Tourism

The rise of medical tourism to glittering hospitals in places like Singapore and Thailand has turned coddling and elegance into marketing necessities. As mentioned in the Herald Tribune: “It’s not just competing on medical grounds and specialties, but competing for customers who can go just about anywhere.”

USA Today just reported that ‘disaster tourists’ are beginning to swarm to Costa Concordia island. Barely a week after the cruise ship ran aground and keeled over just off the tiny Italian island of Giglio, ferries from the mainland are jammed with day-trippers trying to get a ringside view. More than 1,000 visitors arrived on Giglio from Tuscany’s Porto Santo Stefano Saturday, almost 10 times the normal number for a weekend in the off season. So close in the wake of the disaster, Giglio tourism officials are naturally aghast at the unwanted notoriety.

While the vacation rental industry isn’t new, it’s segmenting more by price point (Airbnb on the budget end, and Quintessentially Villas on the high end), by destination, destinations within a destination, and by special interest (the obvious ones being golf, photography, and mainstream outdoor activities such as skiing). We’ll see even more differentiation by alternative interests such as paddle boarding, geocaching, quilting, triathlon training, writing/studying, species specific nature watching to name a few. Its also segmenting by level of exclusivity….starting at $3000, you can rent a mountain for one weekday of personal use, giving you private access to trails, rental shops and on-site dining through Liftopia.com’s new full-mountain rentals.

Hotels will need to ratchet up offerings that entertain, educate and transform for special interest groups. Some of the more original offerings include The Dorchester’s Niemierko Wedding Academy for those aspiring to a career in wedding planning. Because the décor by famed designer Dorothy Draper is so much a part of The Greenbrier’s identity, those keen on interior design can enroll in its new Dorothy Draper School of Decorating. We’ve created a Mommy Bloggers Camp at Mexican client Velas Vallarta, a mini-conference/ getaway for professional and aspiring parent bloggers to learn and get professional blogging tips and advice from expert speakers.

Miami is the latest destination to get a scent: At Scent World Expo, the Scent Marketing Institute unveiled a new fragrance “Miami.” A great way to express what Miami as a destination is all about – it has that sensuality, it’s the sun, sea, the spirit of Miami. The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau will be using the scent to promote the city at events, in promotional items and as a personal fragrance.

AFAR magazine, a relatively recent entrant in travel publishing, is attracting a new kind of advertising that appeals to psychographic profiles (psychographic variables are any attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles). In my opinion, advertisers are doing a great job – many ads were compelling and engaging.

Co-branding in the hospitality industry has existed in one form or other for a while, not only as a competitive differentiator, but to also benefit from the other brands overall image or “luxury halo” as we like to call it. More recently, co-branding with gyms is yet another way for hotels to differentiate. Hotels are seeing more and more travelers, especially business travelers, where the gym is often the deciding factor.

Traditionally (or historically) women have had a strong influence on family travel decisions. Move over moms – now it’s the kids who are becoming influencers according to a recent Ipsos Mendelsohn 2011 Annual Affluent Survey. Purchasing decisions – especially for vacation locations, new houses or renovations – are no longer made by the head of house, but are largely discussed and influenced by the children.

Because they can (and should), boutique hotels are taking advantage of their flexibility to offer a more distinctive experience. Here are some important trends in the industry that appeal to travelers:

So how can hoteliers make the most of QR codes? With some creativity and careful planning, hotels can create a QR campaign that could enhance the guest experience, improve search engine rankings and make you stand out above the competition.