This is a roundup of product news and announcements for travel MARKETING in tourism and hospitality for June 2015.
Tuesday 30 June 2015:
Expedia and RouteHappy expand "Happiness Data" programme
- The online travel agency has been using RouteHappy in the US since March this year, but the extension will see Expedia sites around the world (including UK, France, Germany, Singapore, Spain, Australia) getting the product. RouteHappy creates a score for users and their flight options based factors such as seat, flight time, ratings and amenities.
Monday 29 June 2015:Utrip creates Custom Items tool
- The new functionality lets users personalise their trips by adding their own accommodation and activities to an itinerary, based on preferences around interests and budget. Items can include Airbnb lodging, business meetings or visits to friends or contacts.
Thursday 25 June 2015:TripAdvisor expands Review Express service
- The existing Review Express tool will now include the option for hoteliers to send out an additional, private survey to former guests alongside the ability to encourage them to leave a review of their stay on TripAdvisor. The company claims more than 100,000 product owners (including 60,000 hotels) have now used the Review Express service since its introduction in May 2013.
Thursday 18 June 2015:Travelzoo debuts Europe-wide TV campaign
- The #TravelzooFeeling is the name behind the new 30-second spot, airing in key markets (including the UK) from 21 June. Both prime time and day time slots have been selected for the campaign, in a bid to increase subscriber numbers to its deals bulletins. The campaign was created by Big Al's Creative Emporium and MNC handled the media buying.
Wednesday 17 June 2015:
Musement launches naughty viral ad on skipping the line
- The tours-and-activities ticketing platform, based in Italy, says it has expanded its inventory to "thousands" of activities and museum exhibitions in 250 locations in 50 countries. It has produced a viral video, uncovering the top 5 ways people 'skip the line' while away (Spoiler alert: there is a man pretending to be pregnant to get to the front of the queue...). For more, see Startup pitch: Well funded Musement helps travelers skip queues at top sights.
Lastminute.com launches first TV ad campaign under new ownership
- The pan-European programme of activity comes six months into Lastminute.com's sale by Sabre to the BravoFly Rumbo Group. Airing initially in France, Italy and the UK, the ad will run under the tagline of "Love everyt minute - live Lastminute.com" in a bid to encourage travellers to book city breaks, holidays, activities or lifestyle products such as spa days.
Monday 8 June 2015:
HostelWorld unveils debut ad campaign
- The campaign - "Meet The World" - launched this week to coincide with a major rebranding exercise for the online budget accommodation agency. The creative will run in cinemas, online, mobile, outdoor and on TV, with media planning and buying run by The7Stars in the UK.
Kayak launches interactive Travel Hacker tool
- The service within the main Kayak site uses data from one billion travel searches to "visualise" trends for visitors. Such areas include popular destinations, trending beach or city breaks and when is the best time to book a trip.
ICE Portal partners with
Rich Media Exchange- The agreement between the pair will see ICE Portal supplying RME with more than 40,000 properties. Subscribers to RME come from a range of brands including travel sellers, mainstream media companies including AOL Travel and the Huffington Post.
NB: Send links or releases related to travel marketing directly to Tnooz
via email.
NB2: Travel image via Shutterstock.