1. Emerging Tech Trends in Tourism:
Embracing mobile & social to shape the visitor experience

2. What are we talking about this morning?
The evolution of Mobile
Trends in Traveler Psychology
The ways mobile is changing a travelers interaction with a destination
Mobile search engine optimization (SEO) tips
Social Media; some new stuff that you need to know
Q&A and Discussion

3. Who’s in the room?? What companies does everyone represent
What are the roles in the room
Who’s got a Smartphone? On SoMe? Snapchat?
What are some problems we’re facing w/ tech?

4. 4 Travel Trends we are seeing…
The rise of “Bleisure Travel” – Lines are being blurred between business and leisure travel
Mobile is growing by the day, and there is no going back – it’s a 2- way street. Travelers want to be connected and destinations who can deliver that connection are reaping the benefits
Experiential Travel is Exploding – local, regional, national, or international, experience is driving travel decisions and immersive experiences have a leg up
Travelers are demanding a seamless booking experience – From website, to mobile, to social, to on site, it all has to flow despite the booking process changing

5. Seeing the world thru a 4” Screen

6. But what are people doing on their phones??

7. When it comes to mobile…we’re addicted:
Nomophobia:
The fear of losing cell signal or being without your mobile device

8. Mobile is becoming the new “Desktop”
Micro-Moment Search also known as “Digital Moments”
People are no longer spending hours researching travel & activities
“I-want-to-do / I-want-to-buy” moments
Mobile Travel conversion grew 88% in 2015 – but time on site decreased 7%
As a brand, we need to meet customers in their moment of need…

10. “Today's travelers are turning to the web to be inspired and take action - and the brands that help them at those moments will win hearts, minds, and dollars.”

11. The 4 Stages of Booking an Experience
Dreaming – “I want to get away (or do something)”
Planning – “I want this experience to be perfect”
Booking – “Enough research, I gotta book something!”
Experiencing – “Now, let’s make the most of this time!”

12. Stage 1: Dreaming – “I want to get away”
17% of Americans think about vacation planning weekly…
Almost 40% think about it monthly
Video is crucial to the Dreaming process…
Roughly 6,000,000 travelers dream on YouTube each month!
YouTube Video Tips:
Produce in the highest possible quality
Show viewers the experience
Human touch is key – don’t be “markety”
Keep them short – 90 Seconds MAX

13. Stage 2: Planning – “I want this experience to be perfect”
Only 10% of travelers will book the first flight or hotel option they think of while planning
Travel logistics, getting around, timing, and budget all play roles in this phase…your presence should speak to all of these items. Make it EASY!

14. Stage 3: Booking – “Enough research, I gotta book something!”
80% of travelers will base travel decisions on recommendations from their family & friends
46% of travelers will make their final decision from mobile resources…However, most move to another device to actually book
This means 2 things for you:
You’re mobile to desktop transition must be seamless
To capture more mobile dollars remove as many obstacles to purchase as you can

15. Stage 4: Experiencing – “Now, let’s make the most of this time!”
Upon arriving somewhere new, most travelers want to know “what is there to do around me”…enter, mobile!
Think, what can my website or app do to help visitors experience things in the moment, on demand
Example: Hosted Walks – Airbnb & Google collab

16. 8 Tips for Optimizing Mobile Search
Ensure fast page speeds
Don’t block CSS, Javascript, or images
Simplify your design & layout – endless scrolling means “above the fold” no longer carries weight
Design your mobile site with the “Fat Finger” in mind
Be succinct with titles, meta descriptions, and URL’s
Highlight and focus on local data (address, city, state, and phone #)
Use Schema.org standards in your coding – publish dates, star ratings, etc
When possible, use Responsive Design

17. Outside Influence effecting Experience
The “TripAdvisor Effect”
77% of travelers reference TripAdvisor Reviews when booking a hotel; 50% for restaurants; and 44% for attractions
87% feel positively about an appropriate management response to a bad review
The average TripAdvisor user will read 6-12 reviews before making a restaurant reservation
73% of users look at user submitted photos to help form their decisions
3 Things that impact your standing:
Quality of Reviews
Quantity of Reviews
Age of Reviews

18. Let’s get social – Instagram
6 Tips for building Instagram success:
Provides a platform to showcase authentic perspectives through user generated pictures
Build a #Hashtag strategy
Contests & Giveaways (i.e. #OmahaWeekend)
General User Content Sharing – established as a main #hashtag
Make your descriptions stand out, emoji’s are your friends!
Create moments that create content
Learn from your content, interactions, and campaigns
Use Instagram as a website (or alternate website) - IKEA Russia Example

21. @theLegoBackpacker

22. Let’s get social - Snapchat
The fastest growing social network with 100 Million Daily Active Users
65 Million Users are creating content daily – sending over 400 Million snaps
Users are watching 8 Billion videos a day and spending 30 minutes inside the app
Tips for leveraging this audience:
Snapchat is about creativity & innovation – be fun, light, spur of the moment, & raw
Leverage your existing social audience to grow your Snapfamily NOW
Don’t overdo it – it’s OK to skip a day when there is nothing to snap

23. Marketing with Snapchat
Understand your audience and why they use Snapchat in the first place – it’s not to be sold to…
Embrace the Time Limit
This should be viewed as a perfect opportunity, not a limitation
Focus on video, limit pictures
This lets you verbalize the message in a casual, approachable way
Portray your company’s personality
It’s not always about pushing a promotion – let people go “behind the scenes” – have fun, be raw, showcase your culture
Embrace Sponsored or On Demand Geofilters, Live Stories, and Age-Gating

24. Snapchat GeoFilters

25. Are we feeling inspired?

26. Thank you all!! Bryan J. Lavin, MBA
Contact Information:
Bryan J. Lavin, MBA
Assistant Professor – Johnson & Wales University
(401) (mobile)
@blavin (instagram)
Cheap plug…
- for all your consultation needs!!