz, with [free] registration on their website, you gain access to a variety of helpful SEO tools - check out SEOmoz SEO Tools.

This gadget means you can create your podcasts in a studio or on the road. Thinking about podcasting? This is a low cost alternative that is sure to capture the attention of iPod fanatics and guerrilla marketers.

The only drawback - Belkin's website states: coming soon. We'll have to wait for its release.

 An icon design is one of the designer's hardest challenges. Since icons help us execute commands, open programs or documents quickly, it should be immediately clear what kind of thing is represented in them. Normally, the best rule would be to keep them as simple as possible. I read a great article lately about mistakes in icon design, not so long after finding two examples of bad icon design on e-tourism sites:

The first is a "map" icon, found on this wonderful Norwegian e-tourism site. It looks like this: . What is it? come on, it's the shape of Norway... everyone knows that. And if you didn't, the site's admin team added the word "map" just next to it - now you can't go wrong. Well, let's say that a good icon doesn't need words to support it.

The next is a "news" icon, found on the Visit Prague website. It looks like this: . Is it a link to an image gallery? or maybe a stamp-like icon, taking us to The Czech Republic postal authority? again, the supporting text only proves how bad this icon is.

Found any interesting examples of icons on e-tourism sites? either good or bad, feel free to share them with us.

Google Street View is a feature of Google Maps introduced in 2007 that provides 360° panoramic street-level views and allows users to view parts of selected cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas at ground level. When it was launched on May 25, 2007, only five cities were included. It has since expanded to 23 cities, and includes the suburbs of many, and in some cases, other nearby cities.

Google Street View, when operated, displays photos that were previously taken by a camera mounted on an automobile, and can be navigated using either the arrow keys on the keyboard or by using the mouse to click on arrows displayed on the screen. Using these devices, the photos can be viewed in different sizes, from any direction, and from a variety of angles. Lines that are displayed along the street that is shown indicate the direction followed by that street.

Google has stated that its ultimate goal is to provide street views of the entire world, although the company has not disclosed in advance the exact dates when any particular locations will be added.

Some highlights from this article include:

- the Hispanic online market is already huge and getting bigger fast
- half of the 44 million Hispanics are already online
- according to Forrester Media, PC ownership among Hispanics grew 45% from October 2005 - January 2007
- one-third of U.S. Hispanics are English dominant, one-third speak primarily Spanish, and one-third are fully bilingual
- it's not just about language, it's about culture
- according to Alicia Morga, the CEO of a Hispanic-focused online marketing firm Consorte Media - the affluent Hispanic traveler is "an overlooked market within an overlooked market".

To read the entire article visit Fast Company's website: Hola Surfers!

I'm actually considering taking a MSc in E-Tourism. Googling it up, Surrey came up 1st place. I'm researching the cost of living and studying in Surrey. But looking at pictures and reading about places in Surrey, travelling to places surrounding it - wow! I want to be there!

I pray and hope God will give me the guidance on what I want out of life. I can't even foresee myself in the next 3 months! Gosh... My interview for a University placement is on Monday, 9am. I sincerely hope I figure out by then, what I want out of this lil' ol' life of mine.

For the first time last year, more travel was purchased online than off-line in the US, according to the PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey.

"The gap between online and off-line will continue to widen as more and more travelers shift behavior to online shopping and buying," predicted the report.

The study said that 51% of US travel was booked online in 2007, and it projected that percentage to increase to 56% in 2008 and 60% in 2009.

The survey also said that travel products with multiple components, such as vacation packages, are being purchased less frequently online, while simple components - plane tickets, for example - are being purchased more frequently.

The report also found that travel Web sites are evolving, with more of them offering features like group travel planning and booking, along with content generated by a community of readers and users.

PhoCusWright is a travel industry research company.

TravelBiz Monitor Highlights:

• As Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure ["THL"] businesses clamber to take advantage of global industry momentum, security and privacy measures are heightening and conscientious consumers are pressing forward with "greener" demands. Meanwhile, industry providers are balancing ways to lower costs while creating personalised experiences that enhance time-sensitive lifestyles and overall value. This customer-centric approach is becoming evermore critical in achieving brand differentiation in a marketplace that is "transparent" and increasingly complex. The primary criterion for industry winners: Responsiveness to change.
• According to a report prepared by Deloitte in October last year, U.S. travel and tourism demand is expected to generate USD 740 billion in total industry sales in 2007, rising 21.9 per cent since 2004.
• The Federal Aviation Administration states that the number of passengers carried by U.S. commercial air carriers are likely to reach 768 million in 2007, and surpass the one billion mark by 2015.
• Baby Boomers represent both opportunities and challenges for the industry. In 2008, this group of 80 million 44 to 62 year-olds will dominate the U.S. marketplace. They own nearly 70 per cent of total net worth of all U.S. households and spend USD 1.7 trillion on goods and services.
• Customer usage of the Internet, whether reserving restaurant seating, hotel rooms, or car rentals, to find information and purchase THL services is growing exponentially. The October 2007 Travel Survey found that in the past twelve months, 83 per cent of respondents used the Internet to research or purchase travel, primarily because they found it easier and more convenient or felt they got better prices.
• The industry has a way to go to fully embrace today's global transparent marketplace, where technology-savvy consumers have instant access to information and are exploiting it to meet their needs. With lower entry barriers and a flurry of new competitors, THL providers should consider how to leverage advanced technology and analysis tools to enhance business models and strengthen customer relationships.

To read the article in its entirety please visit "Industry Trends 2008 - TravelBiz Monitor presents excerpts of the Deloitte report on key trends in Tourism, Hospitality & Leisure."

Seth Godin - he's been one of our favourites since The Big Red Fez.  

Duct Tape Marketing- we subscribe to their podcast. Find them on www.iTunes.com

Tom Peters - Tom Peter's approach to marketing and life makes mornings refreshing.

Copyblogger - A must read for anyone interested in writing great copy.

Search Engine Watch - worth the investment of time for anyone interested in sharpening their online marketing skills.

Marketing Pilgrim - Check out The Marketing Tools You Need in 2008.

Marketing Profs Daily Fix - a great opportunity to connect, share and learn from a community of marketers.

The Lonely Marketer -  a marketing blog for the small business marketing manager.

Branding Strategy Insider - this brand management blog is wrapped in bite size wafers that melt in your mouth.

Influential Marketing Blog - covers a variety of marketing topics with tips and trends.

"In making travel purchases, most American travelers would rather see the options than act on the recommendations of others. Travelers want to view options in detail via pictures, online maps and video, says PhoCusWright."

Highlights from recent findings are included in Mr. Wilkening's article:

• More Americans have used Web 2.0 technologies overall than have used them in the process of shopping for travel.
• Most travelers visit between two and five Web sites when shopping for travel online.
• Comparing prices is by far the most common reason for visiting multiple sites.
• Travelers who visit the most sites are likely to be motivated by a desire to read traveler reviews, research destinations, and purchase tickets to events or attractions.
• Nearly everyone is familiar with online maps, but RSS and tagging go largely unnoticed. Fifty-nine percent of Americans are unfamiliar with RSS and 55% are unfamiliar with tagging.
• Half of people who read blogs read travel blogs.  

For the full article please visit Travel Mole's Travel Technology section.

Research on the purchase patterns of online shoppers from Sellpoint, conducted by Coremetrics, has shown a 35% increase in the sales conversion rate between shoppers who took rich media sales tours, including video, and those who didn’t.

In addition, shoppers who viewed the “product tours” spent over two-and-a-half minutes more viewing product information on each product. (The product tours consisted of detailed presentations featuring audio, video and downloadable sales collateral, and shoppers choose to view them by selecting a “Take a Product Tour” button on the product page.)

"Measuring, understanding and impacting customer engagement is key for market leaders," John Squire of Coremetrics told Forbes.

"As marketers look to grow their investments to engage customers with rich media and video, they're consistently looking for services that deliver attractive ROI's and grow the topline,” he added.
__________________________________

In a post titled "Is youtube.com a part of your marketing mix?", we wrote about the significant market opportunity for sightseeing companies to capitalize on the www.youtube.com video opportunity. With that said, this article offers insight into increasing online ticket sales. Take advantage of multiple distribution channels for your videos. Promote your video on your website to increase sales conversions and use youtube.com as a media channel for promoting your business.

Price declining as dominant travel factor?

Going against the grain of popular opinion, price is no longer the only factor for travel consumer decisions, says a high level official for Travelocity.

"When shopping a la carte, it may be cheaper to book directly, but we don't think price is all that consumers care about. Price is foundational, but we think the future rests more on the end-to-end experience," says Noreen Henry, VP Hotels and Packaging for Travelocity.

Ms Noreen says that's why her company has turned its focus on the "dreaming and planning" aspect of travel rather than shopping and booking.

"We'd much rather sell a dream vacation of a lifetime that includes the flight, hotel, car rental and activities while giving the customer a central point of contact to deal with should they have any issues before, during or after their trip," she told EyeforTravel.com's Ritesh Gupta.

Ms Noreen was one of the speakers during EyeforTravel's Travel Distribution Executive Conference 2007 in Las Vegas. Some other points she made:

• Suppliers are taking steps to drive more traffic to their own sites. But it's also no secret that consumers still want the choice, flexibility, great deals and unique content that online travel companies like Travelocity have to offer.
• A noticeable trend going against conventional wisdom is that there are shoppers who are supplier.com loyalists and those that are OTA loyalists.
• Rich internet applications like Flash have opened up an entirely new way of interacting with information that makes features like trip planning by categories and themes, planning and shopping through photo albums, video galleries, and maps come to life.
• OTCs should be humble and understand that the success of suppliers precedes their own.
• OTCs no longer exist merely as an avenue to distribute suppliers' content on the cheap. "Our mission needs to be about marketing experiences," she says.
• Customer service must be a shared issue. "After all, if a customer has a good experience, we both reap the rewards and, conversely, if the experience is negative, we both suffer," she says.

For more breaking tourism news visit www.travelmole.com. News Subscriptions are free to the industry.

On the first day I had the privilege of attending the first ever e-Tourism Council; it was a closed door event attended only by masterminds of the tourism industry across Canada.

Day two and three of the conference were fantastic; the keynotes and presenters were first class, touching on key topics in the tourism industry and trends such as social media, mobile marketing and Web 2.0

The e-Tourism awards were, sandwiched between days one and two, held at Science World Omnimax Theater in Vancouver. The show was incredible.

All attendees had the opportunity to preview part of the first ever destination video that is being produced for Canada; to be released in 2009 just in time for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. The film starts with a steam locomotive weaving through the awesome Rocky Mountains of Western Canada…not sure how it will continue as this is all they had made this far. The experience was amazing as you’re sitting inside this globe where the movie plays in front, on the sides and above your head.

Now, I have to share this picture of myself sitting in Yahoo’s Big Idea Chair; very cool chair.On the right side bar is a flickr badge with more pictures from the first ever Canada e-Connect conference.

The U.S. online leisure/unmanaged business travel market continues to grow at a pace that far exceeds the overall travel market's rate of growth, according to the new report, PhoCusWright's U.S. Online Travel Overview Seventh Edition.  PhoCusWright finds that the online leisure/unmanaged business travel market will surpass US$94 billion in 2007, to comprise more than one-third of the total travel market. The total travel market encompasses offline leisure/unmanaged business and on- and offline corporate travel.

"It's interesting to note that while online travel's growth continues to exceed that of the market as a whole, that growth has slowed compared to recent years," notes Lorraine Sileo, Vice President, research at PhoCusWright. "This is especially true for online travel agencies, which have seen their packaging sales slow considerably."

Among the findings about the trends and competitive efforts that are driving change in the industry are:

* While suppliers are gaining share in most segments (air, car, hotel), online travel agencies are competing via packaging and add-ons, corporate tools, distressed inventory, international expansion in Europe and Asia, independent hotel properties, U.S. chains, and cross-product and -provider customer service initiatives.

* Search and metasearch continue to work in favor of suppliers as they drive traffic to their Web sites to book after their comparative shopping experience.

* All travel companies must embrace the consumer desire to shift among online and offline channels. As each channel varies in distribution costs, suppliers must execute unique strategies for each channel based on their yield/value.

The report also analyzes distribution shifts in each travel supplier segment (airline, hotel, car rental, vacation packages, rail and cruise), online travel agency developments and the outlook for this channel, evolving technologies and consumer behaviors, and more. It includes historical and projected segment gross bookings and growth trends, as well as channel sales analysis.

HitTail reveals in real-time the least utilized, most promising keywords hidden in the Long Tail of your natural search results. HitTail's software will provide you with suggested search terms that you can use to update existing content, or you can create new content to address under utilized search term opportunities. 

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