Travolution Blog

+++FINAL POST on the BLOGGER TRAVOLUTION BLOG+++

2008-10-23T15:23:00.001+01:00

This is the FINAL official post on the Blogger version of the Travolution Blog.

The Travolution Blog can now be found at the main Travolution website, which re-launched on Thursday 17 October 2008.

The blog is here - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/

Please use this new feed for your RSS readers - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/rss.xml

We are not deleting previous content.

+++PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE ABOVE+++

See you at the new Travolution Blog

Switch your Readers - new blog somewhere else now

2008-10-20T12:16:00.000+01:00

Just a few more days until we turn off the Blogger version.

The Travolution Blog can now be found at the main Travolution website, which we re-launched last week.

The blog is here - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/

Please use this new feed for your RSS readers - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/rss.xml

We will publish this message every day for a week, giving you all time to re-connect with us over there.

Cheers!

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Warning: Time is running out, switch your bookmarks

2008-10-18T10:15:00.000+01:00

Reminder: Switch your feeds

2008-10-17T10:56:00.000+01:00

The Travolution Blog can now be found at the main Travolution website, which we re-launched today.

The blog is here - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/

Please use this new feed for your RSS readers - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/rss.xml

We will publish this message every day for a week, giving you all time to re-connect with us over there.

IMPORTANT - Please re-direct to the new Travolution Blog

2008-10-16T15:01:00.000+01:00

Hi all,

The Travolution Blog can now be found at the main Travolution website, which we re-launched today.

The blog is here - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/

Please use this new feed for your RSS readers - http://www.travolution.co.uk/blog/rss.xml

We will publish this message every day for a week, giving you all time to re-connect with us over there.

Thanks to Blogger for hosting us for three years. Hello Movable Type...

Cheers!

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Readers - An apology

2008-10-08T09:50:00.000+01:00

Just in case you're missing us recently, we're in the process on some major changes with the Travolution and the main Travolution website.

This will all be unveiled shortly.

Thanks for your patience. Normal service will be resumed, don't worry (but not here).

Full details on new site and feeds will be published here soon.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Yahoo to get up close and personal

2008-10-01T21:05:00.000+01:00

Some good blog fodder from today's Yahoo 2009 preview with developments centred on relevancy, open internet and social media.

What does it mean? The search giant is taking those cornerstones and applying them across its new homepage, search, mobile and mail.

The result is consumers being able to aggregate search, mail, social networking sites and anything else targeted and relevant to them in one place.

The new homepage (currently in beta) enables users to plug in applications such as eBay and flickr from a library. Search developments include much richer, relevant results as well as anticipating what consumers are trying to find. The search service is also being opened up so developers and other companies can use it within their sites. And mobile developments include quicker access from the phone's menu and providing users with relevant answers and valuable information.

The thinking behind the developments is the consumer quest for 'return on attention' - a higher return on the time we invest - here's wikipedia says.

Yahoo research shows 68% of us feel it is getting more difficult to to balance life and work, 89% of us have information fatigue syndrome and 63% are worried that if we switch off we will miss something.

So, according to Yahoo Europe marketing man Kristof Fahy the search giant has to continue to do the basics really well and think about new areas such as personalisation, relevance, being open...

The developments look slick so watch this space as releases are slated for end of the year/early next year.

Linda Fox, lead reporter, Travolution

Whole Travel - nice site, cool tools, wrong time?

2008-10-01T08:29:00.006+01:00

An interesting new site launched in the US this week.

Whole Travel is primarily a travel portal for the eco-concious amongst us but has some very good Uptake-esque search functionality allowing users to browse for products based on emotive keywords.

Some very good pieces of functionality and Ajax-driven tools, as well as decent look and feel, too.

But as comments on TechCrunch ask whether a travel site like this will fall foul of the economic situation, where consumers become less concerned about the environment and focus on price.
So we asked Whole Travel for a response:

1) Whole Travel contains not only luxury resorts, but also $10.00 camping sites. It has a wide variety of experiences

2) 42% of online travelers identify themselves with green and said that it's a major factor in their decision making

3) It's a niche area that is usually not as affected by price

4) Economic situation affects everyone on some level, but this particular niche will most likely not be as affected as most beause of their desire to find travel experiences.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Travolution meets Greg Dyke

2008-09-30T14:29:00.004+01:00

Wholly unrelated to Travolution, but...

Here's all our other - slightly more relevant - content from the Advantage Conference last weekend.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Sneak peak: New Travolution site

2008-09-26T14:16:00.000+01:00

Some people have been asking:

Full instructions on how to use the new site will be provided on launch day.

Subscribe to the print edition and you would've seen this a few weeks ago.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

The plot thickens - slightly

2008-09-26T12:38:00.000+01:00

Now you might have thought the Google trademark issue had just gone away especially when some of the protagonists of the major lawsuit backed away in the summer.

However, there were many who, when we wrote about it in our May edition, told us to watch this space especially post the summer downtime.

Low and behold, a statement from DialAFlight saying it is 'instituting legal proceedings against Flight Centre UK for infringement of its DialAFlight trademark on Google'.

Flight Centre says it has 'removed the phrase that says DialAFlight' but stresses it is not required to do so by Google and, perhaps more importantly, has not 'infringed any trademarks'.

Allegedly, this is not the first time DialAFlight has warned Flight Centre off - the brand, which is part of the Lotus Group, confirmed a similar incident last year.

So, the beast rears its ugly head once more and the coming weeks and months are likely to throw up more as competition on the internet intensifies and the peak selling period approaches.

What does it cost to institude legal proceedings - couple of hundred quid for a cease and desist letter? And is it all just sabre-rattling?

Linda Fox, lead reporter, Travolution

Heads up: Changes to the Travolution Blog

2008-09-26T11:47:00.001+01:00

In the next five days or so you will need to change your RSS feeds and bookmarks for the Travolution Blog.

We are moving the entire blog onto a new platform (Movable Type) which coincidentally will sit inside the all new Travolution website, which launches - all going well - next week.

All existing content will be migrated into the new system. Yes, I know, we're going to lose a lot of inbound links - so Blogrolls will need to be changed as well (please).

We will publish the new feeds here and on the new Travolution site in the coming days.

Just giving you all prior warning...

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Travolution @ Advantage Conference

2008-09-25T09:55:00.001+01:00

Catch us at the Advantage Conference in Sitges, Spain, this weekend.

Travo and Travel Weekly will be there in force. We are doing a masterclass with Richard Carrick of Hoseasons.

Update: We will be blogging live on a dedicated new site.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Setting the record straight - Part Two: Travolution

2008-09-22T08:54:00.000+01:00

Some concern recently about a new project from Audi, called Travolution.

Just to let you all know, it is nothing to do with us.

We're obviously extremely flattered they have decided to name a vehicle-traffic light communication system after us.

We will not complain if they want to lend us one of their 'Travolution' cars...

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Setting the record straight

2008-09-19T12:17:00.002+01:00

US researcher PhoCusWright “debunked” six online travel myths at its first ever ‘analysts forum’ this week.

The company uses its own research to correct the misinformation, although some of the issues raised aren’t as cut and dry as the release suggests. Also remember that the myths are specific to the US market.

See what you think. Here goes:

MYTH THE FIRST: “The number of online travel buyers in the U.S. is declining”
Not true. Growth is slowing, but it’s still growing.

MYTH THE SECOND: “More and more online travel shoppers use supplier sites than online travel agencies”
Not true. OTAs are still a bigger part of the market than brand dotcoms, but it’d be dangerous to downplay the influence of supplier direct.

MYTH THE THIRD: “Travel agencies are experiencing a resurgence as travelers return to traditional purchasing channels”
Not sure . eMarketer, another US research business, may be behind the myth. It’s look at the US market, issued in August, talked about “a renewed appreciation for the expertise and personalized services offered by traditional travel agents”. Maybe this is about methodology as much as mythology.

MYTH THE FOURTH: “The next generation of travelers prefers to do everything online”
Not true. PCW debunks this with a stat from its own research - less than half of what 18-28 year olds spend on travel is spent online. So where do they spend the rest?

MYTH THE FIFTH: "Social networks and travel reviews have the greatest influence on travel decision-making".

Not sure. PhoCusWright says that OTAs and destination web sites are as popular with Generation Y travellers as social networks and reviews. Interesting to watch what happens as the OTAs and destination sites become more social , and vice versa.

MYTH THE SIXTH: "Online travel markets need high credit card and Internet penetration to succeed".
Not sure. India’s online travel market is growing despite 98% of the population not using credit cards or having access to the Internet. Maybe the 2% who do are wealthy enough to sustain and grow the business.

Food for thought...

Martin Cowen, chief writer, Travolution

Travel shouldn't rest on its laurels

2008-09-18T22:02:00.001+01:00

"Letter to the editor" from Mark Simpson, managing director of Maxymiser:

Travel websites may be coming out on top of consumer surveys for design but there is no excuse for standards to slip when it comes to personalisation, lengthy registration processes or ease of use, all of which are vital for online success (Reference: Travel websites lead other sectors in design).

By utilising content optimisation techniques, travel companies can continuously compare conversion rates against different versions of the same web page based on real-time customer behaviour, and automatically present the most effective content to consumers.

Even the most basic content changes, such as changes to button colours, have proven to deliver significant results.

For example, through a number of subtle alterations to content and calls to action on the third page of its site, which equated to a few hundred possible page combinations, National Express was able to increase visitor engagement and drive 14% more visitors through to successful conversion on its coach booking website without impacting on brand identity.

Content optimisation can also be extended to support tailored messaging, with content presented based on the keyword search, traffic referrer or time of day.

Add in behavioural targeting, and organisations can present a landing page that reflects the consumer’s previous online activity, tailoring the content in line with proven interests – and achieving considerable conversion uplift as a result.

Having successfully invested in the core web design elements, the travel industry is already ahead of the game.

However, if they are to maintain this pace and position they must now move beyond the creative elements and look more closely at the overall user experience, if they are to translate their web investment into bottom line returns.

Holiday Extras first viral ad, not playing to stereotypes

2008-09-18T17:40:00.000+01:00

Murphy's Airport Parking from Holiday Extras on Vimeo.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

StreetView on Mobile - Imagine the opportunities for travel

2008-09-17T20:14:00.000+01:00

Forget how irritating this Google StreetView video is for a moment and think of the possibilities for hotels and destination services.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Classy use of maps

2008-09-17T19:57:00.000+01:00

Every man and his dog has a map mash-up these days.

But there are few examples where the overall design of the page is taken into consideration.

So a thumbs up to Mr & Mrs Smith, which announced this week it has developed a route planning tool with Microsoft.

It's a decent enough piece of functionality but the way it fits in with the page is so much better than countless other mapping tools.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Sound familiar?

2008-09-17T13:00:00.002+01:00

TUI Travel UK and Ireland boss Dermot Blastland is always good value for money when talking to the press, and his ten minute speech at TUI’s first anniversary media bash last night was no exception.

XL Leisure Group’s collapse last week was, Dermot claimed, down to the fact that it “wasn’t a well-run company” and that it “couldn’t compete with the cost-base of large-scale companies like us”.

Scale? Hasn’t lastminute.com’s Ian McCaig made that word his own? Apparently not. Dermot went on to say that the market was polarising into big players such as TUI and Thomas Cook and specialist/niche operators and any businesses “stuck in the middle” will suffer.

TUI of course has a strong set of specialist businesses, so it’s got a good position at both ends of the market. So good a position that Dermot said the business was having “a cracking time”, as indeed is its rival Thomas Cook.

“We’re both having record years,” he confidentally stated.

I wonder if lastminute.com – or any of the online travel agencies - could say a similar thing?

Martin Cowen, chief writer, Travolution

Loving the Thomas Cook personalised cruise video tool

2008-09-16T21:13:00.000+01:00

We wrote about the new personalised cruise functionality for the Thomas Cook website last week.

It is currently in development and isn't expected to be live until November or December this year.

Despite only a demo being shown to delegates last week at the IAB conference in London, we persuaded e-commerce director Russell Gould to send us a screen shot.

Not great quality, but you'll get a sense of what is going on.

In our opinion it's one of the best pieces of consumer experience-driven functionality since British Airways unveiled their Silverlight project at the Travolution Summit in April.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Get it cheaper somewhere else...

2008-09-15T12:36:00.001+01:00

The travel industry is always being told to look to retail for marketing and selling techniques so we thought Tesco's latest online gadget might be one to watch.

Basically, the shopper picks a well-known brand and Tesco provides a cheaper suggestion.

It wouldn't take much for the travel meta search sites or online travel agents to do something similar, even if some are claiming it has matured beyond price now.

So, instead of the latest functionality being about the ability to compare a traditional package with individual components online, the consumer would just be presented with the same holiday he or she had chosen, but cheaper.

 src="http://www.onvos.com/web/exposure4-productions/view.php?movie=7889" FRAMEBORDER="0" SCROLLING="auto" WIDTH="778" HEIGHT="400"> In these challenging times - Every Little Helps! Linda Fox, lead reporter, Travolution

XL: Creative thinking from Co-Op Travel

2008-09-15T11:02:00.002+01:00

There were a few examples of good use of the web in the middle of all the offers of "help" from the likes of Ryanair, easyJet et al for stranded passengers overseas as a result of the XL saga.

Standing out was an effort from Co-Operative Travel. On Friday morning online marketing Craif Lefevre snapped up the domain name XL-travel-advice.co.uk and through it onto a basic Wordpress template.

The page included reams of information for consumers and links to the CAA and Abta. The Co-Op branding was not in-your-face at all and carried just one simple "Re-booking Agent" link to the main Co-Op homepage.

The whole thing took Lefevre about an hour to sort out, it's getting a fair amount of travel and it wouldn't be a surprise if he has - er, optimistically - snapped up the domain names for other organisations which may or may not find themselves in a spot of bother in the months ahead.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

Travolution Journeys has finally arrived

2008-09-12T14:02:00.000+01:00

Not the greatest day to be unveiling our latest edition, given the enormous amount of attention on the collapse of XL, but we are extremely pleased with what we have produced.

So after a few weeks in the making, Travolution Journeys is finally a reality. You can read all the content in Travolution Journeys on our dedicated page on the main Travolution website.

Enjoy.

Kevin May, editor, Travolution

XL: Spare a thought for the techies, too

2008-09-12T13:40:00.000+01:00

A company of the size and amibition of XL (2006: we will be biggest online travel portal in two years) certainly had plenty of developers, technology and infrastructure experts working for it.

Word reaches Travolution that one particular IT specialist who worked off-site most of the time had a rather unfortunate wake-up call this morning.

Rather than hearing about the collapse of his employer from, er, his employer, his wife had to relay the news after hearing about it on the radio.

[Apparently the majority of other staff were contacted very early by text message, email or phone call, asking them to attend a meeting at 9.15am this morning]

The pitfalls of remote working!

Meanwhile it has emerged that the administrators have kept on two members of staff to coordinate things in the background IT-wise - one on the website side and another overseeing the booking technology.

And for those interested in who are the main partners with XL for its technology:

Anite - for tours
Codegen - for dynamic packaging on XL.com and the bedbank
Astratis - for flights (bookings) (FreedomFlights)

Kevin May, editor, Travolution