This post is part of Marc-Oliver’s Digital Traveler post series – Digital Brand Experiences and Ideas for the Tourism Industry. Subscribe or see all Post Series
Travel destinations, holiday resorts and destination marketing organization (DMO) should provide free wifi access and partner up with telcos. An open plea for the digital, mobile age – from a traveler perspective.
“People travel along data streams and highways, built by a social and mobile web. Help them keep traveling by providing a wireless infrastructure. Offer intersections when useful and necessary.”
We all know that the profile of a traveler, also described as ‘tourist’, is changing. Today, an increasing number of travelers use mobile devices to plan and book their trip online – in real time. Intelligent and useful social media apps give rise to new ways of discovering adventures and travel opportunities on the go – something that can be very beneficial to travel destinations. But while there is much to gain from this, destinations can really benefit only if they provide actual and potential travelers with a free (affordable) way to connect to the Internet. Free Internet access for travelers and tourists is no longer an option – it’s a MUST for staying relevant in a digitally connected world.
In what follows you will find a collection of random thoughts, ideas and opinions on why this is the case (please share your thoughts and comment below).
Start sharing action, not just words
Social media for tourism is not only about sharing links, comments, thoughts and status updates, its also about sharing and creating opportunities (besides listening, engaging, measuring). Resorts and DMOs should partner up with telcos to develop ‘pay-as-you-travel’ mobile phone plans that travelers can purchase at the airport, border or with their travel agents, so that they can connect themselves with the web from the start to the end of their trip.
The ‘open&free web travel destination’
The open web travel destination lets people connect to the Internet wherever they are. This is not an option; it is a necessity and it should be free. It was not that important two, three years ago, but now with the digital, mobile age – things changed dramatically. Free, always available web access will be regarded by digital travelers as an integral part of an overall positive travel experience. In return, digital travelers will reward you with an increasing use of local online services.
Get personal and connect
With a free wifi network local businesses can finally start attracting the “always-on” traveler in a smart, fun and inspiring way. It allows them to customize services/products (due to holidays, seasonal offers, local events, etc.), talk to customers individually and learn more about their needs and habits, gather user data as much as you they want.
Free web access is an invitation for engagement and becoming relevant
When they have access to the web, people instantly create content. That will help your destination to stay relevant in the digital world. The more content people produce – and this includes pictures, movies, comments, blog posts – and the more opportunities they have to share it with others, the more they spread YOUR brand as well.
Keep your online content ‘fresh’
As soon as you can see new user-generated content emerging, its up to you as a resort or DMO to make that content valuable. Tag everything useful with your brand. Learn more about the LIKES and DISLIKES from your travelers within short time frames.
Book Now works best online, not offline
If your booking platform is in the travelers’ pockets pretty much 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while they explore your country, it is more likely that they will play around with it and use it. And this technology is not an add-on; it will soon become part of the ’system’. Recently, for instance, Apple claimed a new patent for the ultimate travel assistant called iTravel.
Don’t call me a ‘tourist’ anymore – it’s a relict of a disconnected world
Some tourism marketers might ask; wouldn’t it be easier to sell our products and services to people that are disconnected, without access to user reviews and online product ratings, so that travelers and ‘tourists’ arrive with an unprejudiced mind and be open to new adventures? That may be a good point, but people who think this way have already missed other opportunities in their businesses.
Need more inspiration? Ok, I am going to give you some examples to market your ‘open/free web travel destination’:
- How about safety and destination updates – they become more useful while traveling. Example for a promo: “Receive now automatically safety updates for South Africa with our new iPhone Travel Alert App. Make your trip to the FIFA World Soccer Cup in Africa a save trip. Brought to you by XYZ Tourism.”
- Think of people with disabilities. You can offer lots of new services and make their vacation more enjoyable. Help them to get around easier, locate and ‘activate’ services on the go.
- Think of the next Olympic games in London – how much can you improve a visitors life when you provide free web access and new mobile services? For London that would be the biggest marketing coup ever. Example promo: “Pick up your ‘pay-as-you-travel’ phone plan at London Airport and install the ultimate London 2012 Games App. The smartest guide on earth: Find your way to any event. Helps you book your Hotel. Avoid any traffic jam. Participate in fun contest and win backstage passes.” Etc. etc. etc.
Ok, just wanted to give you a good BOX of true inspiration. Now: Connect with your travelers. Become the first ‘real-time travel destination’ – accessible via your mobile phone at any time, any place.
“Why I LIKE NEW YORK is better than I LOVE NEW YORK.” by Marc-Oliver Gern is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License. Based on a work at flip-digital. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at flip-digital. 
Tags: Destination Marketing, Digital Marketing, DMOs, Holiday Resort, Hospitality, london2012, Marketing 2.0, Mobile Web, phone plans, R&D, ROGERS, Ski Resort, Social Media Trends, telcos, TELUS, Tourism, Travel Marketing, wireless
Excellent post Marc-Oliver.
Something along the lines of what you propose has to happen if many of the location aware social solutions are to succeed globally. At the moment they are purely national, domestic ones unless foreign visitors can get free or close to free mobile web access.
For a major destination like NYC to start such an effort would be great marketing coup that. I’m sure others would follow.
Thanks for your comment Joe. I am also pretty sure – once a destination is taking the lead, others will follow. I live in a ski resort town – well known as Whistler (since the 2010 Games). Would be outstanding to provide free web access for our guests, so that they actually can explore the beautiful landscape not only offline, but also online. I hear so many people/travelers taking/complaining that they brought their (smart)phone with them, but just to check the time. Well, hope that will change soon.
A product like the “pay-as-you-travel” phone plan makes so much sense to me. Just came back from 2 weeks San Francisco and would be happy to have had sth like that.
Regards,
Marc-Oliver
I had the same problems recently traveling to Zurich and earlier Montreal. My cool iPhone apps were mostly useless and I had to carefully watch my data downloads using the overseas plan.
Offering such a service would be a great PR coup for Canadian cities to attract attention and thus business from the U.S.
It’s gotten to the point where good portions of my pre-travel research is free wifi-availability. And then searching when I’m on-the-ground.
I live/promote in a relatively remote area and reliable cell-service is a challenge. However, most towns and villages do have hi-speed internet available, and they are mostly small enought to be able to provide a central access point.
Unfortunately, most businesses and organizations, not just here, don’t see the provision of free access as a beneficial promotional tool. Rather, they see it as a revenue or cost item. Those that do, only see it as a service amenity.
The beauty of providing the connected traveler with access it timely long-tail content for destinations. (hopefully positive!) Sure, it may not be a huge group of people that do it, but those few may have huge reach.
I just noticed that Rogers Wireless (@RogersHelps) updated their Add-On’s and you can now select a couple of ‘travel services’. It’s called “Travel With Your Phone”. Just a couple of examples:
$200.00 for 25 MB International Data Roaming
$25.00 for 25 MB International Data Roaming
$50.00 for 40 European minutes Travel Pack
…
Now, the prices and rates adress only business man. Don’t you think so?
Regards,
Marc-Oliver