Buy Tourism Online: Tourism & Social #btoeng

Patrick Landman – XOTELS
Bart-Jan LePoole – XOTELS

Sharing travel experiences is nothing new: What’s new is how people are sharing their experiences. How can we get involved ? This is the real question not how can I promote my hotel …

Social networks are opportunities to market places and locations.

There are sooo many Social Networks out there – many opportunities to profile hotels and places.

Travel/Tourism starts online. People consult an average of 6 websites before they actually book – impossible to lock them into your website !

People jumping from one website to another are seeking the right experience

“Let’s get online and be social”

Don’t focus on the negative reviews – screw them. Focus on the positive aspects A negative review is a chance to engage with people and show how you really care – set the record straight and earn respect and gain a Customer for life (and someine wh will talk positively about you).

Mot Facebook pages are all about promos and deals – that’s not interaction: hospitality doesn’t start when someone walks in the lobby, but when they logon to your website.

Hospitality/Tourism is about reaching out to strangers:

• what are you looking for
• what do you need
• how can I help you

The Disconnect

• Technology
  • learning curve
  • fast changing
  • …
• Loss of control
• Need to be open and transparent

Creating profiles …

• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Flickr/PicasaTripAdvisor

This is about communication – hotels trust employees to interact in real time with Guests during their stay at the hotel, but are frightened to empower those same people to use these technologies to interact online – strange isn’t it ?? Yet these same people are interacting “in real time” day by day and every day your hotel is open for business …
REVIEWS
You get a positive review – nothing happens – you don’t normally respond – maybe you could put it on your facebook profile – it’s easy to interact – you can put it on twitter too !

PROMOTE DESTINATIONS -> INCREASE COMMERCE

• your site is the destination
• your sites should be built to exchange information
• Syndicate ! (RSS, KML ICAL …)

REMARKABLE CONTENT

The real challenge – worth making a remark about

Tourism blogging generates comments because they focus on the territory not on the hotels – people come to the hotel for the location (the experience) not for the hotel. Many hotels know little if nothing about what remarkable content.

Business = Trust Brand + Relationships People + Value €

Trust with transactions – Ebay fixed this problem

Trust With Engagements – On the Social Networks with Social Media

Marketing Budget

• Where do your €s go ?
• What is your objective ?
• Where is your focus ?

Don’t focus on prospects but on your existing customers – they will pass on the message.
No focus on ROI (Return on Investment) but ROE (Return on Engagement)

Open & Public (build relationships with people so they can build your brand)

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