This is a roundup for product news and announcements for travel marketing in tourism and hospitality for December 2016.
Friday 23 December 2016:OnTheBeach has a Lounge On
The European online travel agency is plotting a multi-million pound Christmas/New Year ad campaign using the "Lounge On" strapline to promote relaxing trips. The activity, created by ad agency St Luke's and planned by The7Stars, will run on TV, radio, outdoor and online.
Wednesday 21 December 2016:GuestCentric partners with The Hotels Network
- The Hotels Network's price comparison widget will be made available to all GuestCentric customers, as part of the deal. The widget sits on top of the GuestCentric booking engine and compares live prices from online travel agencies live on the hotel's own website.
Thursday 15 December 2o16:Derbysoft connects with Facebook's travel ad product
- Hotel tech supplier Derbysoft has announced that its custom connection to Facebook's Dynamic Ads for Travel is live, allowing hotels connected to Derbysoft to deliver dynamic pricing into their Facebook marketing campaigns. Derbysoft has built new real-time data solutions with Facebook ads specifically in mind and is "working closely" with Facebook on the roll-out.
Thursday 8 December 2016:Qantas smiles with
RouteHappy- The deal marks the first for an Australian airline to work with the merchandising platform, specifically the RouteHappy Hub service. The agreement allows Qantas to manage and distribute rich content to intermediaries via search results. These include aircraft type, cabin stle, airport, route and fare, displayed through headlines, photos, captions, videos and descriptions.
Wednesday 7 December 2016:Foursquare licenses images to
AirbnbSDL speaks
FlyDubai's language
- FlyDubai is working with SDL to provide multilingual content across its websites. The carrier will use SDL Web and work with digital agency Indivirtual Dubai on websites which are optimised for mobile and can be personalised to customers based on location.
Monday 5 December 2016:VisitBritain strikes
Alibaba partnership
- The UK's tourism marketing organisation will work with Alitrip (Alibaba's travel division, now known as Fliggy) and Hainan Airlines on a series of projects to attract more Chinese visitors to the country. A "virtual British marketplace" will be created on Fliggy to showcase destinations and experiences.
Thursday 1 December 2016:Expedia joins Alexa craze
- The online travel agency is using Amazon's Alexa-enabled device Echo so that travellers can ask questions regarding a hotel booking, flight status, loyalty points and car hire reservations. Other Alexa-powered products with the same functionality include the Echo Dot and Amazon Fire TV.
Ixigo nabs more one-click airlines
- Musafir, Kiwi and Spicejet will distribute their flights through the trael search engine's desktop and mobile services, using the one-click tool (Instant Booking-esque) for customers. The trio join the likes of Jet Airways, Lufthansa and Emirates on the portfolio of carriers allowing Ixigo to handle bookings.
LATAM Airlines Group performs with
EveryMundo- The Latin and South American carrier group will use EveryMundo's AirTRFX platform to push its product inventory into online search results. The tool will be used for the US-facing editions of its website, covering English, Spanish and Portuguese.
NB: Travel marketing image via Shutterstock.