Using Digital Media to promote travel destinations. Statistics, Trends, Challenges, and Best Practices. Digital Media plays an enormous role in many industries. However, there are a few areas where it is as important as in travel industry. From the moment of inspiration to making a reservation, today's travelers navigate a complex journey much of which lies solely or partly in the digital world. Today's travelers are digital savvy utilizing all channels for conducting research and finding the best deals. Therefore it is absolutely necessary to be able to stay with them through the whole process guiding and providing directions on each leg of their journey.

1. Promoting Travel Destinations
in Digital Media
March, 2015
Statistics, Trends, Challenges, and Best Practices

2. 2
Contents
Introduction 3
Customer Journey Overview 4
Stage 1 :: Dreaming 5
• Statistics 6
• Trends 7
• Challenges and Emerging Opportunities 11
• Best Practices 12
Stage 2 :: Research 15
• Statistics 16
• Trends 17
• Challenges and Emerging Opportunities 19
• Best Practices 20
Stage 3 :: Booking 23
• Statistics 24
• Trends 25
• Challenges and Emerging Opportunities 27
• Best Practices 28
Conclusions 30

3. 3
Introduction
Why Digital Marketing for Travel
Destinations should be any different?
• It has to invoke highly emotional responses
Travel is all about profound positive experiences that can last
for a lifetime.
• It is highly season‐oriented
There are different seasons for traveling across the globe.
• It has a global reach
Traveling is international in its nature. Digital media allows to
target clients cost‐effectively across different countries and
in various regions.
Who Are Today’s Travelers?
• Digital Savvy
On average, travel parties worldwide bring 4 web‐enabled
devices on trips. They are proficient web surfers and social
media users.
• They do their own research
Today’s travelers do extensive research on destinations. On
average an American traveler visits 20 + websites before
making a reservation.
• They want personalized experience
They do not want to be treated the same and are attracted to
compelling stories and visual content that reflect their
particular interests.
Digital Media plays an enormous role in many industries. However, there are a few areas where it is as important as in travel
industry. From the moment of inspiration to making a reservation, today's travelers navigate a complex journey much of which lies
solely or partly in the digital world.
Today's travelers are digital savvy utilizing all channels for conducting research and finding the best deals. Therefore it is absolutely
necessary to be able to stay with them through the whole process guiding and providing directions on each leg of their journey.

4. 4
Customer Journey Overview
The travelers' journey can be a complex process that takes many turns across various channels, the most important of
which is digital media. From the moment they got inspired, customers do an extensive research on the Web utilizing
search engines, travel related websites and portals, and social networks.
The Web is their primary source for getting information, validating decisions, and, in the end, booking.

5. 5
Stage 1 :: Dreaming
From the beginning travelers are looking for engaging real‐life stories with
visual content and vivid details that reflect their personal interests.
They cast a wide net when seeking ideas and inspiration for travel‐related
decisions, looking to family, friends, television, and printed media.
Personal recommendations from family and friends still top the list, and
the Internet follows in influence.
Travelers are increasingly relying on their smartphones
to get information and make reservations‐ in 2014 they
did about 45% of their searches on mobile devices.
Search engines remain less popular than apps as a way
to start travel planning and booking. But the balance
appears to be shifting — with search gaining at the
expense of apps.
Leisure travelers mostly book via mobile websites,
while business travelers mostly book via applications.
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision

6. 6
Stage 1 :: Statistics
At the start of their journey most travelers are undecided
on what particular brands they are going to book with.
They are open‐minded and receptive to new experiences
as long as providers meet and exceed their expectations.
Most leisure travelers are also unclear on the differences
between brands.
Heavy business travelers are more likely to see a
difference, but not substantially more.
Most Popular Social Networks
Not surprisingly, Facebook is the most popular network among
travelers with Twitter and Instagram following the lead.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Users
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision, PhoCusWright
There's also a number of social networks growing in
popularity among the younger generation as well as
a number of niche travel related networks.

7. 7
Travel is among most popular activities on Social Media
9 travelers out of 10 are active on social networks.
They publish more when traveling.
• 70% update the Facebook status while on vacation.
• 76% post vacation photos to a social network.
• 46 % post travel reviews.
• 40 % post activity / attraction reviews.
• 40 % post restaurant reviews.
Travel is the most shared theme on Facebook.
42 % of stories shared to users Facebook timelines were travel experiences, more than double that of the next category.
The influence of the Internet and Social Media will continue to grow
• 1 out of 3 travelers reference social media as a main
source of travel ideas and inspiration.
• 52 % of Facebook users said their friends’ photos
inspired their travel plans.
• Only 48% of people who used social media to research
travel plans stuck with their original plans.
o 33 % changed their hotel.
o 10 % switched resorts .
o 7 % went to a different country.
Stage 1 :: Trends

8. 8
Stage 1 :: Trends
Travelers switch between devices for a variety of activities
across all stages of the buying journey.
They might start their search on their smartphone, continue on
a tablet and make a reservation on their desktop.
Smartphones are often used for travel inspiration in “snacking
moments” before planning, mostly
• In spare moments, such as when waiting, commuting,
etc.
• While doing other activities, such as watching TV,
eating, etc.
• By doing quick searches on search engines
Travelers usually go to the same types of sites regardless of the
device they are using.
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision
Travel‐planning will be more cross‐platform
Half of travelers who use
their smartphone for
leisure travel inspiration
ultimately book another
way (not on smartphone)

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Stage 1 :: Trends
Videos play an immensely important role in influencing
travelers decisions and helping them choose a destination.
Two out of three US consumers watch online travel videos
when they’re thinking about taking a trip. That’s a huge jump
from about half of shoppers in 2012.
Travelers want to do more than just watch videos on
YouTube; they want to connect with creators and brands. In
2014 year to date, subscriptions to top travel channels on
YouTube have increased 106% YoY.
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision, The 2013 Traveler; Travel Content Takes Off on YouTube
Growing power of video content
Travelers not only consume online videos, they create them

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Stage 1 :: Trends
Travelers are extremely interested in hearing real‐life stories from people like them. Nearly half of the travel subscriptions are to
vlogs (video blogs) that feature personal travel experiences.
The influence of blogs is growing among the younger generation of consumers, most of whom view them as the most important
information source.
Increasing influence of blogs and online communities

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Stage 1 :: Challenges
Challenges
• Creating customer engagement
Impressing customers and getting them instantly engaged
with high‐ level visual content. Building virtual communities
to crowdsource ideas, proliferate user generated content,
empower and involve brand advocates and help them
connect in the digital space.
• Developing a comprehensive multichannel
approach
Being able to communicate with customers in a consistent
manner across multiple platforms and devices (leveraging
traditional websites, social, mobile, and more).
• Getting the most out of social media
It is becoming increasingly difficult for brands to have their
story heard in the competitive social environment. Social
media efforts should also include monitoring news, reviews,
and customer sentiment to prevent proliferation of
potentially damaging rumors and attacks on the brand.
Emerging Opportunities
• Utilizing new technologies
Employing new breed of next‐generation advertising such as
Augmented Reality that could be applied to tourism
catalogues, brochures, flyers and any other type of paper‐
based promotion materials. AR systems can exert a
tremendous persuasive power and provide a lucrative
opportunity to market services successfully.
• Better online targeting
Developing a deeper understanding of online customers
behavior and finding new ways to engage them. As more data
and better algorithms become available, marketers will be able
to better anticipate their audiences' needs with business
intelligence and predictive analysis.
• International reach
Using Digital Media channels to reach potential clients across
the globe in a cost‐effective manner as more regional search
engines and social networks become accessible to marketers
from abroad.

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Stage 1 :: Best Practices
Telling a compelling story in various forms across multiple channels
Conveying a story to today's travelers is not an easy task as they have a really short attention span dispersed across several
channels. The challenge lies in creating a variety of small "bite‐sized" pieces of content in various formats for each segment
of the targeted audience and distributing them across all channels without diluting the underlying brand message.
The successful content marketing strategy should look like a puzzle where every piece is small and unique yet still a part
of the whole.

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Stage 1 :: Best Practices
The St. Petersburg & Clearwater Convention and Visitors
Bureau used AR technology in their “Two Treasures 3D
Tour”
More engaging than your typical travel brochure, this piece
promoted the vacation spot by bringing three tourist sites ‑ Caladesi
Island State Park, Clearwater Beach and The Dali and the Chihuly
Museums – to a visitor’s computer screen. The brochure let’s
visitor’s investigate the sites as a tour guide told them a little about
each place.
Marriott Hotels re‐imagines travel with augmented reality
The print advertisement explains that Marriott is “re‐imagining the future of
travel” with new lobbies and tech‐ enabled work spaces as a part of its Travel
Brilliantly campaign.
When consumers scan the ad with the Blippar application, an augmented
reality feature brings the page to life with a video that describes the hotel
chain’s innovations.

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Stage 1 :: Best Practices
Marriott Reaches to Millennials with ‘Travel Brilliantly’ Campaign
The dynamic campaign reflects the lifestyle of the next generation of travelers,
who seamlessly blend work and play in a mobile and global world. The
campaign includes online TV and digital advertising, a new brand look and logo,
and enhanced social media platforms.
The new website, www.travelbrilliantly.com is a platform for portraying
Marriott's past and future innovations and soliciting similar, future‐forward
ideas from influencers, experts and traveling consumer enthusiasts. Visitors to
the website are invited to share their groundbreaking ideas to improve the
modern travel experience across design, culinary, wellness and technology.
Marriott Hotels re‐imagines travel with augmented reality. Tampa
Social Media Command Center Creates Storm of Goodwill During RNC
With a tropical storm approaching and political negativity swirling, the Tampa Bay
Social Media Command Center (SMCC) created an overwhelming amount of positive
civic conversation online and kept the focus there, turning a potential disaster into a
big win for the city during the Republican National Convention.
As the RNC wound down, the momentum of positive buzz continued to climb.
By the end of the convention, positive sentiment was at a whopping 89% and the
negative sentiment that threatened to dominate the Tampa conversation before the
RNC started had dropped to an all‐time low of 1%.

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of business travelers plan online of leisure travelers plan online
During the Research & Shopping stage the Internet moves to the forefront as travelers
explore a variety of online resources
Travel shoppers visit, on average,
22 + websites across several
shopping sessions before they’re ready to
make a reservation.
Stage 2 :: Research

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Travelers take time to convert,
typically several days to move from
first ad exposure to conversion.
Stage 2 :: Statistics
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision, The 2013 Traveler; Adara, Detailed Look Into The US Online Hotel Guest

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Travelers don’t want to be just “audience”.
They are not the same and don’t want to be treated the same.
So it’s critical to understand that they are individuals with a
variety of interests and concerns.
To capture attention and earn confidence, marketers must tell
their stories with the particular interests of their customers
in mind.
• Nearly three‐fourths (74%) of online consumers get
frustrated with websites when content appears that has
nothing to do with their interests.
• CTAs targeted to the user had a 42% higher view‐to‐
submission rate than calls‐to‐action that were the same
for all visitors.
• Marketers who are personalizing their web experiences
(and able to quantify the improvement) see on average a
19% uplift in sales.
Personalized virtual experience for users
Stage 2 :: Trends

18. 18
Stage 2 :: Trends
• Travelers under 35 are most likely to say that online travel
reviews influence their travel plans (74 percent) while
those 55 and over are least likely to be influenced by
reviews (44 percent)
• Nearly 79 percent of respondents with a household income
of $75,000 or more factor other travelers' reviews into
their own plans, while less than half of those with an
income of under $25,000 do so (46 percent).
• Adults under 35 are more likely than those who are 35+ to
share their travel experiences online (35 percent vs. 20
percent), particularly on social media sites (29 percent vs.
six percent).
Also, more affluent adults are also more likely to share
about their travels. More than a third of those with a
household income of $75,000 or more (36 percent) share
their travel reviews online, compared to 15 percent of
those with a household income of less than $25,000, and
they are twice as likely to use social networks to do so (24
percent vs. 12 percent).
51 % of travelers worldwide
have written a review of an
accommodation after a trip.
Source: Janrain, HubSpot, 2013 Monetate/eConsultancy Study
The raising importance of advisory sites

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Stage 2 :: Challenges
Challenges
• Personalization
Marketers must be able to provide customers with
personalized online experiences that are both relevant to
their interests and their place in the buying journey.
• Following and guiding customers
Following customers across the digital landscape to keep
them engaged and guide them through the research
process.
• Cross channel engagement
Engaging customers on different media platforms across
various channels while maintaining consistency of the
message and the users experience.
Emerging Opportunities
• Building more accurate customer profiles
Using accumulated data and advanced analytical models to
build more accurate customers profiles, better understand
their preferences, and anticipate their needs.
• Building dynamic websites
Enabling websites to provide personalized experience
based on visitors profiles that include their interests, online
behavior, and search patterns.
• Better retargeting
Utilizing customer insight to stay in touch with travelers
with relevant information tailored to their personal
interests and buying intent.

20. 20
Stage 2 :: Best Practices
Personalized dynamic website content and retargeting
When customers visit a destination's website it is essential to provide them with the information most relevant to their
interests. It does not suffice anymore to serve the same message to all so marketers must optimize websites for each
particular audience.
It is also important to divide the website into different tiers according to the level of visitors intent and create segmented
audiences in order to follow them with information that reflects their interests and their place in the buying journey.

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Stage 2 :: Best Practices
Expedia Promotes #VanGogh2015 Using Twitter
In celebration of the 125th anniversary of Vincent Van Gogh’s death and to
promote Holland as a holiday destination, Expedia, in partnership with
Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions, is using Twitter’s
Flock to Unlock feature.
Each week of the campaign will feature a different Van Gogh painting and
Tweet target, and the landing pages will use Twitter’s data visualization
capabilities to display engagement and unlocking progress in real time.
Visitors to these pages simply click the tweet button and a tweet is auto‐filled
with the campaign hashtag #VanGogh2015. As tweets are sent, brush strokes
on the landing pages will slowly reveal a Van Gogh work of art.
Hilton Buddy Gets a Lot of Friends
In October 2013, Hilton Shanghai Hongqiao launched a marketing campaign for a
six‐month period centered on the Hilton Buddy, which created buddy characters
representing the hotel’s bellhop, chef, engineer and general manager.
The buddies shared their stories on Weibo and WeChat, and every Friday, those
stories were accompanied by a professional photograph. The hotel even created
dolls of the characters guests could purchase.
Results: The hotel earned more than US$11,000 in additional revenue through
bookings and the purchase of the buddy dolls. The hotel added 2,500 additional
fans on Sina Weibo and 500 followers on WeChat.

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Stage 2 :: Best Practices
Hamptonality Moments campaign gets millions of impressions
For its Hamptonality Moments campaign, HiltonWorldwide’s Hampton Hotels
brand invited guests to share their experiences with staff and guests by sending
in stories, photos and videos.
The team then edited guest‐submitted content into 30‐second user‐generated
videos targeted at five specific targets — Millennials, females, couples, families
and roadtrippers. Each video was launched on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
with support from online media for pre‐roll on YouTube.
Results: The videos amassed close to five million YouTube views and inspired a
133% increase in Hampton’s Facebook fans. With a 90% share rate among
viewers, the campaign ultimately garnered more than 500 million social
impressions and created millions of dollars in incremental revenue with
bookings tied to video content.
Eau Palm Beach cheers up their followers with a timely advice.
As the winter weather in the Northeast got more severe with several major snow
storms in 2014, Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa‐ a luxurious 5 Diamond resort in
Florida‐ used social media to cheer up their followers and win new ones.
They created and published a post on Facebook with a humorous advice that
invited customers to escape the harshness of winter and enjoy the best South
Florida has to offer. The post was targeted to the audiences in the Northeast based
on the most affluent zip codes and other targeting criteria.
Results: The post generated more than 2,500 engagements, including likes and
shares with numerous positive comments.

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Stage 3 :: Booking
of leisure travelers reserve hotels online
of business travelers reserve hotels online
When it comes to booking online is the most dominant channel
Only 1 in 6 travelers makes a
reservation over the phone or
in person.
Once they are finished with researching the options,
travelers move quickly to make the booking.
The majority of travelers – 67% for OTAs, 79%
for supplier websites – go from “search” to “booking”
in the same day.
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision, The 2013 Traveler; Adara, Detailed Look Into The US Online Hotel Guest

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Stage 3 :: Statistics
and 27% of US online leisure
hotel travelers avoid visiting
certain destinations because
they don’t think they’d feel
welcomed.
27%
Source: Google, The 2014 Traveler’s Road to Decision, The 2013 Traveler;
Negative factors deterring people form booking
According to Forrester, 37%
of US online leisure travelers
avoid staying at hotels
because they don’t see
photos, video or written
content that would make
them feel comfortable.
37%
There's a number of reasons that can disrupt the
buying journey and deter customers from making
a reservation.
Top among them are:
• Bad online experience with inadequate
websites.
• Lack of information about a destination.
Inadequate or poor branded content that
doesn't engage.
• Bad reviews. Negative citations / poor
reputation on social media channels.

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Stage 3 :: Trends
Mobile gets a bigger share of online bookings
For the first six months of 2014, over 40 percent
of Americans booked travel reservations — flights,
hotels, cruises, for example — on mobile devices,
up more than 20 percent for the same period last
Year.
72 % of travelers worldwide
say the ability to book via mobile
devices is useful.
Source: Criteo’s new Travel Flash Report

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Stage 3 :: Trends
The emergence of new channels for booking
Destinations are trying to keep up with the changing preferences
of travelers in the digital age. Many travelers, particularly those in
their 20s and 30s, don't want to pick up a phone to book a hotel
room. Hotels have responded by letting them book through mobile
apps or various online channels.
Nearly 50% of hotel companies have a booking engine
or widget on their Facebook page.
The importance of personalized offers
Marketers are spending a great amount of efforts trying to
accurately gauge travelers' interests in order to entice them with
relevant rate types and packages.
They are working on new ways to utilize travelers' profiles and
transactional data along with their online behavior to determine
the best time for making an offer that is specifically tailored to
customers needs and preferences.
Source: PhoCusWright, “Social media in travel: Mayhem, myths, mobile and money”

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Stage 3 :: Challenges
Challenges
• Accurately assessing customers situation
Following customers to monitor their progress in the buying
journey, accumulating information on their preferences,
spending intentions, and readiness to book.
• Providing personalized offers at the right
time
Providing travelers with personalized offers within the short
window of opportunity when they switch from "Search" to
"Booking".
• Making the booking process effortless
Developing effective Calls‐to‐Action and providing booking
capabilities across various channels and devices that
customers find the most suitable to use.
Emerging Opportunities
• Generating better customer insights
Using customers profiles to better understand their online
shopping patterns, identify buying signals, and predict the
booking value.
• More relevant offers for customers
Integrating online data with CRM to provide customers with
dynamically generated offers that are automatically tailored
to their specific situation.
• New opportunities for booking
Initiating new channels for social media booking. Developing
new technologies for effortless booking and reservation
opportunities in digital environment.

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Stage 3 :: Best Practices
Personalized offers
Leading hotels have boosted campaign outcomes with dynamic creative
that changes out prices and properties in line with recent search and
booking data.
That helped an international hotel brand exceed its booking goals by 56%,
and reduce its cost per bookings over a 12‐month period by 73%.
Countdown To Winter / Summer Campaign
With the poor snow conditions and the tough economy over the past few years,
Destination Hotels & Resorts’ ski properties hoped to change consumers buying
habits by enticing them to book reservations early, in advance of ski season.
The campaign, now in its second year, has generated millions of dollars in revenue
and numerous mentions in major publications, including TravelandLeisure.com,
DenverPost.com, LATimes.com, PeterGreenberg.com, USAToday.com,
ChicagoTribune.com, Associated Press and more.

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The Mystery Deal
The increasingly competitive business environment has driven Royal Plaza
on Scotts to innovate on ways to increase conversion on its brand site,
one of the channels with the lowest booking cost.
With the ultimate aim to convert each website looker to booker, Royal
Plaza on Scotts created the Mystery Deal which, through an integrated
marketing campaign, is set to generate over $1,000,000.00 for the
independent property within the year.
Social Media Booking
In late 2013, Loews Hotel Group launched its social reservation system. Twitter users can now book
rooms via DM and then a secure chat conversation with a live agent.
Stage 3 :: Best Practices
Conrad Hotels and Resorts has turned to Instagram to drive bookings. The chain is now allowing
travelers to book rooms at its 24 hotels by clicking on an Instagram photo of a property that then
leads them to the reservations page.

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Conclusions
In the future digital media will play an ever increasing role in hospitality
and travel marketing, allowing marketers to:
• Better understand customers’ online behavior and provide
them with personalized journey in the digital world.
• Create unique and engaging interactive experiences with visual
story telling across multiple channels.
• Stay in touch with customers and provide them with highly
customized offers at the right time.
About the author
Sergey Gusarov
a seasoned certified digital marketing professional with extensive experience in helping
companies achieve superior results online.
Please feel free to contact me if I can be of assistance.
Email: mailto:sgusarov@yahoo.com| Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/svgusarov