This document discusses trends, challenges and best practices for destination marketing on the web. Some key points include: - The internet is increasingly important for travel research and purchases, though not all travel is booked online yet. Mobile usage is growing rapidly. - Destination marketing organizations need to adapt by shifting more budgets online, engaging audiences on social media, and measuring results better. - Examples of successful social media campaigns by tourism boards include using games, augmented reality, mobile apps, user generated content and crisis response on social platforms. - Best practices for DMOs include optimizing websites, engaging audiences, integrating strategies, focusing on conversions and defining clear metrics.

1. Destination Marketing on the WebTrends, Challenges & Best PracticesManolis Psarros - Destination Marketing Consultant - www.abouTourism.com

2. Facts, Stats& Trends

3. The Internet might not be everything yetLess than one fourth do all their travel shopping on websites

4. but it will become soon..Internet is involved in almost 85%of holiday purchases which highlights the importance of the web for travel firms.

5. Consumers are ready for mobile, are you?65 million active users(about 20% of FBers currently accessing FB through their mobile devices and those usersare almost 50% more activethan non-mobile users

6. Consumers are ready for mobile, are you?Four in five business travellers would like to have mobile applications offering recommendations for restaurants and bars close to a hotel location.Two-thirds of respondents expect similar functionality for recreational activities in a destination.

7. Mobile takes offIn Japan, 20% of domestic flights arebooked through mobile phones.

8. Travel gets smarter43%of mobile phone users are carrying smart phones, and more than a third of mobile users plan to book travel on their phones in the next year.Nielsenpredicts smartphone penetration in the U.S. will cross the 50 % line in 2011.

9. Travel gets smarterMore than 40% of smart phone owners already use their devices to get destination information, and 34% of business travellers / 26% of leisure travellers use them to make booking changes during their trip. World Travel Monitor

10. The young and the wirelessClose to half of smartphone users areunder 35 years old.

11. You may have an app for that, but…Less than a thirdof touch screen smartphone users are carryingiPhones

12. A lot of consumers are fans of travel, but not travel companiesWhile over half of social network users are "fans" of companies, less than two in 10are "fans" of travel companies

13. Word of mouth gets a megaphoneNearly a third were at least somewhat influenced by comments from people in their online social network when making travel purchase decisions.

14. Word of mouth gets a megaphoneMore than two thirds are at least slightly influenced by traveller-generated ratings when making purchase decisions

15. Even mom is on FacebookSeven in 10 are members of an online social network, and membership is stronger among females than males. Nearly nine in 10 social network users log on weekly or more often.

16. Geo-Location for City Exploration

17. Emphasis on RelationshipsCultivating relationships online will dominate value in content, links and promotion.

18. The Rise of the Supplier2011 will be the year that airlines, hotels and incoming tour operators will begin to reclaim the web as theirs.Leading the charge will be companies like Google who will take consumers straight from product research through to the supplier website for booking.Regulatory bodies will have to catch up as the rise of the supplier will mean more cross-border transactions and affiliate marketing will begin to dominate vs balance collecting agent bookings.Alex Gisbert - Expedia

19. Photos are back in fashion

20. but videos will soon rule the webCisco predicts that by 2013, 90% of all web traffic will be videos.

21. The Need for SpeedConsumers need to get what they want even faster Usability will be the key success factor saving those deep, cumbersome websites from instant dismissal by users.

22. A breakaway in 3D digital campaignsExpect by the end of 2011 to see 3D advertisingacross TV, mobiles and the mainstream internet.

23. Highly Targeted AdsDigital advertisingwill become increasingly more personal with improved targeting becoming a feature of every aspect of search, promotion and performance.

24. More MetricsAs advertising measurement improves,advertisers will engage inmore guerrilla marketing and viral techniques as Twitter introduces more advertising options.

25. Greater SophisticationGreater complexity in digital campaigns, withincreased focus on tracking, targeting, remarketing, cross digital reporting and real time influences.

26. Group discount buying and Private sales sitesSince its launch, Grouponhas grown to an estimated $350 million in estimated revenue for this year.

27. China is the placeChinais on the way to become a significant player in the global online travel market. With 420 million internet users, a strong Chinese social media landscape, a big outbound market (54 million) and great GDP growth, China is definitely the tourism country to watch.

28. Other Social Media Trends

29. What do customers want from travel websites?

30. 52%said they found information about the destination useful when choosing a holiday, while 38%said they found maps showing the location of the airport and resort useful.

31. Which website features help people to choose a holiday?Almost 59% of respondents said that photosof the destination and accommodation help them to choose a holiday, while 25% would like to see videos.Reviewswere another useful resource for 58% of respondents

32. Why would people abandon a travel purchase online?Unclear pricing andhidden charges are the biggest bugbearfor64% of respondents, followed by lack of information (19%), the need for more help with the booking process(9%), and difficulties searching for holidays (8%).

33. Which resources do customers use for holiday research?53% of respondents used travel agent’s websites while researching their holiday purchase.49% head for Google or some other search engine.42% use flight or hotel search engines.40% are influenced by recommendations from friends and family.39% of respondents use Tripadvisor reviews as part of their research.Just under 10% use Facebook and other social sites for holiday research.

34. The FactDestination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) arefacing intriguing challenges to provide quality information onlinein an era of information overload.

35. The ChallengeHowever, with websites such as Facebook,Tripadvisor, Expedia, Google Maps, WAYN, etc., many people question the role of DMO/NTO/CVB’s websites in 10 years from now.

36. While some others even questionthe role of OTAs in the years to come..

37. The ObjectiveA local or regional DMO should help to promotenot only thedestinationas a whole, but alsohotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, theatre, sports, activities in the destination itself.

38. The SolutionDMOs need to go where the consumer is,instead of convincing the consumer to come to them.

39. DMOsSector Snapshot

40. Right Here Right NowClick & WatchBy Destination Marketing Association International

41. DMO Sector SnapshotDMOs are significantly shifting ad dollars online and away from offline media, with some DMOs saying that online now accounts for more than 50 percent of the organization's total advertising budget.

42. DMO Sector Snapshot

43. DMO Sector SnapshotAccording to the Expedia study,the shift of DMO marketing dollars to online media has occurred largely because of budget cuts and increasing pressure from governing bodies to measure results.

44. DMO Sector SnapshotMany DMOs said they want toincorporate social media into the marketing mix, but have not yet determined the best way to leverage the channel in their marketing plans.

45. a few tips for DMOs

46. Gettingthe BasicsRight..

47. Look Good (=nice & simple)!A visually appealing website is a site that is easy to read, easy to navigate & find relevant information.

48. Content Is the KingQualitative & diverse information, trip planning tools, attractive visual material including video & photo sharing applications, multilingual content, B2B & Press sections are all “must” elements of a successful DMO website.

49. Engage Your Audience!Createa social media strategy and know your KPIs.Identifyyour visitors’ social activities & buildan on-line community tocreateuser generated content and spreadthe word about your destination’s competitive advantage & USPs.

50. Integrate!There will be less and less the need for specific PPC, SEO or social media strategies as clients look more and more into integrated approaches.

51. Convert!Conversion strategies are the plans needed to convert a looker into a buyer!This is not only about selling hotels, tickets to cultural events, tourist attractions, museums, sport activities etc but tosell your own products as well(city pass, walking tours, souvenirs etc).

52. Measure!Defining specific metrics for measuring the success of your web presence is a must task. Once you do that, try to define your business metrics related to your web activity as well.

53. New DMO Social Media Metrics What Should I Be Measuring?MEASURING DMO DIGITAL MARKETING EFFORTS: IT’S MORE THAN JUST CLICKS

54. Measuring DMO Digital Marketing Efforts

55. Measuring DMO Digital Marketing Efforts

56. The four-stepapproach to your social media strategy

57. PeopleAssess your target groups social activitiesObjectivesDecide what you want to accomplishStrategyPlan for how relationships with your target market will changeTacticsDecide which social tools & communities to use & how to use these

58. PeopleListen to what your target groups are saying online and locate where their conversations are taking place.Identifyvisitors activity level and determine how best to move forward.

59. ObjectivesWhat is the goal?Awareness? Engagement? Collaboration?Visitors?Select metricsthat fit the objective and measure success regularly.

60. Strategythese are the basics..Be authenticBe humanListen to your audienceEstablish an ongoing dialogueCreate content which adds value for the userEngagement comes in many forms - mix it up

61. TacticsWhich tools and communities best fit your audience, objective and strategy?

62. Best Practices

63. DMO WebsiteYoursingapore.comClick & Watch

64. Social Media CampaignTourism Queensland: The Best Job in The WorldMarketing measures:8.4 million site visitors, from every country8 minute average time on site34,680 job applications$390 Million AUD of publicityClick & WatchBusiness measures:First quarter of current fiscal year Australia tourism down, but Queensland tourism up 20%.50%of Australia trips now include a Queensland component.

65. Facebook GamesTourism Japan Facebook GameJapan Tourism Agency has launched its online interactive facebook marketing campaign for Japan Tourism in Australia, Powder Dash.The online social media tourism marketing campaign “Powder Dash” is an Facebook app that allow you to carve deep powder tracks down a fresh mountain, hit jumps, score points and unlock a line of advanced boards to get you thinking about Japan.Click & Watch

66. Facebook GamesTourism Ireland Facebook GameTourism Ireland has launched a new Facebook game calledIreland Town.Tourism Ireland projects that up to 100,000 Facebook fans will sign up to play Ireland Town in the next few weeks.Given that Tourism Ireland currently has a fanbase of a quarter of a million people around the globe, and each of the fans has in turn an average of 130 friends, Tourism Ireland can potentially engage with 32.5m people worldwide.

67. Augmented RealityVisit Holland - Holland Layar appThe Dutch Tourist Board, recently launched such a smart phone app under the name “Holland-layer”using the free LayarAugmented Reality technology. Information is generated from the tourist board’s database covering 17,000 points of interest in the country.Click & Watch

68. Mobile Application‘Thailand on Your Hand’’ - Amazing Thailand Mobile ApplicationThe official “Amazing Thailand” application is powered by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). It provides travel information such as: Destination Guides, Events & Festivals, Shopping, Thai Food, About Thailand, etc.When you travel to Thailand the app will be your perfect guide. You can find out where to go, how to get to places, where to stay, where to eat, and shopping informationintegrated with contacts, maps, phone, and GPS – all searchable, portable and easily personalized.Click & Watch

69. Collecting User Generated ContentTourism Australia – ‘nothing like Australia’ campaignAustralians were invited to share their personal stories of where they live and holiday in Australia.uploaded nearly 30,000 stories and images to www.nothinglikeaustralia.com Click & WatchFor the next phase of the campaign, Tourism Australia used all the entries to create an interactive digital map of Australia, which attracts more than a million unique visitors each month, and also at www.nothinglikeaustralia.com.

70. Collecting User Generated ContentTourism Iceland – ‘’Inspired by Iceland’’ CampaignThe stats: There were 150k visitors the first week. 1.1 million total visitors in 2010. That’s all traffic to inspiredbyiceland.com.Click & Watch

71. Reputation ManagementVisit Florida – ‘’Great Visit Florida Beach Walk’’Visit Florida’s response to misconceptions about the impact that the Deep Water Horizons disaster had on local beachesVisit Florida rolled out the “Great Visit Florida Beach Walk” campaign and mobilized the locals to take pictures of local beach conditionsand then overlay the geo-coded photos on a map so that visitors can see what’s real for themselves.Click & Watch

72. Using Social Media in a CrisisBreathtaking Athens – Real Time Tourist Safety InformationTourist authorities in the Greek capital Athens demonstrated how to utilise social networks to inform visitors about disruption and disorder.The official DMO representing the city – used Twitter to inform visitors in and outside the country about how the protests events were unfolding.The more immediate interaction experienced on Twitter was also carried over to the DMO’s Facebook page, where – once again – the organisation posted links to news stories about the protests and also offered advice to visitors.

73. Facebook CompetitionVisitBritain – Love UK Facebook Places CampaignUsing its Love UK Facebook page (68,000 fans and counting), VisitBritain is asking fans tocheck-in using Facebook Places at two of any one of the 300 tourism spots around the country tagged in the system.Once a user has completed the task they are automatically entered into a draw to win a holiday worth £2,000 and £1,000 worth of shopping vouchers.

74. Foursquare Presence Chicago – Pensylvania – Queensland – York – Tuscany on FoursquareDMO’sneed to keep an eye on the quality of information and even create fun city-specific badges and games. Ultimately, they can add value to the tourism experience and reclaim their brand.Most cities are listed on Foursquareand have plenty of helpful tips, but very few are marketed as a brand.

75. Thank Youwww.abouTourism.comManolis Psarros – mpsarros@aboutourism.com