Ó 4r93rh Tourism online Answer the questions in groups. 1 Which apps or sites would you use for travelling? 2 How have social media and online platforms changed the tourism industry? Read the article. Does it mention any of your ideas? Reading & Vocabulary Using the internet 1 a Five ways social media is transforming tourism 1 Travel research transformed The largest effect that social media is having on the tourism industry is the democratisation of online reviews. Today’s travellers go online to research future travel destinations and accommodations. If millenials are looking for travel inspiration, 89% of them will look at content posted by their peers. From social sharing sites such as Instagram to crowd-sourced review sites such as TripAdvisor, people are browsing the internet for inspiration and validation. This social media content is tremendously accessible and influential, and hotels with bad reviews may not survive in future. 2 Rise in social sharing People have always loved sharing photos and videos taken of their travels. Social media can now facilitate and expand people’s ability to share travel experiences with a wider audience than ever before. Over 97% of millennials share photos and videos of their travels online, building an influential web of peer-topeer content that serves to inspire potential guests. In future, new hotels could even be planned around providing Instagram-friendly environments. 3 Enhanced customer service Customer service and satisfaction are also being transformed as a result of social media. The vast majority of brands have a social media presence that is being used to provide help to unsatisfied or confused customers. The companies that respond to complaints in an honest manner become known among current and potential customers. Twitter is an especially important platform for customer complaints – companies that don’t take Twitter seriously won’t develop good reputations for customer service. 4 Reshaping travel agencies Social media is also having a major impact on the travel agency model. The availability of information and ease of self-service booking have forced travel agencies to adapt to a more digital model. Travel agencies might not go out of business anytime soon – they are still responsible for 55% of all airline bookings, 77% of cruise bookings, and 73% of package bookings. But many agencies are shifting their focus from in-person to online experiences as they adapt to new technology and market trends. In the medium term, agencies might move online altogether. 5 Changing loyalty programmes As most marketers know, acquiring new customers is far more expensive than retaining existing ones. Loyalty programmes are becoming very important to the travel business, and social media is having a massive impact on how hotel loyalty programmes are designed. Some customers understand that any opinions they share online may influence a hotel’s profits. As a result, these guests feel that they deserve rewards for the positive word-of-mouth marketing that they are doing for a brand. b 20 2 Unit express opinions speculate about consequences ask for clarification and clarify what you are saying Goals talk about using the internet and social media talk about methods of communication speculate about the present and future Good communication? Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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