The latest marketing news, launches and more from around the travel, tourism and hospitality industry in May 2013.
Friday 31 May 2013:
- Kayak and Allianz Global Assistance unite for travel insurance deal. The agreements sees the Allianze range of trip cover made available for search and purchasing by users of the travel search site. The insurance company's Fusion IT platform has been integrated into the Kayak site during check-out process. The agreement is currently restricted to only US users.
Thursday 30 May 2013:Monday 27 May 2013:- OnTheBeach unveils holiday cost comparison service. Targeted at families, OTB's Cost Comparison service allows users to check prices for essential items simultaneously across 30 destinations. Products include food, sun cream and nappies, in a bid to provide visitors to the site with an idea as to how much in-resort services will cost alongside flights and hotels.
Thursday 23 May 2013:- GetYourGuide begins rolling out new branding and website. The tours and activities (which recently captured $14 million in funding and also bought Gidsy) web business introduced both a new site design and logo this week, including new navigation and a focus on its homepage on the number of products available in the countries it operates. The company is expected to officially relaunch the new features in June and branding in June.
Wednesday 22 May 2013:- Zozi enlists adventurer Bear Grylls as celebrity staffer. The Discovery Channel presenter (Man versus Wild) will act as Zozi's lead spokesman, advisor and one of its Elite Gurus. Grylls will advise it on digital strategy and will work on various exclusive content projects, guided experiences, and adventure-based stunts.
Tuesday 21 May 2013:- CheapOAir redesigns homepage with responsive in mind. The online travel agency says the move will give visitors to its desktop, tablet or mobile websites the same user experience and navigation. The redesign mirrors the previous work put in on its applications or smartphone apps.
Thursday 16 May 2013:- Ryanair appoints Independent Digital to handle online ad sales. The company, part of Independent News and Media, publisher of the Irish Independent, will be responsible for selling the entire online display inventory on the carrier's website. Ryanair says it has around 1.2 million unique daily users to the site.
- First Choice has created an online tool to help travellers choose their holiday destination. The 'Happiness Included' service, developed with digital agency STEAK, takes users through a series of animations and questions on what they would like to do, who with, long-haul or short-haul etc.
- SwissAir partners with Expedia for hotel bookings. Using the Expedia Affiliate Network, SwissAir will include almost 160,000 properties on its website and allow passengers to combine flight tickets with hotel bookings.
Monday 13 May 2013:- After unveiling its own mobile application in recent weeks, 3rd Planet is partnering with tech giant Lenovo to help tourism businesses find ways to market themselves on Lenovo devices via customised applications as part of the Wonders of the World initiative.
Friday 10 May 2013:- Hyatt Hotels redesigns website after major customer feedback project. The chain surveyed 22,000 guests and has now included a number of new features such as 360-degree tours, social media tools, as well as being available in ten languages and being integrated further with its loyalty scheme.
Thursday 9 May 2013:- Agoda sets up partnership with WuBook. The Priceline-owned accommodation provider for Asia-Pacific will add WuBook’s inventory of hotels in Russia to its global network.
Wednesday 8 May 2013:- Zaranga expands to Florida with vacation rentals. The company will include properties from major tourist hotspots such as Key West, Orlando and Sarasota.
Tuesday 7 May 2013:- GetTaxi partners with Make-A-Wish Foundation. The London black cab booking service will give each new customer a £5 credit on their account as well as donate £1 to the charity from every customer who redeems their voucher.
Monday 6 May 2013:- Expedia launches its largest brand campaign in India. The promotion, created by Lowe and Lintas, is aimed at those looking for both domestic and international travel and will focus on the 18,000 offers featured on the site each day. The company claims to have experienced 200% year-on-year growth between the first quarter of 2011 and the same period this year.
- Vacation rental provider Tripvillas signs agreement with HomeAway. The partnership will enable travellers to access more than 2,000 vacation rentals across the Asia-Pacific region, including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia.
image via Shutterstock.