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TRAVELWATCH Articles

05/26/2013

04/05/2013 - How YouTube Trailers Help Tourism
Google's new YouTube trailer for Youtube channels is an effective service for hotels and tourism companies. The trailer is visible only to those who have not already subscribed and the main idea, from Google's perspective, is to encourage people to subscribe. As a channel owner, subscribers build your ranking and your authority, which will help get your videos and content featured and listed in search results.

See how barbados.org is using this new feature

See TravelBarbados Youtube Channel

For detail on ONE Channel and the Video trailer see our blog below .... (c) Ian R Clayton #irclay
>> http://axses-ianclayton.blogspot.com/2013/04/onechanneltrailer.html

03/20/2013 - Are Blogs Dying as SEO
I follow Ryann Deiss and subscribe to his digital marketing newsletter and mastermind. First came across him when he was predicting the end of the net as we know it and stressing future dominated by a few big business. its playing out now. His latest outsider view is that Blogs are being ignored by Google to large extent. He has the statistics to prove it too. You need to read this article, but, remember Ryann is in the business of selling marketing services and information. He gives away a lot of free stuff and its good value to belong to his groups, at least i find it so.

Ryann takes edgy positions on things and does a lot of research and testing to support his hypotheses. Things change rapidly in this business and what G does one day may be reversed the next. We see blogs working for us at this time. But clearly other things like Social Networking, videos and building authority are becoming more and more important in travel marketing.

In the interest of full disclosure TravelWatchNews (TWN) and all associated with it, have no affiliation and receive no commissions on any business you may do with Ryann.
>> http://www.authorityroi.com/access/#.UUnUDBkrZJO

03/14/2013 - Nature Tourism Takes off in the Caribbean
The new campaign for the Barbados Tourism Encyclopedia has launched its third video in the Distinctively Charming series for Barbados. Naturally charming and distinctive by nature features animals, birds, underwater scenes, the colorful fish, sandpipers dancing on the beach and local activities at the Oistins Fish market and village fish fry. Also featured are the polo and race horses taking a morning bath.

Brochure Flyer of Barbados Nature is available for Free download Click here >>>

More on the Distinctively Charming Island Campaign: Go to Barbados.org

>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1sEljEjMFA

02/27/2013 - Barbados People Focus on New Campaign
The Distinctively Charming Barbados Brand Campaign launches Video #2. The first video focused on the technology of the new website redesign. With video2 the focus shifts to the new Brand "Distinctively Charming" wich features people and lifestyles. The campaign will unfold with several videos and articles on separate themes within the new brand. See the website page about the brand.. at the link below

See Youtube Video

>> http://barbados.org/distinctively-charming

02/18/2013 - Responsive Web Design Boosts Tourism Marketing
The re-designed website of the Barbados Tourism Encyclopedia at http://Barbados.org is getting more exposure and response for hotel and tourism companies who list and market their properties on the site.

The site is built using the Responsive Web Design (RWD) framework and incorporates new navigation, images, video and content to showcase Barbados as a most Distinctively Charming island destination.

With the RWD, the sites is now available to the growing number of travelers who use their mobiles, smartphones, iPods and tablet to research, plan and book holidays online. See the details on our whitepaper at Slideshare and the video presentation:

See full video on YouTube at the link below
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ytzjeopa6d4

02/09/2013 - Hotel Marketing - The Story
The new mantra in marketing is about engagement. Story telling and user videos are a great way to tell engaging stories. Canada user generated videos clocked 2.5 million viewes - see our blog for more detail.
>> http://axses-ianclayton.blogspot.ca/2013/02/tourism-marketing-is-storytelling.html

01/30/2013 - Let Rooms & Villas Tell a Story
In this video for Poinsettia Villas, the blog and video take you inside the units to tell their own unique story - see the blog below. Doing a video for each one of your rooms is a much overlooked and important part of the collateral of hotel, apartment and villa marketing. But be sure that it is a cohesive part of a campaign that builds authority, rank and reinforces your total marketing effort. Example from PoinsettiaApartments.com - Villas for Rent in St. Lucia. Video of the Roof Top Terrace One Bedroom Villa-Apartment.
>> http://www.poinsettiaapartments.com/apt-villa1-rooftopterrace.cfm

01/28/2013 - Ranking in Search Results is no Longer an SEO Issue
To Rank in Search Results and get to the very top in listing used to be a matter of doing your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Correctly. Todays is a whole lot more complex and depends heavily on building authority for the brand and the people in front of it. In the new social landscape social who you are and where you are is now as important as SEO, and building authority is a long term project that will take months. The good news is that it can be done and here is an example of just that- click below for details
>> http://www.icontact-archive.com/cO_IP76CIhvVGhirdJGbLXTEbPd8tIt-?w=3

01/21/2013 - Gourmet Adventures - Coal Pot St. Lucia
Adventure Travel Destinations features in depth review of Coal Pot Restaurant in St. Lucia. See full details on the Gourmet Adventure Travel Blog Click Here for details >>

See Video on Youtube Below:
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyC65dVlW2Q

01/15/2013 - Search Hurting St. Lucia Apartment Rentals
Latest updates to search systems are disadvantaging local apartment owners in St. Lucia. This article documents the effect of these changes and looks at what can be done to give control back to local tourism companies.
>> http://axses-ianclayton.blogspot.com/2013/01/stlucia-apartments-hurting.html

01/10/2013 - The Press Release
How to get the most from your Press Release. This blog explains how AXSES views the PR and how to make it a viable part of a marketing campaign. While Google depreciates the value of a Press Release from a SEO perspective, it is still one of the most important things you can do in a marketing campaign. The blog explains some of the points to consider.
>> http://axses-ianclayton.blogspot.com/2013/01/thepressrelease.html

01/10/2013 - Mobile Calendar Tourism Strategies
This is a summary of what The Barbados Tourism Encyclopedia (Barbados.org) did to create a mobile platform for www.WhatsonInBarbados.com. It is a hybrid of the new responsive website design that Google is proposing as the new standard for all mobile designs, and the native app. It takes advantage of the features of both.
>> http://www.icontact-archive.com/cO_IP76CIhvVGhirdJGbLbDZqeuzbpBi?w=3

12/15/2012 - Video Sales Letter for Tourism
In this case study we evaluate the effectiveness of the video sales letter for marketing hotels and tourism. The study is conducted as part of a campaign for http://PoinsettiaApartments.com in St. Lucia. The sales letter is fundamentally different from the traditional travel promotion. Video sales letters were pioneered by Jon Benson. They have been very successful because they are highly focused, simple, direct and avoid confusion with images, talking heads, professional narration and film. For details go to http://bit.ly/HotelVideoSalesLetters
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF4iu9ocbFo

12/15/2012 - Downsizing Luxury
"Travelers who love luxury and just don't want to spend thousands of dollars a night to sleep away their indulgence are turning to affordable accommodation; spending the savings on fine dining, tours and day time explorations and adventures." For more see Downsizing Luxury in the Travel Market: Also see the full YouTube video below
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSmUncZZkqY

12/01/2012 - Family Adventure Marketing
Adventure travel is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism market and family travel is a big part of adventure tourism. In a new campaign to promote family adventure tours, packages and products, Adventure-Travel-Destinations.com launches a series of blogs, articles, videos and press releases as key pins of its multi-media marketing. The campaign creates a footprint across hundreds of websites, leading travelers back to the blogs, pages and videos for action. See the ATD blog for more information.

If you have a family adventure package or product you would like to market, contact us at support (at) axses.com.
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX_5N1Hi9Ao

11/05/2012 - Barbados Publishes Video on Culture
The video showcases one of the examples of Barbados & Caribbean Arts and Culture. This is a tour of the Earthworks factory and a chance to meet the artists and potters. It is an inside look and documentary on how they turn earth and clay into fine art; a part of our Caribbean heritage. Barbados Tourism Encyclopedia www.Barbados.org/Culture

Link to The Barbados Culture Page below:
>> http://barbados.org/culture/

11/01/2012 - Seniors Adventure Travel Tours & Resources
It's never too late to explore and discover the world of culture and nature and to have an adventure. Adventure-Travel-Destinations.com has added a new video and new page (Ageless Tours) that are great for older persons and those who like a degree of comfort on their adventure. All tours can be selected according to comfort and activity level and those over 60 may choose more active adventures if they prefer. For hotel and tourism destinations, we welcome your sponsorship and advertising on these pages. Please contact us at support on the ATD website below and select Advertising.

See the ATD page Click Here

See the video on YouTube at the link below.
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dagJFLpOPC8

10/23/2012 - Case Study. Positioning Your Hire Car Business
This travel marketing case study talks about the need to find a Unique Sales Position and then create an integrated campaign to get the word out. Social media, video and articles were used to spread the message. The results were a steady gain in search engine ranking, overall visibility and exposure on sites like YouTube, Google and social media. See the Case Study on Quora below:
>> http://b.qr.ae/WFW8En

10/17/2012 - St. Lucia Holiday Apartment Rentals: Marketing Case Study
Search engine marketing has forever changed. With the new changes made by the leading search engines, it is becoming increasingly difficult for small tourism operators to get high ranking in search results.

The latest changes by Google give, for example, more credit for onsite content. Now all the big sites like the Online Travel Agents (OTAs like Expedia). They have huge "relevant content" for St. lucia apartment rentals, for accommodation and for St. Lucia holiday activities.

A small hotel, villa complex or holiday apartment rentals can not compete with this for content. But, there is hope: Read this blog to see what we did and keep watching as we share the results.

See our Blog - CLICK HERE.. To See the video on YouTube click Below
>> http://youtu.be/pK_xout8F1Y

10/05/2012 - World Heritage Tourism Opportunities
This blog outlines steps and results of our World Heritage Tourism Marketing. We gained top ranking by creating valuable content in multiple formats and publishing them in a coordinated manner. Each activity was designed and timed to reinforce the others and build authority. Our campaign has about 40 touch points which include building a dedicated network to distribute information and publish content. See the blog for details and to download the Free Magazine
>> http://bit.ly/WorldHeritageOpportunities

09/24/2012 - World Heritage Tourism Video
To cover heritage hotels, heritage holidays, heritage travel to Unesco designated World Heritage sites that are especially fun and rewarding for a holiday. To qualify for inclusion in the magazine the destination must be a UNESCO listed WH Site and in addition need to be an exceptionally attractive tourism destination. Vacationers should enjoy the visit, be safe, have interesting cultural things to do and see, learn something while visiting and have time to relax and enjoy the lifestyle and ambiance of a special place. Published by TravelersInsights.com Click the YouTube link below for full video
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc2l3Z6l99E

09/17/2012 - Holiday Car Insurance Tips
Jonathan Gittens video on car insurance coverage and safety while renting a car on vacation, gives the details on what cars to not choose and what you need in insurance converge. See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_-K3CO9rjs or visit the Party holidays blog
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_-K3CO9rjs

08/30/2012 - U-Drive Adventures Turns Car Hire Upside Down
In this campaign for Courtesy Rent a Car, the Social index marketing team create an new way to look at car rental for the adventure travel tours and holiday market. The SIE marketing creates a social index and influences the new knowledge graph which is fast becoming the new focus of search. Click for full details here >>>>

You may also see some of the collateral and video at the Adventure-Travel-Destinations site below below:
>> http://adventure-travel-destinations.com/toursthemes/u-drive-adventure-travel-tours/

08/30/2012 - Search in the Age of the Knowledge Graph
This blog is about a fundamental shift in the thinking of what search is supposed to do. It looks at what people do with search and builds this knowledge in the results delivered for a query. No longer is search about providing a single unique answer to every unique individual, it is now about deliver a rich layer of relevant information and knowledge in a format that suites the user. See our blog here >>>>

You may also read the Google Blog for full details at the link below
>> http://www.google.com/insidesearch/features/search/knowledge.html

08/21/2012 - Barbados Carnival Street Party - Kadooment
The Big to-do or Kadooment is the grade finale of the Crop Over Harvest Celebration. The Finals day start with bands that collect and move on down to town. All playing their music followed by teams in exotic featured costumes, jumping to the beat. All are welcome to join in See our YouTube Channel. for more information please visit our blog below:
>> http://bit.ly/barbadoscarnival-blog