Weekly Roundup #22: Travel, Tech and Social Media
Week 22/2017
Hello, fellow readers and happy Friday! Once again, we welcome you to our Weekly Roundup! You know why you’re here: you can take a look at the most important and interesting news that have surfaced the media this week and go through a quick recap before you wander off into the weekend!
So enjoy the read and we’ll see you next Friday!
Industry News
Booking.com hopes to soon list private rooms across Japan:
It seems that Booking.com is hoping to book a spot in listing private lodging available for travelers across Japan. Gillian Tans, chief executive officer of Holland-based Booking.com, disclosed her company's plan in an interview and she stated that the Japanese tourism market is rapidly expanding ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but there is a prolonged shortage of accommodations. She believes if "minpaku" (staying in a household or a private room in a house) becomes more common here, it can encourage more foreign tourists to come.
AccorHotels announces exclusive partnership with TEG and Cirque du Soleil:
This week, AccorHotels announced a thrilling partnership with TEG and TORUK The First Flight by Cirque du Soleil which will be touring Australia and New Zealand for the first time from 1 September 2017 and performing close to 100 shows. As the Official Accommodation Partner for Cirque du Soleil’s Australia and New Zealand tour, Le Club AccorHotels and Accor Plus loyalty members will receive access to pre-sale tickets, VIP opportunities and money-can’t-buy experiences which will include meet and greets and behind-the-scenes tours. Hotels will also be offering unique animations and benefits to guests when the show is in town.
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts launches global campaign:
Our client Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has launched its global ‘It’s your Summer’ campaign, inviting guests to take advantage of discounts of up to 30 per cent on room rates at more than 80 hotels and resorts globally. The Swiss hospitality firm’s Summer 2017 promotion, which applies to bookings of two nights or more, also offers guests who book their stay online a complimentary US$20 voucher to spend at any participating hotel restaurant.
Hotel development in Africa keeps on growing – despite challenges:
Hotel development activity in Africa is still rising in the face of the continent’s economic problems, showing a 13 per cent increase in 2017, according to the annual survey by W Hospitality Group, generally acknowledged as the most authoritative source on the sector’s growth. The ninth edition of its Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa has 36 international and regional contributors reporting almost 73,000 rooms in 417 hotels. The figures have grown each year, more than doubling since 2009.
Trends and Insights
How to make your hotel’s social media a source for travel inspiration (II) – Instagram & Pinterest:
Last week, we talked about a hotel’s Facebook and Twitter profiles and how, as a hotelier, you can turn them into a source for travel destination and influence travelers to book your accommodation. This week, we published the second and last part of this series and it’s all about Instagram and Pinterest. So make sure to check the extended blog post, to see how you can make the most out of visual content and enhance your social media marketing strategy.
Emerging local destinations 2017 by trivago.co.uk:
trivago.co.uk has recently revealed 2017's emerging local destinations as part of their annual Global Summer Trends research. Using exclusive price data from the past two years on trivago platforms around the world, trivago has identified the destinations that have seen the largest increase in local popularity over this period from UK users. Wareham, Dorset is the number one emerging destination for British holiday makers in the UK. You can click on the link to see the full top 10 local trending UK destination.
Steady rates and inconsistent bookings mark ongoing trend for North American hoteliers:
Heading into the summer months, North American hoteliers are continuing to experience stable average daily rates alongside decreases in bookings during the second quarter of 2017. According to new data from TravelClick’s May 2017 North American Hospitality Review (NAHR), this marks an ongoing trend from earlier in the year. ADR for transient business travel in the second quarter, for example, is up 1.9 percent, but bookings are down -2.5 percent. Similarly, ADR for the group segment is up 0.9 percent, but occupancy is down -3.5 percent.
Technology
TravelBird releases new state-of-the-art app:
Online travel company TravelBird has today announced the launch of a pioneering new App feature offering Real-Time Assistance to travellers. An industry first, the in-App feature available on both iOS and Android, is an effective step towards helping travellers enjoy a holiday free from any worry. In accordance with the company’s mission of providing care-free, inspiring travel experiences, the feature was developed based on traveller wants and needs. As well as offering Real-Time Assistance when needed, the technology promises to automatically update travellers with relevant information during their trip.
Travel firms found to be ignoring cyber risks despite scale of threat:
Research by IT training specialist Firebrand Training has found travel firms focus on fire drills while ignoring the much bigger threat from cyber attacks. The firm says travel firms carry out routine fire drills twice as often as all-staff cyber drills despite the number of businesses suffering from cyber breaches being 125 times greater than the number of reporting fires on their premises. An average of 22,000 fires occurred in non-domestic settings in the UK compared to the 2.75 million British businesses that are suspected to have suffered cyber attacks. The Firebrand report also reveals almost half (43%) of travel businesses think cybercrime is not a threat to businesses in their sector.
