p19 crusie May 29 26/5/09 18:24 Page 19
ttglive.com
conference preview news
‘Be online, start to end’
Lee Hayhurst.
“If people are seeing your brand out there, the
TRAVEL AGENTS will be told it is important their chances are they are going to go online to look
Facebook: Dan Hanrahan (left) and Rick Meadows brands have an online presence throughout for you. If you’re not there, they’re only one click
the consumer buying process – from research to away from a competitor.”
Speakers sign up
booking. Cheffey said Yahoo likens the booking process
Tracey Cheffey, Yahoo travel category director, of the average consumer to the shape of an
as Facebook fans
will address delegates on June 17, the first day hour glass.
of the UK Cruise Convention in Dover, about Initially, consumers research using many sites,
consumer search trends online. gradually funnelling the options down to one.
THE OFFICIAL UK Cruise Convention Facebook In order to test the level of activity of cruise But at the point of booking, they open out their
page has been updated to include the views of customers online, she will be asking questions on search again to check they are getting the best
the event’s two keynote speakers. Yahoo Answers. The service sees Yahoo users deal, before finally committing.
Dan Hanrahan, Celebrity Cruises chief execu- answer 8.3 million each day within 30 seconds of The latest estimate from PhoCusWright
tive, and Rick Meadows, Holland America Line’s questions being posted. suggested 44% of all travel bookings will be
vice-president of sales and marketing, were Although the proportion of cruises booked transacted online by the end of this year.
asked to answer a series of questions. online is low compared with other forms of Cheffey’s presentation will come after
The answers to some of those have been holiday, Cheffey said customers expected agents Yahoo publishes the findings of a major
posted on a “fan” page on Facebook ahead of to be online. European study into the online behaviour of
their presentation on change and innovation in “Housewives spend half their leisure time travel customers.
the cruise industry on June 18. online and 60% of people research online.
Sign in to Facebook and “Potential customers might walk past your
check out the fan page at: shop but have no time to go in, and there’s
nothing more disappointing if you cannot then
■
http://tinyurl.com/ozuxrl find it online,” she said.
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