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With uncertainty still lingering over many of the world's economies, consumers have grown increasingly careful about their travel spending. A range of influences and information sources impact how consumers decide where to go, and travel behavior varies considerably across different markets. This report explores how the process of destination selection is evolving, and in particular how this process differs between travelers in the U.S., France, Germany and the U.K.
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While a strategically managed social media presence has become de rigueur in the travel industry, companies are still struggling to determine how best to harness the medium. PhoCusWright's Social Media in Travel 2012 examines the role of social media in the online travel ecosystem, investigating which types of user-generated content are most influential, how social networking affects referrals to travel sites, and what innovations to expect from social travel startups, among other trends.
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There are two themes in this month's data. First there is the rampant optimism of hoteliers, suddenly building and hiring again, reporting record demand and confidently talking about 2013 rate hikes. Then there is the much more guarded outlook for the macroeconomy, as reflected in the hit that Priceline and Orbitz have taken because of weakness in Europe. With the U.S. needing to navigate its fiscal cliff of tax-hike expirations and trillion-dollar spending cuts, a reprise is entirely possible on our side of the pond. The Congressional Budget Office said in late August that failure to extend the tax cuts and/or delay the spending cuts would cause a recession next year. And while that made headlines because of the CBO's prestige in the capital, the office was well behind private economists of all stripes in actually publishing what it must have long known about this particular blinding glimpse of the obvious. They can't both be right. Something's gotta give. But which will it be?
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Cloud computing is becoming pervasive as a way to enable ubiquitous, on-demand access to a shared pool of resources. This analysis takes a look at how cloud computing works and the opportunities it presents for travel businesses to reduce cost and create value.
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What do hotels really get out of providing inventory to online travel agencies through a merchant program? This article examines the costs, benefits and overall value of this model to hoteliers.
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Does online travel know something other industries don't, or is the category whistling before an economic storm? It's an interesting question as we look at June's data, plus stock prices and some earnings reports coming in during July. Early earnings performance from Expedia was excellent, and the hotels are doing well (though hotel stocks are weakening) and the airlines are benefitting from cheaper fuel, higher load factors and a general, welcome discipline that comes from having been whipsawed by cycles before. And yet ... the question is whether – or how long – this can last in the face of a weakening economy and a looming fiscal cliff.
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"Big Data" is currently one of the fastest growing and most talked about technology trends. Along with Cloud Computing, Big Data is often considered a key capability for travel companies to gain/sustain competitive advantage. This Analysis looks at how Big Data is defined, the tools that make Big Data effective, examples of Big Data that provide business value both within and outside the travel industry, and future opportunities to leverage value from Big Data.
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Everyone is suddenly worried about the economy, including us. As recently as our Webinar in May, we argued that the economy had perhaps four months of bullish runway left before concerns about the presidential election and the many fiscal decisions that must be made after November 6 become more pressing.
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In January 2012, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) published Distribution Channel Analysis: A Guide for Hotels (DCA). The report presented comprehensive data and analysis on the U.S. hotel distribution landscape. The purpose of this Spotlight is to discuss the report's recommendations and provide additional perspective, including examining the role and impact of other media players (e.g., Google, Facebook and Apple) entering the hotel distribution space.
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General search engines like Google have become so ubiquitous that many users would be lost without them. In the travel category, top brands compete fiercely for general search traffic, despite their well-established names and websites. This report examines the role of general search engines in the travel planning process, and includes an overview of travelers' search engine usage by brand, motives for using search, travel products searched for and more.
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