Travel Goes Social with Touristlink

SOCIAL TRAVEL TAKES TO THE SKIES Social travel is making the world seem just a little bit smaller: from hotel reviews to an insider look at the people running the tourist attractions, the online community brings everyone a little bit closer. See the recent trends in this changing face of global tourism, and how social travelers find exclusive deals and connect with the locals. Social Travel is Blasting Bpp! 103% Compared to regular INCREASE IN SOCIAL travel's 4.03% TRAVEL REVENUE growth rate 40%. of the travel companies rate In the U.S., social media generates social media as increasingly important in $102.9 BILLION connecting tourists with their business 20% believe it to be the single most important opportunity for increasing business of domestic tourism revenue $69.5 BILLION Only comes from non-social travelers After browsing social websites, The Social Traveler 52% of travelers made changes 52% to their original plans CHANGED AIRLINES VISITED COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES 15% SWITCHED HOTELS 35% 12% 50% of booking sites have seen an increase in bookings generated by social media SOCIAL INTERACTION: 78% of travelers' restaurant decisions are influenced by social media 52% search social media to find vacation ideas • 46%0 use social networks to "check in" to locations during vacations 2070 connect with other travelers via chat rooms or forums • I2%0 post photos to social networks while on vacation •/0% update their status on Facebook while traveling Building a Dependable Community 70% 47% of consumers trust That's 15% advertisements on television, magazines, and newspapers of consumers consider online reviews to be the increase over the past 4 years! 2nd most dependable source of advertising Post-vacation review habits of the social traveler: 46% 40% 40% leave hotet reviews leave attraction reviews 84% 76% leave restaurant reviews of travelers claim that of travelers don't reviews influence their trust what companies method of travel advertise Getting The Most Out of Social Travel Find people to stay with, research activities, and learn about the quides leading your tours Get personal recommendations for local Connect with locals before you land attractions based on your social profiles Share your social media profiles with Get exclusive deals by following travel companies fellow passengers, get seats together. and make a new friend on your flight Sources http://www.atelier.net/en/trends/articles/social-travellers-are-more-engaged-local-cultures http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/103910/20110123/social-media-mobile-phones-make-global-travel-trendy htm http://www.stikkymedia.com/articles/2012-social-media-and-tourism-industry-statistics http //mashable.com/2012/03/24/how-tech-is-changing-travel-infegraphic/ http://www.wtmlondon.com/files/wtm2010 industry report.pdf http://www.tnooz.com/2012/08/20/news/move-aver-you-social-media-luvvies-apparently-only-1-per-cent-of-travellers-are-listening/ http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2012/07/social-media-travel/ http://www.slideshare.net/weevermedia/social-media-for-travel-tourism http://www.stikkymedia.com/articles/2012-social-media-and-tourism-industry-statistics *..