Technology

April 18, 2019

3 Multi-city Trends and Why You Should Care

Technology, The Travel Tech Show, Uncategorised

The travel industry is absolutely massive ($1.6 trillion in 2017)! But, with a massive market comes massive competition. The industry that thrives on beautiful Instagram photos and ... Read more

August 8, 2017August 10, 2017

From virtual reality to easier payment systems and customer safety: Meet WTM London’s new travel tech exhibitors

Press Releases, WTM London

More than 20 technology companies have signed up as new exhibitors at the Travel Tech Show at WTM – the dedicated travel technology event at WTM London. ... Read more

November 14, 2016January 23, 2017

Hotel Bonanza

Technology

Another World Travel Market has come and gone. I held my Genesys Digital Transformation Summit there on the Tuesday. The seminar room was completely full and we ... Read more

September 12, 2016January 23, 2017

Could Artificial Intelligence Replace the Travel Agent?

Technology

I like to think that I am online savvy, so when my wife suggested we have a short break in Iceland, my first thought was to get ... Read more

March 14, 2016January 23, 2017

Predicting Disruption

Technology

Disruption is the buzzword of our times.  It is being powered by forward-thinking entrepreneurs who have the vision and tenacity to make their dreams come true.  They ... Read more

February 15, 2016January 23, 2017

Has TripAdvisor peaked?

Technology

TripAdvisor is the largest travel site on Earth. Its statistics are staggering. In Q3 2015, it reported reaching 350 million unique monthly visitors. It has more than ... Read more

January 11, 2016January 23, 2017

The new norm: expect the un-normal

Technology

At this time of year, it is always fun to try and predict what significant happenings are going to take place in the coming twelve months. Thankfully, ... Read more

November 18, 2015January 23, 2017

The Two Ps

Technology

I had a busy few days at World Travel Market at the beginning of this month. On Monday, I was moderating the WTM Travel Innovation Summit in ... Read more

October 9, 2015January 23, 2017

Video – Can You Go Viral?

Technology

The world is inexorably moving away from broadcast television. In days of old, viewers across the country would sit down together in their millions to watch the ... Read more

September 2, 2015January 23, 2017

Is Your Data Secure?

Technology

Did you read the latest Ashley Madison byline?  Before the data breach it was “Life is short. Have an affair.”  I think it now reads, “Life is ... Read more

August 12, 2015January 23, 2017

The app making it difficult to be lost in translation

Technology

For several years when I was deputy travel editor at The Times, we ran a weekly slot in which we invited readers to share their favourite travelling ... Read more

August 5, 2015January 23, 2017

Do you have social video FOMO?

Technology

It used to be easy, video was the reserve of TV advertisements, documentaries and films; whilst “going viral” was limited to that time your Nan got stuck ... Read more

July 31, 2015January 23, 2017

Metasearch under attack

Technology

You know you are doing a good job when other players in your marketplace start attacking you.  So, for example, the Daily Telegraph headline last month, “Courtney ... Read more

July 27, 2015January 23, 2017

Google’s direct hotel booking strategy: keeping it all in the family

Technology

The internet has almost come full circle. It seems like a strange concept now but back when America Online ruled the internet superhighway (as it was inevitably ... Read more

July 10, 2015January 23, 2017

Making money out of Instagram

Social Media

Instagram remains the current darling of social media, its star rising as brands clamour for attention in the best photogenic social platform on the market. The ability ... Read more

July 1, 2015January 23, 2017

Digital Transformation

Technology

Over the next few weeks, I will be organising Travel Technology Initiative’s Autumn conference.  The title of the event is Digital Transformation.  This has got me thinking ... Read more

June 3, 2015January 23, 2017

Demonstrating ROI from a blogger campaign

Blogging

Three things we need to stop talking about. Like. Now. I’ve spent the last six years developing and implementing content campaigns for global brands. The two things ... Read more

June 1, 2015January 23, 2017

The Hotel Distribution Revolution

Hospitality, Technology

This week I am chairing a Forum I have organised for Travel Technology Initiative and the European Tourism Association.  I have called the event The Hotel Distribution Revolution. ... Read more

May 1, 2015January 23, 2017

A Waste of Time?

Technology

We have lift off!  The Apple Watch has launched and may finally take wearables into orbit. The big question, though, is will it become as an essential ... Read more

March 30, 2015January 23, 2017

Put Women at the Heart of Technology

Women in Travel

Did you watch Martha Lane Fox of LastMinute.com fame deliver the #Dimbleby Lecture on BBC1 last night? I am neither a technologist nor a digital entrepreneur; I ... Read more

March 4, 2015January 23, 2017

10 things at 10: YouTube celebrates its first decade

Technology

YouTube has just celebrated the big one-oh and look how far it has come in those intervening years. Here are our ten thoughts for brands on the ... Read more

February 9, 2015January 23, 2017

The miserable air travel experience

Aviation, Technology

Who remembers the old days, when air travel was fun and exciting, when you didn’t need to buy a Business or First Class ticket to make the ... Read more

February 4, 2015January 23, 2017

Facebook adds travel tips to Newsfeed

Social Media

In the past week, Facebook has made it’s latest attempt to grab a bigger share of the geolocation market with the launch of Place Tips. These nuggets ... Read more

January 28, 2015January 23, 2017

Old Media and New Tricks: Money Rules

Blogging, Technology

Recently, a blogger friend told me of a trip she will take in March to Africa. Nothing new there. Except that the publication she is writing for ... Read more

January 23, 2015January 23, 2017

World Domination – How many OTAs do we need?

Technology

Expedia has just purchased Travelocity from Sabre for $280 million in cash.  This comes after Sabre’s recent sale of lastminute.com to Bravofly Rumbo for $120 million.  Following ... Read more

January 19, 2015January 23, 2017

Google Translate, a Babel Fish in your pocket

Technology

The future is here at last and science fiction aficionados will rejoice in the latest news to come out of Mountain View. The news from Google headquarters ... Read more

December 11, 2014January 23, 2017

Metasearch vs. OTAs – Let the battle commence

Technology

The major online travel agencies, Expedia and Priceline’s Booking.com, seem to have the travel market sewn up, sucking in customers like celestial black holes.  Their large market ... Read more

December 3, 2014January 23, 2017

Get earned or get burned: the Oreo vlogger ruling

Social Media

A ruling by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority last week threatens to remove a key plank from the content marketing strategies of travel companies. The ruling rapped Mondelez, the ... Read more

November 6, 2014February 2, 2017

Gen Y and Wearables Permeated Discussions at Day 4 of the Travel Tech Show at WTM

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

Much of the action centred on the WTM Travel Perspective sessions, hosted by the German National Tourist Board, where many gathered to gain insight and advice on ... Read more

November 5, 2014February 2, 2017

Twitter Tells Travel Tech Show at WTM to Target Moments Not Markets in Travel

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

Themes on Day Three of the Travel Technology Show at WTM picked up on ways to get your brand past the noise on social media as well ... Read more

November 4, 2014February 2, 2017

Travel Technology Show at WTM Was All About Devices

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

Day Two of the Travel Technology Show at WTM was all about devices – mobile and wearable, content and using data to personalise services to travellers. Facebook ... Read more

November 3, 2014February 2, 2017

Sabre and Thomas Cook Share Thoughts on the Future of Travel

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

A glimpse of a not too distant travel future was shared by speakers from Sabre and Thomas Cook at the WTM Travel Innovation Summit in association with ... Read more

October 30, 2014February 2, 2017

What to Wear: WTM Reveals Travel’s Next Big Thing

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

Visitors to WTM 2014 will be able to find out more about how ‘wearable’ technology can be used by travel companies to sell holidays in the future. ... Read more

October 27, 2014January 24, 2017

How delegates can engage with the WTM Social Media Team

Social Media

I came across a great article by Mashable entitled, ‘5 Tips for Using Social Media During Conferences’describing how best to interact when attending conferences using social media. ... Read more

October 22, 2014January 24, 2017

Will Storify enter the Room 101 of digital travel?

Social Media, Technology

I don’t know how I feel about Storify. I mean, we’ve been together for two years now and I’ve never been let down. Yes, I’ve dumped others. ... Read more

October 9, 2014February 2, 2017

Tablets and Smartphones to Drive Next Phase of Online Travel Growth, WTM Vision Rimini Delegates Discover

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

ttendees at today’s WTM Vision Conference Rimini will hear how the rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones by consumers around the globe is creating a new business ... Read more

October 9, 2014January 24, 2017

Have we reached peak InstaMeet? Queensland breaks the record

Social Media, Technology

We spoke in our last blog post about why Instagram was the star social performer for 2014. Just this week, we have heard how the Australian state ... Read more

October 7, 2014January 24, 2017

Open Destinations: Celebrating 15 Year of Travel Technology

Technology

Introduction Celebrating its 15th year in business, Open Destinations is provider of travel technology solutions for tour operators and wholesalers worldwide.  The flagship travel booking system, Travel ... Read more

September 19, 2014January 24, 2017

Are blogs the future?

Blogging

After 10 years plus, I am putting my hobby website, travelfromHere.com, up for sale.  Take a look and you will see that it is a very straightforward ... Read more

September 4, 2014February 2, 2017

Google and Yahoo! Executives Discuss the World of Search at WTM 2014

Press Releases, The Travel Tech Show, WTM London

Top executives from well-known search engines, Google and Yahoo!, will advise delegates at World Travel Market 2014, the leading global event for the travel industry, how to ... Read more

August 22, 2014January 24, 2017

Reputation is Everything

Social Media, Technology

Image: Dilbert Some news in the last few days has reminded me of one of the subjects I was addressing at my World Travel Market seminar back ... Read more

July 25, 2014January 24, 2017

Airlines, Hotels: Why are you giving away your mobile customers?

Technology

Image: TepWireless I make no apologies for getting back to the subject of mobile.  It is simply the most important issue that is affecting travel right now.  ... Read more

July 1, 2014January 24, 2017

Wholesalers and Butterflies

Technology

At the beginning of June, I organised the recent Distribution Best Practice Forum for Travel Technology Initiative – www.tti.org.  (TTI will be partnering with WTM to bring ... Read more

May 30, 2014January 24, 2017

It’s Personal

Technology

There is one area of travel that technology has yet to tackle well.  We are getting there but I don’t think that it is yet good enough. ... Read more

May 7, 2014January 24, 2017

Mobile Matters

Technology

Nucleus, the brand, digital and intellectual property consultancy has been regularly surveying its clients since 2011, tracking the growth in mobile web browsing.  The company’s latest survey ... Read more

April 4, 2014January 24, 2017

The Benjamin Button of Travel

Technology

This year World Travel Market will be celebrating its 35th event.  I thought it might be interesting to write a retrospective on how the technology exhibited at ... Read more

March 12, 2014January 24, 2017

Thomas Cook’s Twitter “first”

Social Media

Thomas Cook Group has this week launched what it calls a “travel industry first”. Holidays to go! is a Twitter-driven offer engine that lets holidaymakers tweet at ... Read more

March 7, 2014January 24, 2017

I am going to tell you a story

Technology

This is a tale about the storyfication of travel. Once upon a time there was an industry called Travel.  It sold holidays to People. People were happy.  ... Read more

January 10, 2014January 24, 2017

The Year of the Tablet

Technology

2014 is set to be the year of the tablet.  These user friendly devices are expected to make the long-expected jump to global acceptance.  Recent figures show ... Read more