Posts by author

Automatic

2811 posts

Barcelona leaves behind ‘Visit Barcelona’ slogan

🏖️ Barcelona's tourism board unveils new slogan "This is Barcelona," replacing the 15-year-old "Visit Barcelona" on Jul 26, 2024. The rebranding reflects a shift towards emphasizing the city's unique identity and quality tourism. Amid concerns over mass tourism, a protest by roughly 2,800 people led to demands for regulating tourism to prevent overcrowding. Barcelona's new tourism approach focuses on its rich traditions, sports, gastronomy, museums, and music festivals.
View Post
Share

Accor expects its RevPAR to grow by 4-5% this year

🏨 Accor, Europe's biggest hotel group, anticipates RevPAR growth to surpass its medium-term target in 2024. On July 26, 2024, it reported a 6% increase in half-year RevPAR, influenced by events like Euro 2024 and the Hajj. The company, benefiting from positive global travel trends, forecasts a 9-12% rise in 2024 core profit following a 13% jump in first-half EBITDA to 504 million euros.
View Post
Share

Putting generative AI to work for business travel

📈 Travel Management Companies (TMCs) are cautiously integrating generative AI (genAI) tools, with more sophisticated applications on the horizon, poised to transform the industry. As of July 26, 2024, TMCs have limited genAI usage to elementary tasks, such as responding to travel policy inquiries and email parsing, due to concerns about AI's accuracy and the high stakes of potential errors. Despite the slower adoption rate compared to other sectors, the anticipation for future capabilities, like improved customer relationship management and advanced AI assistants, is high. 🧳
View Post
Share

How hoteliers are using technology to meet the changing needs of travelers

🏨 On July 26, 2024, the article highlights the importance of technology stacks for hotels during the peak summer travel season. To drive revenue and cater to modern travelers, specifically Gen Z, hotels are advised to utilize loyalty programs and omnichannel POS systems. These systems help collect data on guest preferences, enabling personalized marketing campaigns for ancillary services. Read more at [Hotel Dive](https://www.hoteldive.com/news/hoteliers-leverage-tech-stacks-summer/722466/).
View Post
Share

Rethinking hospitality marketing team deployment

📈 On July 26, 2024, hospitality marketers face challenges from technology changes and consumer shifts. Key strategies include: dedicating resources (copywriting, time, budget), working in cross-functional teams for effective insight use, and involving both external agencies and internal partners in daily marketing to adapt and evolve. More details on Hospitality.Net.
View Post
Share

Opportunities for travel marketers now that cookies are here to stay

🌍 On July 25, 2024, travel marketers are advised by a performance marketing agency, Propellic, to focus on: building cross-channel campaigns, reducing reliance on single marketing channels, leveraging first- and third-party data for audience building and decision-making, and targeting travelers with appropriate messages throughout their research journey. First-party data collection remains important but not an immediate priority, despite tightening regulations on third-party cookies. More insights at PhocusWire.
View Post
Share

American Airlines profits sink

💸 American Airlines’ profits fell 46% in Q2 2024, affected by a direct selling strategy and a domestic seat imbalance. CEO Robert Isom cited these reasons for the decline, contrasting with the higher profits of United and Delta. The company faced opposition from travel agents to its new direct-to-consumer ticketing and planned loyalty program changes, which led to the resignation of CCO Vasu Raja. The controversial strategy and loyalty program were not implemented.
View Post
Share

Ryanair wins Booking.com ‘screen scraper’ case

🚧 On July 25, 2024, a U.S. court found Booking.com guilty of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for unauthorized access to Ryanair's website. A Delaware jury concluded that Booking.com not only scraped Ryanair's flight data but also used it to overcharge customers. This ruling is set to influence the travel industry’s data use practices.
View Post
Share

Hotel revenue managers still seeking predictability

🏨 Erica Lipscomb of Crescent Hotels & Resorts spoke at HSMAI's Commercial Strategy Conference on Jul 25, 2024, highlighting challenges in maintaining rates at destination resorts due to declining occupancy. Crescent is refocusing efforts on segments not yet back to 2019 levels, emphasizing effective marketing. Priya Chandnani from Sage Hospitality Group mentioned strong group travel boosts transient rate efficiency but cautioned against overreliance. Full story at HNN.
View Post
Share