Apps aren’t always the answer to engaging with consumers on mobile devices—especially when it comes to m-commerce. According to research from rich media company Zmags, very few Americans prefer to use mobile apps for shopping activities. Instead, consumers strongly prefer purchasing through web and mobile browsers.

For more information, please visit www.emarketer.com

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Photo credits - KLM

The next day I checked my frequent miles on my Alitalia MilleMiglia account and the flight New York JFK – Amsterdam did not collect any mile. About 3,600 miles were missing: weird! I contacted Alitalia by phone and they gave me an email address to send my request to, no reply. I contacted Alitalia via Twitter, no reply.

I bought the ticket at www.klm.com, but the flight from New York to Amsterdam was operated by Delta. I am pretty sure that Delta messed up at the check-in. I had to tell them that the code of their Sky Team partner airline is AZ several times.

So I decided to tweet @KLM and they replied almost right away with courtesy and professionalism asking for my Flying Blue number to see if they could add my missing miles. At the end, they realized they could do little: since I am a MilleMiglia member, only Alitalia can solve this issue. At that point, I did not care much anymore. They were nice and gave me an answer almost instantaneously. In the meantime, I had also faxed Alitalia with my e-ticket and MilleMiglia  number, but still no reply from Alitalia.

Only a few days later, Alitalia calls me and asks for my boarding pass: without boarding pass, no miles. Guess what? I did not keep my boarding pass. Lesson learned: we still need to keep our boarding pass in our digital era for Alitalia , even if we can do online check-in. @KLM delivered a great customer experience though!

Google+ circles let me organize my contacts in a flawless way and Google+ always asks who I want to share with. So, when I want to post about a travel industry topic and get an opinion from my fellow colleagues, I select my professional circles. If I have a funny photo of me while on vacation that I want to share only with friends and family, I can. I also love that I can edit my comments after they are posted. Lately, I have hit the enter button on Facebook too many times when I just wanted a break line.Even though I have compared Google+ to Facebook up to here, I believe that Google+ is more of a threat to blogging and Twitter. I do not blog regularly, but I am a heavy Twitter user. I have blogged even less and have not used Twitter that much since Google+ is around. Google+ lets me keep all the interactions in the same place. If I ask for an opinion on the fly as I would do on Twitter, all the related answers stay under the same post.

Now ComScore is saying that Google+ reached 20 million users in the first three weeks since its launch. Not bad at all if we also take into account that access is by invitation only. The graph gives a better idea of what Google+ has accomplished in such a little time. User acquisition is going to be essential to the success of Google+. I might like Google+ a great deal, but how do I convince all my contacts to move to another spot? In the meantime, I convinced my sister to open an account on Google+, she took years before joining Facebook. Google might really be into something with this Google+. Next step will be to figure out how Google+ can help my DMO to promote the destination. I do not want to build a clone of a Facebook fan page or just publish a stream of photos, let’s create something fun and useful.

If you would like to join me on Google+, I am at https://plus.google.com/117358455056916203405#117358455056916203405/posts

To keep up with the controversy, Eataly – an Italian gourmet mega-market with stores in Milan, Bologna, Genoa, Asti and New York – published another ad with two women holding hands on the daily La Stampa. The ad says “We at Eataly are open to all families too”.

The travel industry did not wait to join the fray with Easyjet, which ironically asks in the ad below “We hope that Giovanardi [the Secretary] likes this family”.

In the past years, Italy has been going through strong reactionary politics and this explains the tone and attitude of the political confrontation today, but it does not justify it. Stupidity is stupidity and narrow mindedness should be called for what it is. If I were a marketer in Italy, I would not hesitate to use this theme and do also some social good. The Minister of tourism should also focus on this neglected travel segment and not only on her “Four-Leg Tourists” campaign or  the Prime Minister’s promotional videos for Italy, but this is another story.

Will they be so successful as for the previous campaign? More at http://www.milliondollarmemo.com/

Passengers Traffic for the first 10 Italian airports:

Roma Fiumicino 35,956.295
Milano Malpensa 18,714.187
Milano Linate con 8,295.436
Bergamo 7.661.061
Venice 6,801.941
Catania 6,301.832
Napoli con 5,535.984
Bologna con 5,432.248
Roma Ciampino con 4,563.852
Palermo 4,341.696

Recently DMAI came up with these findings:

• 96% of respondents have a Facebook Fan Page. Of these, 94% measure ‘likes’, 65% measure active users, and 65% measure page interactions.
• 89% are on Twitter. 95% of tweeting destinations measure followers, and 60% measure retweets.
• 3% have a presence on Myspace, an unsurprising find due to the platform’s diminishing user base.
• Of the 73% of YouTube using DMOs 86% track total views, but only 43% monitor their subscribers.
• Just over half of DMO respondents blog and noting total blog visits as the single most important metric.

I just got this in the mail from Aruba’s Minister of Tourism, Otma Oduber. It includes an impersonal letter and two big stickers (see photo above). Not sure how I made into their database… Certainly an effective way to introduce a new logo, but not sure if I’d use a direct mailing campaign these days.

By the way, do you like the logo and tagline? I think I had already seen both in the NYC subway.

According to the Economist, the answer is yes! France seems to be on the top list of Chinese travelers visiting Europe, but the Grand Tour of the continent covers also some unusual stops such as Cambridge, Benelux, Verona… They spend a third of the travel budget on shopping rather than accommodation and/or fine dining, but are not cheap.

This is definitely an interesting guide to tap a market that is still in its infancy: the rewards might be tangible on a long term.

A sketch map of the Chinese grand tour must begin in France, the country seen as offering all the essential European virtues: history, romance, luxury and quality. Paris shops such as Louis Vuitton are essential stops: witness their Mandarin-speaking staff. In 2009 Chinese tourists passed Russians as the highest-spending non-European visitors to France, according to a survey of duty-free shops. The south of the country is also popular, thanks in part to widely available translations of Peter Mayle’s book “A Year in Provence” and in part to a slushy Chinese television mini-series, “Dreams Link”, which was filmed amid the lavender fields and walled citadels of the Midi.

China’s freshly minted millionaires and billionaires are particularly obsessed with the wine country of Bordeaux, as red wine has taken over from expensive brandy as the business lubricant of choice. At the very pinnacle of desire is a visit to (or just a glimpse of) Château Lafite Rothschild, home of the claret which has become a favoured show-off brand for Chinese plutocrats. Visits to Château Lafite itself are reserved for invited guests, but China’s would-be tycoons are not put off. Jean-François Zhou of Ansel Travel, a Paris-based firm that brings 15,000 Chinese visitors to Europe each year, recently sent a group down to Bordeaux by bus. After an express tour, one of the coach party snapped up two cases of wine at €600 ($790) a bottle.

From France, Chinese groups typically travel south towards Italy via the casinos in Nice or Monaco (gambling is discouraged in China, but wildly popular). Venice and Rome are stops for every nation’s tourists, but the Chinese grand tour also demands a visit to Verona. One site draws them: a 13th-century mansion linked, a bit spuriously, to “Romeo and Juliet”. That play is doubly admired in China. It was one of the first of Shakespeare’s works to be translated into Mandarin, and its storyline is hailed as matching that of a popular Chinese folk tale, the “Butterfly Lovers”. Chinese tourists have their pictures taken below an ancient balcony said to be Juliet’s, and next to a bronze statue of the tragic heroine. Then it is back on the bus, and northward.

In Germany cities such as Bonn and Trier are as important as more obvious sites like Cologne and Frankfurt (a hub for lots of China flights). Bonn means Beethoven: his birthplace there is a coveted stop for educated Chinese, who are avid fans of classical music. In Trier it is not the city or its Roman ruins that attracts the tourists. They come to see the Karl-Marx-Haus, birthplace of the revolutionary. The Marx museum estimates that 13,000 Chinese tramp around the house each year. Mandarin inscriptions fill the museum’s guest books. In the early morning and evening, large crowds of Chinese have their pictures taken outside the house before heading to their next destination.

A stop in Metzingen involves a tribute to another German, the suitmaker Hugo Boss. A short drive from Frankfurt, Metzingen is home to several factory outlets, where Chinese shoppers vie with Russians and Indians as the biggest spenders. It is a standing joke among Chinese travellers that many products snapped up abroad bear “Made in China” labels. But there is some sense to this seeming madness. Thanks to hefty taxes and customs duties, European brands are routinely 40% more expensive back home. In China they are also quite likely to be fakes.

Source the Economist

A few days ago I was at brunch with my friends. We were talking about many different topics and one of them was travel. Most of them are seasoned travelers and have visited different continents. I could not help to ask them a professional question to see how DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) really help with the decision making process. To my surprise (but not so much), none of them ever goes to a DMO for information or anything else when they pick a destination for their next trip.

I know that just a few of my friends do not represent a solid statistical number, but I could not help from asking the question: “are DMOs still relevant?”. Is our job still justified? Some of them do an egregious job out there, but the vast majority look like a bureaucratic and dusty governmental entity that pays its employees’ salary and keep the boat floating. Are we moving fast enough with the changes that the new technologies offer and younger audience expect us to use? How can DMOs succeed in a highly competitive market arena? What is their real role? Shall DMOs be privatized and work as advertising agencies? Is it ethical to spend taxpayers’ money the way some DMOs do?

Are all these good ideas for a book or just a waste of time?

KICKING off a promotional campaign with a plagiarism scandal is not the most orthodox way to attract clients. But in Romania, it may work. On the day Romania’s “explore the Carpathian garden” tourism campaign was launched at the Shanghai World Expo, a blogger revealed that its logo—a green leaf—resembled that of a British clean-transport company. A Belgian designer then claimed to have produced the image and marketed the rights through an online library. The logo can be bought for $250 and has been used by several other companies throughout Europe.

The Principality of Monaco offers thrilling vacation experiences, world-class cultural and sporting events, historical attractions, legendary hotels and restaurants and amazing to suit all budgets… To help travelers get the most out of this fairy tale destination, the Monaco Government Tourist Office recently launched the Monaco iPhone travel guide app – (www.monacoauction.com/iphone), offering suggested itineraries and restaurants, event information, travel and shopping tips, and interactive maps designed to help vacationers navigate their way through the Principality. Hot on the heels of its great success, comes the (free!) Android version of the Monaco Travel Guide. To download the app, just scan the QR code with your Android Barcode Scanner, or simply search for Monaco Travel Guide in Android Market.

This world-first, Monaco-specific mobile guide immerses savvy travelers in the local culture, cuisine and contacts. Featuring up-to-date facts and figures and stunning images of the Principality’s legendary attractions, restaurants, bars, nightlife, hotels, shopping, spas and architecture, this uniquely Monaco guide shows phone, address, email or website details – even launches a Google map – at a touch. Hold the very best of Monaco in your hands as you plan your visit or while in the Principality.

Photo credits - Monaco Tourist Office

Monte-Carlo, in the Principality of Monaco, was chosen as the world’s number one destination by TripAdvisor® in the 2010 Travelers’ Choice® Destination Awards. Destinations honored in The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards earn their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on the millions of real reviews and opinions from travelers on TripAdvisor.com™ over the past 12 months. The top destination was determined by a combination of TripAdvisor travelers’ favorite places and overall popularity on TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor, the world’s most popular and largest travel community, has 15+ million registered members, more than 34 million monthly visitors, and 30 million traveler reviews and opinions.

“We are delighted and thrilled to learn today that TripAdvisor’s esteemed audience of travelers have voted Monte-Carlo the world’s best destination for 2010,” said Maguy Maccario, director, North America, Monaco Government Tourist Office.

Maccario continued, “Monaco is a truly international destination with events, attractions and activities covering a range of interests, budgets and tastes. With its breathtaking views, legendary hospitality, fine dining, acclaimed cultural offerings and premiere sports events, we are confident the magic of the principality will continue to enchant guests from around the world as we welcome them to our fabled shores.”

In 2008, Monte-Carlo rated #44 on the Travelers’ Choice Destinations Awards list and has made the huge leap to the top beating other great cities including Sydney, Rome, Tokyo, and San Francisco, which topped the best US destination list.

“Millions of travelers on TripAdvisor have identified the world’s most amazing destinations,” said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “From stunningly beautiful locales to spots with outstanding attractions, the 2010 Travelers’ Choice Destination Award winners are truly incredible places that travelers love.”

For travelers reviews on Monaco and Monte-Carlo, visit: http://www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations-cTop25-g1 and for more on Monaco visit: www.VisitMonaco.com

For the complete 2010 Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards list, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations.