Social Media Marketing and Tourism

MA-Thesis / Master von Daniela Chott

Introduction:

The term of e-Tourism has found its way into literature in the last 10 years, alongside with other economical research in the area of electronic commerce and internet technology. The evolution of the online business has changed and alleviated many processes and workflows in tourism, of which new tools and possibilities for communication, additional distribution channels, flexible pricing and improved product offers are the most important developments.

E-mailing, a setup of an information and booking website, online advertising and the possibility to offer a 24/7 service broadened the way to reach the (potential) customer and also to get feedback immediately. Online tour operators with an always up-to-date product and price portfolio emerged as well as supplier websites replacing intermediaries by offering their products via direct online sales. Pricing of accommodation and air transportation became more flexible due to Yield Management enabled by online booking systems and GDS. Last but not least, due to advanced IT-technologies, the end-product ‘holiday’ can now be compiled with individual components according to customer needs, which is often mentioned in literature as Dynamic Packaging.

Recently, a new technological development in the online business called Web 2.0 has drawn the economy’s attention. With this further step in online technology it is now possible to integrate customers into operations and interact with them via internet networks and platforms. These new developments also result in new opportunities in tourism and will be the field of research of the present study, specializing on National Tourism Organizations (NTOs).

As a small author’s remark it may be noted that the topic is concerned with quickly advancing technologies. Therefore, all research and definitions are based on the state of knowledge of years 2009 and 2010. The paper itself may need an update in one or two years already, but it is intended to design a sustainable Web 2.0 strategy for NTOs.

Table of Contents:

Text Sample:

Chapter 5.3, Media Sharing:

In order to display, share and present photos and videos, media sharing platforms are at hand of which YouTube and Flickr are the ones with the biggest popularity.

5.3.1, Flickr:

Flickr as a photo platform gives users the opportunity to upload, sort, tag store and share photos with others. In the sense of Social Media, photos can be commented and users can connect with each other. What makes it popular especially among bloggers is the ease to integrate and share Flickr photos and albums on other Social Media platforms. In addition, Flickr offers free slideshow applications for inclusion on websites. For businesses especially in the tourism area the platform offers a way of presenting (promotional) photo material and at the same time motivates users to collect more holiday impressions on the specific destination, hotel or sight. With that a growing authentic database of pictures is created with almost no efforts.

5.3.2, YouTube:

One of the most renowned platforms in Social Media is the video community YouTube, where 2 billion videos are watched by users all over the world every day. Video upload and sharing are the major functions of the platform, which is also supported by easy integration and compatibility with other networks and devices. Users are able to set up a YouTube Channel featuring all uploaded videos, which can be subscribed to by others. For professionals and brands YouTube offers various possibilities for marketing. In paid advertisement campaigns, videos can be placed prominently according to certain target groups, videos or entered keywords. A monitoring tool controls the outcome of campaigns and fully customizable brand channels guarantee a professional appearance on the platform. An API opens ways for further programming and integration. In the YouTube Partnership program, prominent brands with a wide reach and influence are even able to earn money by participating in advertising and joint marketing campaigns. They enjoy special copyright and trademark protection, which limits (normally tolerated) infringements. Smaller businesses e.g. from the tourism sector may use YouTube as a platform to present, spread and share video contents, may it be professional video spots or self-made tourist impressions. With bigger budgets, sponsored videos and ad campaigns draw attention to the organization or destination and may lead to increased interest and traffic on the corporate website.

5.4, Wikis:

Said to be originating from the Hawaiian word ‘wikiwiki’ for quick or informal, wikis became more and more popular in the last few years. The term stands for “[…] a freely expandable collection of interlinked Web ‘pages’, a hypertext system for storing and modifying information – a database, where each page is easily editable by any user with a forms-capable Web browser client.” In a nutshell, this means an ever extending platform for collecting knowledge, which is accessible from everywhere and for anybody. The concept’s most famous example is the platform Wikipedia, which is an online encyclopedia created and continuously completed by users all over the world based on the theory of Wisdom of Crowds.

In a business environment, the application of wikis helps to a great extent to collect ideas, set up an internal database for all kinds of corporate information and to engage employees in development processes. Here, wikis can be equipped with login and encryption facilities to ensure security and protection against unauthorized persons. They are mostly effective in smaller companies or specialized workgroups that may work from different locations and require low technological efforts and knowledge.

5.5, Social Bookmarking:

Platforms like delicious, digg or StumbleUpon offer to collect links or online bookmarks registered users find interesting. Bookmarks can be categorized with tags, commented on, rated and most importantly shared with other users on the platform via profiles and lists.

Successful corporate social bookmarking profiles may generate interest from users in a way that the collected bookmarks compile the most valuable information on the company’s core business. Furthermore, by integrating share buttons of social bookmarking platforms next to articles and information on corporate websites, it enables easy sharing and further (free) advertisement of contents. In addition, distribution of URL links along the social graph has a considerable influence on offsite SEO.

5.6, Virtual Worlds: Second Life:

A virtual world is a digital representation of a real or invented environment similar to computer games. Users of virtual world applications create their digital self (avatar) and start interacting with the surrounding and other avatars through the internet in real-time. The most famous application in this aspect is the platform Second Life; however publicity plummeted noticeably in the last few years. Second Life offers different worlds and places, which can be occupied and designed by users. Land and other commercial goods and services such as fashion, building components and furniture can be purchased with a virtual currency, the Linden Dollar, which is backed by real USD billings.

Offering all marketing and representational potentials a real world offers, Second Life is also of interest to businesses. In the tourism area, virtual representations of cities, tourism offices, hotels or destinations in Second Life enable omnipresence, product placement, PR and branding in a highly attractive location and may initiate real travel bookings. Furthermore, the sale of virtual goods such as holidays or hotel rooms may create a source of real income. Second Life features an Affiliate Program by generating leads from websites displaying ads and banners.

5.7, Mobile:

Being one of the most promising current and future markets in the technology and online sector with more than 10 billion app downloads worldwide in 2010 , the mobile internet sector is also a field of research in tourism marketing and e-commerce. The possibility to offer services, information or help right at the spot where it is needed leaves the field open to the creativity of software engineers and product managers, especially when travel IMPLIES the state of being ‘on the run’.

5.7.1, Apps:

For a tourism business there are different possibilities on how to use the mobile market. On the one hand, presence and advertisement within mobile apps can help to promote the place or destination. On the other hand, offering services via applications help to enlarge the product portfolio and distribution channel of tourism supply.

One example of the first type of mobile engagement is the participation in geocaching communities and platforms. Geocaching, as a modern type of treasure hunting with the help of modern navigation technologies (GPS devices), has a constantly growing and loyal followership with venues taking place all over the world. Participants hide a treasure (the so called geocach) somewhere in the wild or on other hidden places and post the exact (or close) GPS coordinates of the spot online for the use and fun of others. Especially hikers and adventurers enjoy this special way to spend time outdoors, which is now also enabled by their modern smartphones with GPS processing software.