Today's Big Tourism News! VisitEngland's Successful RGF Bid

The second round of the Government’s £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund (RGF) was announced today and included confirmation that VisitEngland's bid was successful.

VisitEngland has been working to secure funding from the Regional Growth Fund on behalf of destinations throughout the country. Their bid was for £20m to fund a three year project called Growing Tourism Locally.

A key part of the project will be a national marketing campaign aimed at inspiring Britons to take more short breaks and holidays at home and in doing so grow jobs in the tourism sector.

YouTube Marketing Tips that Increase Website Traffic

Video can be the most effective marketing tool for your business and you'll want to have a plan in place to make the most of using YouTube as a marketing vehicle for your company. 

With millions of videos being uploaded to YouTube monthly, here are five video marketing tips you can easily implement to ensure an effective YouTube marketing campaign.

TripAdvisor gets a boost from Yelp decision on consumer reviews

Hoteliers and restaurateurs anxious to sue TripAdvisor in the U.S. over travelers’ disparaging reviews may have to rethink their strategy following a legal decision involving Yelp

Full story: TripAdvisor gets a boost from Yelp decision on consumer reviews | Tnooz:

Steve Jobs’ legacy to the hotel world

Since Steve Jobs’ untimely death earlier this month, news outlets have been filled with tributes to one of the world’s great innovators and influencers. 

His products have changed the way we work, the way we play and, ultimately, the way we live.

Telegraph Travel Awards: best apps and websites

Telegraph readers have voted TripAdvisor as their favourite website and TripIt has been named best travel app.


Do you feature on TripAdvisor and TripIt? How effective is your presence on these world beating market leaders?  

Read more: Telegraph Travel Awards: best apps and websites - Telegraph:

Don't Be Just Any Old Hotel - Become a Social Hotel

Social media continues to grow in importance. 

It has not only become one of the critical tools to interact with customers but is also considered one of the key elements impacting organic search and ranking for the hotel. 

Hotels that take advantage of this trend are beginning to see significant benefits in terms of online placement and revenue.

Starwood asks guests to share opinions in-house

The Starwood hotel group is to allow guests to post reviews of its hotels directly onto the company website. You'll only be able to put up a review about a property, though, if you have a reservation number that confirms that you were a guest. 


So if you’re a competitor who fancies deriding, say, the W Leicester Square, you actually have to spend money on a stay before you’re allowed to vent your imaginary spleen.

Read more: Hotel reviews: Starwood asks guests to share opinions in-house | The Economist:

Five Lessons Hoteliers Can Learn from Steve Jobs

Among his many accomplishments, Steve Jobs inspired the world to live creatively, expand boundaries, and continuously fuel the will to succeed. His journey - and his eagerness to share it with the public - stand as a foundation for all to build upon. 




Consistently quotable and incomparably wise, here are five lessons the hotel industry can learn from Steve Jobs.

Hotelier sues TripAdvisor

Hotelier sues TripAdvisor after accusations she wrote fake positive reviews causes revenue to plummet by 75%

• Case believed to be first of its kind in UK
• Level of reviews that are fake and misleading has reached ‘epidemic levels’, experts say

Full story: Hotelier sues TripAdvisor after accusations she wrote fake positive reviews causes revenue to plummet by 75% | Mail Online:

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In defence of hotels charging for wifi access | Tnooz

Lately discussion around hotel internet fees has been so inflamed you might think evil dictators and flagrant human rights violations were involved.

Among the decriers is Wired UK editor David Rowan, who accuses hotels of “unbridled profiteering” and urges travelers to “join the war on paying for hotel wifi”.

read more: In defence of hotels charging for wifi access | Tnooz:

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10 Things You Should Include in a Social Media Plan

While the 4 Ps of marketing are still relevant, it’s the 7 Ps that are most applicable to modern day marketing. Proper Planning and Preparation Prevents P*ss Poor Performance. 

This is especially true for social media planning, where all too often the plan revolves around a murky set of objectives and a band of interns.

When done right though, a social media plan for marketing, recruiting, or customer service is a thing of beauty.

No Mobile Strategy - No Future!

Searches from mobile devices account for 14% of Google’s traffic up from around 4% last year, underlying the importance of having a mobile strategy.

Ian Carrington, the search engine’s director of mobile, told the Travolution Summit that firms that do not have a mobile strategy do not have a future strategy. He said the year of the mobile came in 2008/09 following the launch of the iPhone 18 months earlier. Google itself first started building for mobile in 2010.

A New “Location, Location, Location” for the Hotel Industry

Ninety years ago, Ellsworth Statler, father of the modern hotel industry, was quoted as saying “There are three things that make a hotel famous – location, location, location.” Many today might argue that the complexities of today’s travel industry dictate a much more sophisticated approach to marketing and promotion.


I disagree – the future of hotel marketing will still be led by those that master “location, location, location.” The major difference is that the definition of the three locations will have changed dramatically over time.

Hilton HHonors Launches World's Largest Global Social Treasure Hunt

Some Hotel companies take Social Media seriously and understand that there are massive new opportunities out there. 

Hilton HHonors have just announced the World's Largest Global Social Treasure Hunt where they are giving away 500 Free Nights.

This Multi-City Competition Kicks Off a 'Fast Ways to Free Stays' Global Promotion all based on Social Media engagement.

Why your Content is So Important for SEO

Want to see better SEO results? Think content.

Officials from Google and Bing have consistently emphasized their focus on the user experience, with Google’s Amit Singhal saying the search giant is dedicated to “helping people find high-quality sites in Google’s search results,” and Bing’s Stefan Weitz sharing a similar sentiment.

Social Media Reality Check: 10 Things to Keep Top-of-Mind

As the UK autumn sets in, we thought it high time to take a time out and do a social media reality check. We execute social media campaigns for a variety of organizations, from hotels to destinations and nonprofits to associations. With every campaign, there's always a mental checklist we keep as we create and implement strategies to ensure our efforts are goal-focused, measurable and successful.

If you're thinking about implementing social media into your organization's marketing plan, here are 10 things to keep in mind as you're developing your strategy.

How to describe Social Media to your mum!

They call it ‘social media’ or ‘social networking’, and some might quibble at the word ‘social’ because a lot of it can be done alone, from the confines of a darkened room.

And the truth is that most people don’t have the faintest clue how to get the best out of the digital social explosion.

So where to begin to understand how to interact on these various platforms? Are they different in terms of what you share and how you ‘speak’?

Twitter - The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg!

Would Hotels take Twitter more seriously if the Social Media giant had chosen the 'Goose That Laid The Golden Egg' as its logo instead of that cute little bluetit?

I ask because midway through some extensive research that iVisitorGuide is conducting on UK Hotels and their use of Social Media we are consistently hearing the same feedback. And it's rather worrying!

The 3 Social Media Marketing Steps To Success

Social media – the most overused term in marketing since Web 2.0 – is not simply changing the nature by which we consume online media, it has morphed into a way of life on the Web.

We are no longer talking about simply building websites, writing blogs, or optimizing Pay-Per-Click Advertising campaigns; the media world in which we live has become location-based, review dominated, App heavy, text happy, plug-in this and plug-in that – and do it all within 140 characters!

Are you a Social Media Failure?

Business to business firms are wasting millions on social media strategies that do not fully exploit the opportunities the channel offers, according to a report.

Almost half of B2B companies are not measuring return on investment or using only basic qualitative measures, according to a PwC study.

The study claims despite investment of up to $1.85m (£1.18m) on social media from some of those polled, the majority appear to have “limited strategies” that fail to exploit sales opportunities.

Less than 12% of organisations surveyed have full time social media teams in place, the study found.

Sean Mahdi, director in PwC’s digital transformation group, says that B2B firms need to look at consumer facing companies, which are using social media more effectively, and profitably. 

A day in the life of the digitized hotel

High-end hotels are the ideal proving ground for the ability of social and digital media to enhance luxury brand equity. Most up-market brands are scared stiff that the accessibility of digital media dilutes the exclusivity essential to luxury branding, but they are wrong.

The Human Factor and Social Media

Do you get surprised or even excited when you phone a company and a REAL person answers the phone? It seems ridiculous that we’ve come to this point of total disconnection, while our basic human need is to connect and relate to each other. 

Want a competitive advantage? Here it is: What marketers often get wrong.

Changing landscape of hotel search engine marketing

The factors that impact search results have changed drastically. The best search results are not just the ones which have the right content and meta-tags and relevant links pointing back to them. Hoteliers also need to focus on several ranking factors such as the ones that are related to your website, content, relevance of business in online world, social circle and online reviews, search categories saturation etc."

Search is continuing to evolve. After the Panda update, the algorithm that previously worked well for SEO – relevant content, right meta-tags, and relevant in-bound links are not enough for high rankings on search engines. While these factors continue to be extremely important, there are several other new ones, too, that have also come into play.

TripAdvisor: Are online reviews making brands irrelevant?

TripAdvisor, the leading hotel and travel reviews site, will be spun out from its parent Expedia this month, and shareholders are giddy. With 50 million reviews and counting, the site is shaking the travel industry to its core.


Underlying TripAdvisor’s success is a powerful long-term trend: ratings websites threaten to make many brands irrelevant.

It’s got Nothing to do with Price

There is a very useful saying about the man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Today, that sentiment is especially true.

Facebook Is Going Mobile - Soon!

Facebook has their sights locked on mobile. We know that. At the recent GigaOm’s Mobilize conference, Facebook Mobile Chief Erick Tseng touched on just how crucial mobile is to them — and more importantly, how crucial it will be.

Just how crucial are we talking about?

8 Tips for a Great QR Code Campaign

The QR code, perhaps the most over-hyped, misunderstood, and potentially impactful technology available to marketers today. To help guide your QR campaign, we have pulled together 8 tips for a great QR campaign.

We see them everywhere. And hear about them constantly. Hype is followed by confusion, leading most to a lifeless campaign, barely worthy for the consumer's ever shrinking attention.

Booking with Marriott While on the Move

Recognizing travel trends is vital to staying competitive and giving customers what they want. But no area has changed as much as the reservations area. It’s online and it’s increasingly mobile. Marriott's new mobile app – designed for devices like iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry – is receiving great reviews.

How To Optimize Your Social Media Marketing

This useful article neatly summarises the key ingredients of your successful Social Media activity. 


Social media has become an essential asset for marketing. So how can you utilize this resource? Read on for tips on how to use social media to your advantage.