Top 10 Search Engine Marketing Strategies for Travel Marketers

By Scott MacGregor Director of Marketing and Client Services Search Intelligence Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is now a serious marketing consideration for travel marketers with three-fifths of all online travel shoppers reporting that they rely on search engines as their research and planning resource (source: PhoCusWright). Clearly, search engine visibility can be a major determinant for online success. There is a great deal of good information written on the subject of search marketing, however little focuses on some of the more unique characteristics of travel and even less specifically for... Read more »

Sustainable Tourism Starts with Communities

I’ve been asked recently how sustainability impacts local tourism and how local tour operators can benefit from the latest initiatives around economic and environmental sustainability. For many local tour operators, the questions surrounding sustainability usually focus on costs and impact on profits. For example, what can a tour operator do to be environmentally active and remain profitable? The answer depends on the operators geographic location and their market. In North Vancouver, for example, which is a rather affluent tourist destination there are a number of local van and bus... Read more »

Tips from the T-List Update - WIKI IS LIVE!

The Tips from the T-List Wiki is now live and ready for submissions. To submit your content to the book, please visit the Wiki. Once your registration is approved, you will be able to post and edit your submissions at your discretion. Sphere: Related Content Read More →

Tips from the T-List Update - Submissions already rolling in!

I am happy to report that the “Tips from the T-List” project is well under way and we are already receiving submissions. So far we have received submissions from France, the U.K., Netherlands, Canada, and the U.S. Many of the submissions are excellent, but we would remind contributors that the purpose of the book is to provide “Insider” experience and expertise in how online technology can benefit travel and tourism. If you are a general travel blogger for experience, it may make more sense to write a post about how your blogging experience or expertise has helped increase... Read more »

Sneak Peek at the Cover Design for "Tips from the T-List"

Here is a sneak peek at the cover for the “Tips from the T-List” book that I am publishing for the upcoming Canada-e-connect conference. Click on the image for a larger view. Sphere: Related Content Read More →

Consent Form for Publication in Tips from the T-List

I, ________________________________________________the undersigned, give my consent for my photograph and contribution to be published in Tips from the T-List. I have seen and read the material to be published. I understand the following: Tips from the T-List is freely available on the web. Hence, anyone anywhere in the world can read material published. Readers include executives, managers, and business people but also journalists and other members of the public. My name, photo, brief profile, and website url will be published and, therefore, I will be recognizable. I retain the... Read more »

Celebrating the T-List in Print

Jens Thraenhart and I are spearheading an initiative to publish a book for the Canada-e-connect conference on November 7-9 in Vancouver. The book is titled “Tips from the T-List” and will be a collection of 100 (or so) of the best posts from T-List bloggers. The audience for the book is executives, marketers, and decision makers from DMOs, tour operators, and large intermediaries from across Canada. The book is a promotional piece and will not be sold. I wanted to publish the book because I think the power of collective thought and collaboration is intensified when it is condensed... Read more »

Academic Research Supports Industry Trends

As an IFITT member, I’ve had an opportunity to review the materials presented at the Enter 2007 Conference, which took place in Ljubljana. Much of the focus of IFITT is on the research and academic side and I must admit, the quality of the presentations is very impressive. The presentations, which are produced by academics from around the World, reflect research into a wide variety of tourism related areas. One paper I found particularly interesting and relevant to the upcoming Canada-e-connect conference is titled “Assessing eBusiness Models of U.S. Destination Marketing Organizations”.... Read more »

10 years of Online Travel - A History Lesson

Many of you have probably already seen this article from Travolution that describes in detail, the history of online travel. It was the first time I’ve gone through it and I have to say, it was delightful (in a scary sort of way). It is interesting to see how the attitudes to online travel have changed, especially from the supplier stand point and how predictions made 5 or even 10 years ago were totally off base. For example in the article about 1996, there is a notable statement… “the Internet will lose its mystique in two years and problems with security and speed will be... Read more »

Suppliers Winning the Battle for Online Travel

An interesting article on Travel Industry Wire about hotel and airline suppliers who are bypassing intermediaries by selling directly to consumers. For some reason, this seems to a hot topic today even though this has been around for many many years. During the first Internet bubble, when OTAs first started to appear, airlines were cutting commissions all over the place in the arrogant belief that consumers would flock to their online booking sites. The result was disastrous, especially in Canada, where traditional travel agents started unofficially boycotting airlines who were actively cutting... Read more »

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