ATM 2015 tech
seminar sessions focus on successful online strategies as 92% global mobile
penetration rate forces travel industry to fast track adoption of new
technologies; driving destination awareness through digital efforts only half
the battle with consumer capture and conversion the bigger challenge
Developments in travel related technologies
and the opportunities for the industry to capitalise on the global shift
towards digital domination from a booking and marketing perspective headlined
the opening day of seminar sessions at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2015.
A high profile panel of global industry
experts addressed the complexities of creating and delivering effective
strategies as technology continues to transform destination marketing at an
afternoon session held at the RateGain Travel Technology Theatre entitled ‘Destination
Marketing for the Future – effective ways of leveraging technology and industry
partnerships to successfully market destinations’.
“There are now 6.7 billion global mobile
subscriptions with a penetration rate of 92%, and with 50% of all online searches
now conducted on mobile devices and a MENA smartphone/tablet device market
totalling 22 million users, there is no longer any leeway for the travel
industry to opt out of a strategic shift towards increased technological
commitment and investment,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, Exhibition Manager,
Arabian Travel Market
Sharing examples of successful digital
marketing campaigns executed in Dubai , Queensland and Singapore , the panel discussed
issues of awareness and conversion as well as the bigger holistic picture.
Marc Bennett, Senior Vice President,
International Operations, DCTCM, stressed the importance of ‘joining up’ any
campaign. “When you do a digital
campaign it’s not just about placements etc. but about the PR you do, the
research and social media campaigns you run on the back of advertising, and
then the re-targeting of those non-conversions,” he said.
The region’s seeming reluctance to jump on
board the technology train was also raised. Mohammed Masri, Managing Director,
BizGate Marketing & Consultancies said: “Lots of tourism boards use
traditional channels, and not so many hotels in the region have an updated
Facebook page, for example. If we look at SEO and how destinations are reaching
out to the consumer, there are a lot of gaps. The important point is that the
traveller/user is moving much faster than the industry itself.”]
Duncan Alexander, Vice President Global
Alliances & Strategic Partnerships, Illusions Online added: “We still have
a huge segment of the market concerned that they will lose the personal touch.”
There is also increasing scope to
capitalise on user-generated marketing opportunities with campaigns like #myDXB
proving hugely successful. “This showed Dubai
through the eyes of the whole population, but user-generated content has to not
just be curated but created as well,” said Alexander, who also highlighted the
critical importance of investing in social sentiment aggregators.
However, the correlation between mobile activity
and actual conversion still needs to be driven, as Ali J Hashmi, Industry
Manager, Travel & Government, Middle East & North Africa, Google, pointed
out: “Users spend seven out of eight minutes in an app but it's still not clear
to what end. If you look at emerging Internet trends like beacons and sensors
etc., that technology is coming into airports very soon. This allows you to do a
lot of different things, but the regional challenge is that the majority of
traffic is just passing through.”
ATM official Innovation Technology Partner Sabre
also took the opportunity on the first day of ATM 2015 to unveil its newly
launched TripCase for Apple Watch app.
“Travellers are expecting more than
ever from their devices and wearables are no exception,” said Joakim Everstin,
Sabre Travel Network EMEA Head of Innovation.
Newly released research from
Travelport has also revealed that online travel bookings, which represent 25%
of all bookings in the Middle East , are
forecast to grow in 2015 and 2016 to reach 36% by the end of 2017 with online
revenue expected to reach US$35 billion.
Commenting on the findings, Rabih Saab,
President & Managing Director Africa, Middle East and South
Asia for Travelport, said: “We can make many interesting regional
observations from the research related to online performance; from airlines
increasing their brand awareness to hotel focused online travel agents
achieving significant growth.”
For more
information on Arabian Travel Market 2015, please log on to: www.arabiantravelmarket.com