comScore, Inc. recently published a study of the online travel industry in India in which it found that the number of visitors to Travel sites increased 32 percent in the past year to 18.5 million visitors as further Indians turned to the internet for their travel requirements.
The convenience of booking trips and locating travel information online continues to appeal to many users, especially among India's young Internet population. The study revealed that:
· Indian Railways led as the most-visited Travel destination with 8.4 million visitors, an increase of 8 percent from the previous year.
· Online Travel Agent sites (OTAs) secured the remainder of the four top spots in the category.
S.No
|
Company
|
No. of. Visitors( approx)
|
Increase in Percentage
|
1.
|
MakeMyTrip
|
3.9 million
|
63
|
2.
|
Yatra Online
|
3.5 million
|
82
|
3.
|
ClearTrip.com
|
2.1 million
|
80
|
Marketers engaging with social media tools have few challenges when it comes to keeping pace with the changing travel industry - how to deliver value in long term, how to create strategies that have longevity, how to engage with users with stimulating and relative content meeting their requirements over a passage of time.
There also is a need for seamless flow between channels and a cohesive user experience that adds value, not just a duplication of information in each channel.
Langham Hospitality Group’s Sean Seah, director of e-commerce revealed the use of social media platforms they have used for their company:
Competitions based on the evolving lifestyle or the current topics of interest: the company ran a social media video competition to find the World's Most Romantic Proposal. Contestants needed to upload a minute of their proposal (real or imagined) online and link it back to Facebook.com or Kaixin.com. The competition was created to commemorate the Royal Wedding in London on April 29.
Linger Longer for Less campaign: Langham launched a global campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Weibo to search for top travel tips in key Langham cities. The group describes this initiative as a fun campaign which helps to open up the dialogue with fans and friends. The campaign offers guests savings and upgraded benefits for reservations.
Use of Facebook for booking: The group in June launched a booking service which enabled users of Facebook to directly reserve rooms via the company’s fan page. The special offers on the fan page linked directly to the group’s real-time reservations page. Facebook fans were able to verify availability and instantaneously book the rooms of their choice.
Online videos
When it comes to various forms of content, the power of online videos continues to rise. Video campaigns are being attempted to capitalise on the combination of advocacy and the format in order to showcase inspiring and engaging content.
YouTube is one of the biggest search engines as people turn to video channels for visual search. Referring to Langham’s the World's Most Romantic Proposal campaign, the company asked user to upload videos of them proposing or describing a romantic proposal. The company generated over 30 viral videos and rewarded the winner with 1 million air miles and 8 luxury weekend stays at Langham hotels. The company intends on launching part two of the campaign called The World Most Romantic Journey.
Langham leverages social media to connect and engage with its guests. The group ensures it has relevant and compelling channels which include Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Flickr, Weibo and Kaixin. The new service forms part of Langham’s strategy to offer innovative travel technology tools and leverage the power of social networks.
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