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The powerful impact of social media on the travel industry

The powerful impact of social media on the travel industry

Ocean Florida is one of a growing number of travel companies who are using social media as a tool for interacting with their customers.

Millions of potential customers worldwide are now on social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter, making it easier for them to directly communicate with travel companies and allowing them to ask questions and discuss issues relating to their holiday.

Travel companies like Ocean Florida use their Facebook page to advertise their latest offers and exclusive deals, as well as provide up-to-date travel information and a place for fans and customers to share stories. Harry Hastings, director at Ocean Florida, states: “Facebook is an invaluable tool and an excellent way for us to be able to speak to our customers on a more personal level, and of course it offers them an immediate channel in which to express their opinions on our products and services.”

While Facebook continues to provide an interactive avenue for travel companies and their customer base, Twitter offers a wholly different social media experience. A more fast-paced, blog-style of communication, it allows travel companies such as Ocean Florida to publish multiple short posts about latest news and offers to those who follow them.

Ocean Florida’s recent promotion of its new Facebook page has encouraged hundreds of potential and existing customers to ‘like’ the page and to ask questions and voice their opinions directly to the right people. Its real-time nature also means that customers are able to have their queries answered instantly and in turn book their Florida holidays much quicker.

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Many companies within the travel industry worldwide have had great success with their social media campaigns including Walt Disney World with 6,900,000-plus fans, TripAdvisor and its 104,000-strong audience and Travelzoo, which boasts more than 86,000 fans after recently launching its Top 20 Dance campaign in the United States - a nationwide competition promising the chance of winning one of three holidays if people uploaded videos of themselves dancing to a pre-chosen song.

City.mobi
To find out all the latest news and information whilst in your favourite city, City.Mobi has launched its new guide to the city.

London.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.