Archive for the 'George's Observations' Category

Travelers Search with Longer Keyword Strings

January 26th, 2010 by George


I have noticed a trend that people are finding travel sites using longer keyword search strings. It is not uncommon to find six or seven keyword strings that people type into Google, Bing or Yahoo to find travel sites. I believe this trend is significant in that travelers have become much more informed and knowledgeable […]

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SEO for Travel Agents

January 9th, 2010 by George


SEO for Travel Agents
It’s a simple proposition; find a way to get your web pages on the first page of the search engines and you get more business. While the techniques of search engine optimization are relatively simple, I speak with many travel agents who are really lost about what SEO is and how they […]

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2010 Travel Predictions

January 1st, 2010 by George


2010 Travel Prediction #1:
Mid-market Travel Deals & Luxury On-Sale Travel Market explodes.
2010 Travel Prediction #2:
Rack Rate Luxury Travel fails miserably. If its not a deal, It won’t sell.
2010 Travel Prediction #3:
Business Meetings explode in 1st half.
2010 Travel Prediction #4:
To compete in the Meeting Planning market…you MUST offer an on-line registration system.
2010 Travel Prediction #5:
Sorry, for […]

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Social Media = Small Agent Advantage

November 8th, 2009 by George


“Look at your enemy’s strength to find their weakness”
Carl von Clausewitz, Prussian General
Clearly the Internet has provided some really heavyweight competition for independent travel agencies; however in many ways it also leveled the playing field by creating new cost-effective ways to promote. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and user-generated resort review sites provide […]

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The demise of Sunday newspaper travel sections a huge hit to Hawaii and Mexico tourism.

October 28th, 2009 by George


Now I know you are thinking what’s the difference between online promotion and newspaper advertisements. But I would like to submit there is a huge difference.
I owned and operated a mid-sized travel agency in Silicon Valley for 20 years. We would run newspaper advertisements promoting Hawaii and Mexico vacation packages. These ads produced a […]

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How to Revive Hawaii Tourism

October 20th, 2009 by George


Recently the Hawaii Tourism Board release figures that showed tourist arrivals were down 20% for June, July & August of 2009 compared to the year prior. That’s a considerable drop by any measure. The instant thought that crossed my mind was how this was affecting the many great Hawaiian families dependent on tourism.

Hawaii is still my […]

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FREE Travel Promotion on the Internet

September 22nd, 2009 by George


Recently, I put together a press release about our site-makeover and new posting modules for www.ReviewResorts.com. Fully expecting to pay for publishing my press-release but not really knowing which site to post it on, I did a Google search for Press Release. One of the top listing was a site of the top 50 FREE press release […]

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The Goal for Travel Agencies is to Create as Large an Online Footprint as Possible

September 15th, 2009 by George


In years past, small travel companies were at a disadvantage when it came to promoting their businesses. The high cost of phone book ads, newspaper advertising and cadres of sales people armed with expensive glossy collateral material were the way the big got bigger and small travel agencies remained small. But the world has changed […]

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Is Your Travel Company Ready to Compete in 2010?

September 15th, 2009 by George


All indicators are pointing up for 2010. The stock market is now at the same levels it was 2 years ago. Real Estate has regained its footing and is now on the rise in many markets. Travel is also coming out of the abyss as well. This year is and will be a down year […]

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The Recessionary Impact on Luxury Travel Providers

September 13th, 2009 by George


Major societal events seem to have a 10 year impact. In the 40’s, WWII led African-Americans and Women to make contributions that would open the door for equality. However, the horror of Nazi Germany and the Atom bomb led to America to put blinder on during the Nifty Fifties, which delayed the civil rights movement, […]

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