Although OTAs ranked higher than hotels when it came to "influence of interaction on satisfaction with a brand" as well as "using/buying the brand", the hotel sector came on top when consumers were asked which organisations they trust.
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Its hard to imagine getting anywhere without some sort of gps now when 10 years ago most of us were using printed maps. They did the job but were definitely lacking the zoom feature. Nowadays smart phones are in the finger tips of every man, woman, and infant. Making it possible to surf the net, sudoku, and make hotel bookings via app from the privacy of your own bathroom...
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The hotel industry is urging the U.S. government to reject the proposed merger between Expedia and Orbitz Worldwide, arguing the combined company would control the online booking market and be able to impose higher costs on the industry. The Justice Department is reviewing the $1.3-billion transaction, which was announced in February and came just weeks after Expedia completed a takeover of another online travel site, Travelocity.
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The surge in visitors from Tourism New Zealand’s key international markets continues with holiday arrivals the highest ever for the month of June and total annual arrivals peaking, just short of three million international visitors.
Figures released today by Statistics New Zealand show total visitor arrivals for the year up nine per cent and holiday arrivals up 10 per cent, compared with the same period last year.
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New Zealand's tourism sector is on track to overtake dairy as New Zealand's biggest export earner and the country will soon crack three million visitors a year.
Tourism has recovered from the hit dealt by the global economic crisis and for the past three years has enjoyed strong growth.
Prime Minister John Key, who is also Tourism Minister, expects this summer to be the country's biggest for the visitor industry.
"It's a growth sector and there's a lot more left in the tank," Key said.
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This article was written for a double page spread in AMG NZ. Have a read below and check it out in the latest issue of AMG.
Recently I was talking with one of our clients, yes we do that, about bringing guests to their website to book and bringing them back the next time as well. The discussion was around the cost of OTA bookings, but he made a statement that really got my attention.
He said “It’s not so much the cost of the OTA’s as the fact that we don’t hold the Guest relationship, they do.”
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Check out this clip featuring some of the most incredible places to stay on earth.
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The home-sharing specialist was valued at $25 billion in a recent funding round. Is it really worth that much?
Home-sharing juggernaut Airbnb reached a jaw-dropping valuation of $25 billion in its most recent funding round. That figure left some observers scratching their heads as the company is projected to bring in just $900 million in revenue this year and is still operating at a loss.
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Here's an interesting question... What if travellers identify themselves less and less in terms of where they were born, and increasingly liken themselves to other groups – or, tribes?
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We loved this video. Find out their employee turnover dropped to 1/3 of the national average, and their customer loyalty skyrocketed, simply by measuring the intangible by asking the right type of questions.
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New Zealand guest nights rose in May at their fastest pace in two years, fuelled by a rebound in both domestic and international travellers and a lift in South Island and hotel park stays.
Seasonally adjusted guest nights advanced 2.6 per cent in May from April, the fastest pace since May 2013's 8.4 per cent gain and snapping the previous month's 0.6 per cent decline, according to Statistics New Zealand.
Stays in holiday parks jumped 5.2 per cent, while backpacker nights climbed 3.4 per cent, motels advanced 2.2 per cent and hotel stays rose 1.3 per cent.
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Branding touches in clever places can make a big difference to the overall feeling your guests have when they visit your establishment, and what they remember when they leave.
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