Marketing

📌 A majority of travelers, 57%, use social media for trip planning and sharing, with 75% under 35 and 35% aged 55+ engaging in this behavior. Travelers aged 35-54 show a significant usage rate at 63%. Content sharing is popular, with 62% of social users posting about their trips. Travel content on social media influences 62% of users in their trip decisions. Cruise travelers exhibit the highest social media usage for planning, while lodging content is less viewed despite two-thirds of users researching it.

🍸 Restaurant experts Pat Cobe and Bret Thorn recognize national food holidays as potent marketing tools amid rising costs and lowering guest counts. La Palapa, a decades-old Mexican restaurant in New York City’s East Village, received praise from Pat for its Margaritas and churros. Bret explores Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, highlighting Wheeler’s for its longstanding service and good food. New York Restaurant Week extends to a month this year, with advice to restaurants to showcase their best. Trevin Hutchins, beverage director at Aphotic in San Francisco, distinguishes the seafood restaurant with a unique beverage program featuring house-distilled gin with seaweed and in-house non-alcoholic pairings for tasting menus.

📍 Ryanair has formed a new partnership with Expedia Group, allowing Expedia to offer Ryanair flights within holiday packages or as standalone options. This follows other 2023 partnerships with lastminute.com, On the Beach, Tui, Loveholidays, Kiwi.com, and Etraveli. The collaboration, announced by Ryanair CMO Dara Brady and Expedia Group's SVP Susan Spinney, ensures customer access to myRyanair accounts and updates. Travelers can book these flights on Expedia in the upcoming months.

🏡 Sea Crest Beach Resort in North Falmouth, Massachusetts, introduces Streetscape, featuring five culinary outlets. The Lantern Room offers New England dishes and cocktails, The Hatch provides fried seafood, Buzzards Bay Pizza Co. serves traditional pizzas, Captain Scoops sells poolside ice cream, and Old Silver Provisions has a variety of offerings including coffees and pastries. The resort enhances its family-friendly appeal with a new pool and beach bar, and a 'town square' aesthetic. Streetscape is available year-round. General Manager Jay Sheldon emphasizes the resort's commitment to creating memorable experiences with these dining options.

✈ Travel aficionado Chip shares his top destinations by month: South Africa in January for wildlife and Kaapse Klopse; India in February for the Jaisalmer Desert Festival; Japan in March for Hanami and onsens; New Orleans in April for Jazz Fest; Morocco in May for the Festival of World Sacred Music; Iceland in June for Summer Solstice; Italy in July for Il Palio de Siena and Alpine villages; Bali in August for Tirta Gangga festival; Peru in September for highland trekking; New Mexico in October for Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in November for Dia de los Muertos; New Zealand in December for Aotearoa Stonehenge and green landscapes.

📅 Inspire My Holiday, a platform designed to help agents match clients with destinations, has partnered with industry names like Gold Medal, Riviera Travel, Wendy Wu Tours, Fred Holidays, Windstar Cruises, and Latin Routes. Founded by Olly Lomas in September 2019, the consumer brand added a trade platform to its roadmap, now launching to assist new industry recruits. Registration for Inspire My Holiday Trade Hub is free, with early sign-ups within the first month eligible to win a share of a £1,000 prize pot.

📱 High-performing hotel marketing teams recognize the unique nature of each social media channel and tailor their strategies accordingly. Authenticity is key in connecting with audiences, particularly illustrated by the shift in the wedding industry towards candid photos. Social media profiles serve as critical touchpoints akin to a hotel's main website, with platforms like TikTok becoming essential for search and discovery among Gen Z. Integrating public relations, sales, and marketing is crucial for a cohesive online presence. Keeping abreast of platform updates, such as Instagram's collaboration tool, can significantly boost engagement. Embracing the fun aspect of social media encourages more meaningful connections with potential guests. Experienced hospitality marketing agencies can help navigate the complexities of social media for hotels.

🌍 "Scroll, Heart, Fly: Social Media’s Impact on Travel 2024" by Phocuswright addresses key aspects of social media's effectiveness in travel marketing and user-generated content (UGC) roles. It examines platform usage for different trip components, engagement preferences, transparency expectations, and demographic-specific interactions, including with influencers. The study reveals difficulties in measuring the impact of social strategies and capturing consumer interactions with content. Marketers harness social commerce, which continues to grow nearly 17 years after Facebook introduced advertising.

📲 Autocamp in the Catskills transformed hotel key cards with branding and a QR code linking to local attractions and offers. Getaway, a hospitality startup with tiny houses across the US, smartly upsells an extra night during booking. At the Skift Short Term Rental Summit, Expedia's Tim Rosolio revealed that 42% of guests prioritize outdoor amenities. Kids' preferences increasingly influence family vacation bookings, suggesting a potential strategy involving kid influencers.

Selon une enquête de Booking.com, 39% des voyageurs mondiaux s'inspirent des réseaux sociaux pour planifier leurs vacances, tandis que 45% préfèrent les conseils de leurs amis et famille. Cette infographie indique que, pour les voyages de 2024, les médias sociaux sont l'une des principales sources d'inspiration. [[[POST_SCORE: +5.5]]]