A life exploring

Gather insights about traveling in general and more specifically about Latinos. Let's find out what Latinos and the world have in common and what sets them apart.

[alifeexploring]

In Planeview

Virgin Airlines has launched an interactive tour service that lets potential flyers view the flying accommodation in full before booking. 

The Planeview interactive tour uses augmented reality to let users take a web tour of their Upper Class suite by automatically scrolling through a 360-degree panoramic view of the cabin. Specific clickable targets give access to more information about the fleet and amenities offered.

Air travel is becoming more polarized: Budget travelers are willing to go bare bones to save a buck and luxury options abound for those willing to pay for premium amenities. There has been increased options on board and off, in airports, and when it comes to online tools created to help users find out exactly where they can be treated like a VIP.

Because the majority of bookings are being made online, these virtual tours, intended to entice customers into making reservations in first class, are reaching out to consumers in the space where most people are engaging with the brand. Indeed, according to Mintel’s report Airlines – US, August 2014, 76% of respondents said that they book flights themselves online when they fly.

While this First Class suite is a luxury and likely niche in terms of the number of consumers who invest in this particular upgrade, the virtual tour which shows users exactly what is included in this choice may influence more travelers once they see exactly how luxurious it is.

Why are we sharing this?

With the use of technology, consumers today expect to see exactly what they are paying for, especially if it’s a premium. Anytime a company can make use of augmented reality or other online tools to show a consumer more precisely what they get for their money, the more likely they are to find success. 

Source: Mintel Trend Observation: In Planeview

[alifeexploring]

Hotel Discounts Based on Social Media Presence

The travel website hotelied.com presents users with a basic premise: Allow it to access your five social networking accounts—Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Instagram—and it will then provide you with options based on your status on all five. Hotel searches are limited to five cities—New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland and Tel Aviv. The company says that users who are considered the highest “tastemakers”—those with the largest followings—receive discounts, with the idea that they will then provide wider word-of-mouth penetration than those with a smaller online presence.

Influencers sought

Consumers like being rewarded and social media status is another way for them to earn perks. The nature of social media as a self-publishing tool also enables consumers who want to serve as culture ambassadors to do so, a behavior that will increase if they feel they are earning rewards for their work.

There is certainly room to grow a rewards program. According to the Mintel report, Frequent Travel Programs – US, August 2013, only 22% of respondents who made a personal hotel stay in the last year say loyalty program membership is a factor in their hotel choice. However, hoteliers may increase the perceived importance of their programs if they do more to tie hotel loyalty to cost savings and more opportunities for on-site relaxation. The same report shows that, at 79%, more respondents consider price than any other factor when choosing a hotel.

Why are we sharing this?

Businesses that target small groups in any industry—from fashion to entertainment to travel—should work to increase their social interaction with users because they will serve as their strongest social influencers. This is free, but also a potent marketing tool. Travel companies can reap the rewards of grassroots awareness and endorsements if they reward those who understand the cost benefits of spreading the word for them.

Source: Mintel Oct 3, 2014

[alifeexploring]

Customisable you

Le Petit Futé, a French travel guide company that publishes guides for 186 countries, plans to release next year's guides based on updated information uploaded by travelers throughout the world. Available in print and downloaded to smartphones and tablets, the guides will be marketed as the most comprehensive and up-to-date travel guides in the market as they will be updated in real time by nearly 400,000 contributors and verified by 130 full-time and 300 freelance journalists.

The company says they are meant for travelers who take more frequent but shorter holidays and are on a budget.

Guide users will also have an option to interact with the guides, uploading their vacation posts and commentary, with which they can then produce a completed souvenir they can share with others upon their return.

This fits into the consumer’s need to customize their experience rather than rely on a central authority. They may find more value in the opinions of their peers rather than a faceless reviewer. Additionally, the customisable nature of the guides plays to the niche lifestyle culture of late. For example, if users need to find where to eat organic with a panoramic view of a certain vista, there is likely someone out there who has provided the name and address.

Why are we sharing this?

Allowing users to customize their experience and share it with others so they can do the same is what will drive travelers, especially younger ones who may be experiencing these regions for the first time and need trusted voices who are much like themselves. This new product also plays into the fact that the young travel market desires to travel more, but on a budget. Most importantly, they crave authentic experiences - and what's more authentic then other traveler's experiences? 

Source: Mintel, Sept 28, 2014

[alifeexploring]

Social Media Travel Assistants

Bruuvion Travel, a luxury travel company, is now offering travel packages including social media assistants. This person takes the photos and makes sure you and your travel party appear in the most flattering angles and light. They make sure your moments are captured at the most spectacular spots your vacation destination has to offer. And then they post your photos to Instagram, Facebook and wherever else you like so you don't miss a moment.

Now, Bruvion Travel Partner Jason Couvillion said, "No one has to bury their head in the phone to post on social media, they won't be distracted from their trip." The company said the new package takes the "grunt work" out of social media.

The 24/7 social media assistant costs $500 per day plus all travel expenses. This person will "keep clients engaged in every aspect of their vacation from the first-class champagne toast to iconic landmark photos," with a focus on "capturing and documenting every aspect of the travelers vacation, edit photos and share those memories over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Not just a social media expert, all 24/7 Assistants are well versed in both photography and photo editing to make sure clients look their absolute best in their posts."

For travelers who may just want one city or aspect of their trip documented, "local social media gurus" are also available for $250 per day plus daily expenses. "Based in the destination of the traveler, this vetted local Guru will spend the day capturing and sharing memories," the company said. "Not only will they follow clients around throughout the day, they will ensure the client is hitting the right spots and at the right times."

Why are we sharing this?

Social Media is now intrinsically linked to travel - whether it's to share pictures with friends or family, find a place to stay, or meet up with friends of friends. This offer, as ridiculous as it may seem, offers a peek into the nature of travelers nowadays, particularly for the millennial market. Travelers are so plugged in, it's hard to enjoy the moment, yet they also want to share their experience of living that fuller life - and that's where a "social media assistant" comes into play. 

Link to article:

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/social-media-travel-assistants-latest-offering-luxury-vacations/story?id=25537247

[alifeexploring]

The Changing Relationship Between Travel Brands and Instagram Influencers

Instagram influencers often have hundreds of thousands of followers across several channels, highly engaged audiences that “Like,” comment and share their posts, and are willing to share photos and stories of a destination for a free trip and, increasingly, cash.

“We’re seeing this as a changing environment right now. Historically we have not paid Instagrammers to attend familiarisations or media visits, but more and more the question is being asked of us of what financial support we will provide,” says Chris Chambers, director of digital marketing for Tourism and Events Queensland.

Some destinations will invite one or a handful of Instagram influencers to explore a certain region or neighborhood. Others are increasingly planning larger events called InstaMeets where dozens of Instagram influencers meet to experience a destination together. Queensland is hosting one such event, coined “The Biggest InstaMeet in the World,” on October 4.

“The gap between ‘professional’ and ‘social media’ photographers has diminished — if it still exists at all — and shutterbugs on Instagram are just as sought-after as established photographers,” says Rob Fishman, co-founder of Niche, a platform that connects social media stars with marketers and advertisers, while explaining why all photographers in his network are compensated for such trips.

Pay for Play

The rate paid, in addition to covered travel costs, often depends on the influencers’ profile and reach.

“In terms of cost, it varies depending on the influencer. It’s like taking an ad in The New York Times versus a local newspaper.”

“I am of the view that influencers get remunerated for their time, effort and creative curation of their personal voices of the brand messages within their digital spaces. It’s akin to a service fee you pay to engage a designer, architect, or PR professionals,” says Dennis Toh, founder of Singapore-based marketing and management company The Influencer Network.

Experience Before Pay

Others, however, believe a well-crafted and personalized experience that speaks to the influencers’ personal brand is worth more than the pay.

Jason Metz, founder of social marketing company Brand Influencers, believes a valuable experience is worth more than the pay.

“When you pay them they’ll say good things about you and when you stop paying them, they’ll stop saying things about you,” says Metzm of his company’s philosophy.

“The key to not paying is to find influencers that really align with the brand, that find interest in the experience. We build our campaigns so the experience is worth more than the money would have been.”

Although many influencers are asking for payment in return for their participation, many others, including high-profile influencers, are happy to partner with a destination or brand that blends with their personal message.

Conrad Hotels, for example, hosted a major social media campaign in which five influencers experienced five different Conrad Hotels and shared their experiences on social media.

Of the five high-profile bloggers, only one was paid a nominal fee, and that in response to customary Chinese protocol.

Why are we sharing this?

Instagram influencers have an enormous amount of clout in today's social media-driven society. Travel companies leveraging these personalities will reap the benefits, especially if the influencer's own personal brand aligns with the brand in partnership. In addition, Influencers can reach out to a niche kind of market that would otherwise be untapped using mainstream media. 

Link to Article:

http://skift.com/2014/10/02/the-changing-relationship-between-travel-brands-and-instagram-influencers/

[alifeexploring]

Trend Observation: Unleash Your Hate

A report from Mintel recently featured a trend involving brands being completely transparent with consumers. This is happening in the travel sector as well, with Spirit Airlines encouraging Americans to unleash their hate for the Spirit brand in exchange for some free flyer miles.

The Hate Thousand Miles Giveaway contest title is meant to sound like 8,000 miles giveaway, the number of free miles that each person who participates will receive. The brand is encouraging people to release their negative feelings as the brand pivots toward a rebranding that emphasizing that “you only pay for what you use.”

In an era when word about consumer opinion or company behavior travels quickly and freely, many brands are choosing to just be real with consumers. Rather than hiding from their faults, they are admitting them.

Earlier this month, Comcast’s XFINITY brand acknowledged the past frustrations customers have had with it and then claim that it has shaped up. Also, a few months ago, Maxwell House Coffee cease to call itself great to instead just say it’s good.

Spirit encouraged people to come to this point of releasing frustration by positioning it alongside an attractive offer to gain more flyer miles. Some 40% of consumers agree that it is worth joining an airline’s frequent flyer program if it means being able to redeem rewards for free flights for yourself, according to Mintel’s Frequent Travel Programs US August 2013 report.

Why are we sharing this?

This is a trend we will see as brands now have an opportunity, and in some cases a responsibility, to earn consumers’ respect and trust. In this era of the power being in the hands of the consumer, brands must show that they’re in touch with reality and making an honest effort to improve. Acknowledging one’s past failures is one of the quickest ways to earn consumers’ trust.

[alifeexploring]

When It Comes To Booking A Vacation, Latinos Still Prefer Travel Agents

Whether it’s visiting family in Colombia, climbing the mountains of Machu Picchu in Peru or architecture gazing in Spain, Evelyn Santa Barbara loves to travel to all parts of the globe and is an avid adventurer. She vacations at least four times a year.

But when the Miami native is booking her vacations, she doesn’t do what the vast majority of travelers do – click on Orbitz, Kayak, Trip Advisor or any of the other many web sites that make it easy to plan trips, from booking flights and hotels to arranging tours. Instead, Santa Barbara calls Nubia Rivero from America Travel in Hollywood, Fla.

"I use a travel agency particularly when I'm booking a tour. They can make recommendations, give tips, and for flying within the country I get a better price than what I can find online,” Santa Barbara said. “When I communicate with my agent, we chat in Spanish even though we both speak English — it's nice to be able to speak Spanish with her.”

People like Santa Barbara are helping keep travel agencies afloat because many Latinos still prefer talking to real people rather than staring at a computer screen. Travel agencies catering to Latinos have not only not been financially hurt from the Internet or the economic downturn, they’ve been prospering.

Hispanics in the U.S. account for $1 trillion in purchasing power. And that number is expected to reach to about $1.5 trillion next year. A study released by Florida International University and the American Society of Travel Agents last year showed Latinos take an average of two to three leisure trips a year and more than half, about 60 percent, spend up to two weeks per trip. Hispanics also tend to travel in groups, with at least three family members or friends vacationing with them.

As for money spent, the report found Hispanics travelers spend an average of $758 each on a week long vacation (excluding transportation and accommodations), compared to $708 for the average traveler.

Travel agents are taking notice. Many are hiring Spanish and Portuguese speakers and reaching out to community group and even using social media to trumpet their business.

At the very least, Hispanics often travel to their home countries – sometimes multiple times a year – where they hold strong roots.

But they aren't just booking travel to Latin America. Hispanics love to travel the world, they just want to be sure the country they visit has Spanish-speaking tour guides (even if they speak English) and places where they can travel in groups. Lower acculturated Hispanics would never consider going to India or China unless they have a guide who speaks their language and they can go in a group with other people who they can communicate with.

Why Are We Sharing This?

While most travel agencies are slowly becoming extinct as travel sites to the like of Expedia and Kayak takeover the booking process, Latinos (particularly foreign born and low-acculturated) are still very much utilizing travel agents to book their trips. Travel agents are a possible avenue for travel companies to market to Hispanics who not only travel for a longer period of time than non-Hispanics, but also tend to travel in larger groups.

Link to Article:

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2014/06/05/when-it-comes-to-booking-vacation-latinos-still-prefer-travel-agencies/

[alifeexploring]

Four Seasons’ Pinterest Strategy Is Focused on Inspiration, Not Bookings

Four Seasons's presence on Pinterest has become one of the most active in the luxury hotel group industry. It recently made it mandatory that the brand’s 92 hotels and resorts maintain an active presence on the social sharing site.

This corporate practice may have seemed bizarre 10 years ago, but social media has quickly become one of the more important communication strategies that a brand can use — especially one as image- and inspiration-driven as Four Seasons.

The hotel chain has had exceptional success on Pinterest where, according to Pinterest’s case study on Four Seasons, the hotel brand experienced “a 1,000% increase in daily average visitors and a 1,700% increase in daily average clicks to its website.”

Rather than limit itself to property photos or promotions, the brand chose to project a lifestyle including food, fashion and general travel. To do this, Four Seasons’ social media team keeps tabs on luxury travel and trends online and incorporates them into its own pages, explains Elizabeth Pizzinato, senior vice president of marketing and communications at Four Seasons. The hotel group also partners with like-minded brands such as Bergdorf Goodman for collaborations around certain events like New York Fashion Week.

Turning Pins into Profit

So how does Pinterest actually contribute to Four Season’s e-commerce goals? A recent pin promoting the brand’s Private Jet Experience in Bora Bora generated 8,564 re-pins and 9,121 visits to the Around the World on a Private Jet landing page. Even more important, it generated 463 “Reservation Inquiry views and 486 clicks on the “Request a Brochure” button. Only about a fourth of those, 112 people, filled out and submitted the form to request the brochure for the $70,000-per-person trip. In total, less than 2 percent of the people that re-pinned the private jet pin were serious about looking into the trip. But considering these are trips targeted at the 1 percent, that’s not a bad response.

Pizzinato admits the difficulty in drawing a direct connection between a click on a pin and a purchase or booking. “It is hard for us to make that direct attribution that I clicked through to that pin and made a booking.” The company incorporates Pinterest and its other social media channels into email campaigns and websites in an effort to create a two-way flow between the social networks and corporate website.

Why are we sharing this?

Pinterest as a social media tool does not work for every brand. As a highly visual platform, it's important the brand's content can be incorporated as an aspirational lifestyle approach. Other travel brands looking to inspire consumers can learn a thing or two from Four Season's Pinterest: incorporate images that capture the "essence" of the brand and leaves consumers craving for a certain experience.

Link to Article: http://skift.com/2014/05/02/four-seasons-pinterest-strategy-is-focused-on-inspiration-not-bookings/?utm_source=Skift&utm_campaign=0158161a58-UA-28362693-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fe7fb4248c-0158161a58-63784593

[alifeexploring]

Top Travel Brands Using Instagram to Promote Their Destinations

In 2012 Instagram had about 80 million users, today it boasts about 200 million. The social network continues to grow, and continues to be one of the most highly used social media platforms among millennials. 

Instagram is a rising star in the social world, which of course is causing brands to take notice, with social analytics company, Simply Measured reporting that 40% of the Interbrand Top 100 Global brands are using the network.

This network can often come under scrutiny by many brands as it lacks business specific KPIs, and traditional board members will wonder the what the ‘real’ value of likes or comments are. However, for an extremely visual product or service this can be a perfect niche marketing platform as is it offers a way to build an engaging social media presence via visual storytelling.

Sometimes the most quality and shareable content, just doesn’t have the same impact as an eye-catching photo.  We decided to take a look at how travel brands are using the Instagram platform to showcase their services and destinations.

British Airways (Instagram: british_airways)

235 photos — 33k followers — Last post: Yesterday

British Airways' Instagram feed features photos of everything from destinations, flight attendants, to airplanes. Every photo is insightful and on-message.

KLM (Instagram: klm)

374 photos — 25k followers — Last post: Today

See a plane from a different angle in KLM’s feed. Their photos reveal so many little details about aviation from building to take off; every picture is interesting and eye-catching. They also share other user’s photos if they use the hashtag #KLM which is a nice touch to encourage a community feel.

Thompson Hotels (Instagram : thompsonhotels)

1073 photos — 9128 followers — Last post: Today

Thompson Hotels have a beautiful Instagram feed, it’s full of perfect shots and well-chosen filters. They capture the essence of the hotel and what Instagram is all about. With aspirational views, hotel rooms and tasty plates of food, the photos are truly a representation of the brand. With each photo gaining a few hundred likes they are clearly getting something right with the Instagram audience.

Why are we sharing this?

Instagram is a great way to build a brand's social community in an unobtrusive way. It enables the brand to promote through images, and as shown by the likes of KLM, it’s a novel way to encourage user generated content. It is a easy way to build brand presence and show off your company ‘behind the scenes’.

Link to Article

http://www.blueclawsearch.co.uk/blog/2013/02/07/top-travel-brands-using-instagram-to-promote-their-destinations/

[alifeexploring]

Tips on tapping into the multibillion-dollar Hispanic tourism market

In the US, Hispanic travel is growing at a faster rate than the general market and has an estimated annual economic impact of more than $56 billion. Despite the slow recovering economy, Hispanics still continue with their family trips, spending more money per trip than the general population. 

On average, Hispanics spend $785 per person on a trip while the general population only spends $708 per person. Hispanics also live in large households. Based on the latest Census, the average household for Hispanics is 3.6 compared to 2.4 for whites. It is also estimated that 51 percent of Hispanic households have children in the household, compared with 38 percent of the general population.

Hispanics don’t travel away from their families; they travel to them and with them. Even on business trips, they tend to bring their family members, making a family affair out of it.

Hispanics represent a multibillion-dollar market for the travel industry, promoting tourism in the U.S. and abroad. However, there are still many companies that are still not taking advantage of this booming market. It all boils down to a lack of understanding and taking charge.

Here are some important tips:

Understand the language differences: Hispanics often travel in large groups. Within those large groups are several generations, all of which factor into vacation planning, but only some of them are bilingual.. Many companies believe that they are already tapping into this market with their Anglo campaigns. If companies advertising in one language, they are missing a big portion of the market.

Make it a better experience for the whole family: Hispanics tend to travel more with their families. Their top preference is beach destinations; second is national parks, and third is visiting friends and relatives. Cruises are usually on the bottom of the list by older Hispanics, but it is growing popularity among 35- to 54-year-olds. There is a great opportunity to up-sell vacation activities that incorporate the whole family, especially the kids — from sightseeing, horseback riding, snorkeling, boat rides, shopping and outdoor activities. To up-sell these activities make sure to have right sales person on your team. Not just someone who is bilingual, but someone who also truly understands the Hispanic culture.

Fortify your online presence: The Internet is the main resource U.S. Hispanics rely on to book their travel. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and also available in Spanish. Based on the latest Nielsen report, The State of Hispanic Consumers, it is estimated that nine out of 10 Hispanics have Internet access but are less likely to have it at home. They are three times more likely to have Internet access via a mobile device and are 28 percent more likely to own a smartphone than non-Hispanics.

Why are we sharing this?

If the Spanish language and culture already unites Latinos, then tourism should unite them even more. It is important to understand the Hispanic culture and their travel behaviors if brands want to capture this booming market. It's also crucial to understand Hispanics' digital behavior, paying particular attention to their mobile habits.

Link:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/latin/2014/04/tips-on-tapping-into-the-multibillion-dollar.html?s=image_gallery

[alifeexploring]

Travel Like a Local

For those who are experienced travelers and not simply tourists, exploring a city like a local is a must. With Vayable and Nectar & Pulse you can leave your traditional guidebooks behind and rely on the inside scoop.

Want to go off the beaten path, but aren’t sure where to go or how to get there? Connect with locals for guided tours of street art, area hot spots, and more. San Francisco based start up, Vayable, allows users to book amazing and unique tours anywhere around the world under one platform. The company’s focus is to bring you the best travel experience in a different way.

You can take tours with locals, people who know the ins and outs of the city they call home. You can find a tour for almost anything from a “homelessness” tour in San Francisco to a street art tour in Los Angeles. The tours are pretty inexpensive, usually setting you back anywhere between $30 to a couple hundred dollars, depending on the experience.

“People seek out authenticity of experience when traveling,” said founder Jamie Wong, “But that authenticity is not just about experiencing the local culture. It is also about the authenticity of your own experiences. You can immerse yourself in an environment the same way thousands of other people do, or you can enjoy something that is true to both yourself and the place.”

Vayable’s emphasis on connecting travelers with local people and facilitating curated opportunities is what distinguishes it from traditional tour companies. While serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, Jamie interacted with countless backpackers who came to Asia with the hope of being exposed to something new but struggled to find unique experiences. Everyone referenced the same guidebooks, and “off-the-beaten-path” excursions have now become as mainstream as bus tour trips. Vayable delivers a real one-of-a-kind experience that lets you free yourself of tourist traps and attractions.

Another awesome website is Nectar & Pulse - a young, eclectic travel guide company from Austria. Nectar & Pulse produces personal printed cityguides with favorite insider tips selected by locals around the world. The locals for each city are called “soulmates” and they curate the most inspired and unique guides. The concept is easy: go to the website, pick city guides (6 Euros) that interest you, and they are shipped to your door in a convenient and stylish binder (10 euros).

According to the website, “We realised, that in the end it’s the people who make a city: the freaky guy from the subway, the barista who pours the best espressos in town, the fashion-photographer who makes you laugh uncontrollably, the DJ’s who bring the club to dance, the Polish family who welcome you as if you were their own kids… Like pearls we have collected these people and their favourite spots and melded them together, with their original flair and colour to create a very personal guide.”

Why are we sharing this?

Adventurous explorers have always steered clear of tourist traps - instead they look for the local haunts, hidden gems, and authentic parts of what makes a particular city unique. Websites like Vayable and Nectar & Pulse are addressing this desire by giving consumers the ability to engage with the true experts, the locals. Travel companies can tap into this trend by including initiatives or offerings that allow travelers to experience the local flavor and textures of a city, one that captures the true essence of that destination.

Links to Websites:

https://www.vayable.com/

http://www.nectarandpulse.com/en

[alifeexploring]

Loreto: Quiet gem on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula

Loreto, a historic seaside town located between mountains and a blue sea, has been receiving considerable press lately. While it's known mainly for whale watchers, sport fishermen, and snowbirds from Canada, Loreto is slowly becoming the next hot destination in Mexico. Considering Mexican billionaire Carlos Slims’ heavy investment in the region and its close proximity to southern California, Loreto will likely see tourism growth in the near future.

Loreto is not only a beautiful beach resort town, it also has rich history behind it. Loreto was the first Spanish settlement on the Baja California Peninsula when Jesuits missionaries established the Mission of Our Lady of Loreto in 1697. An 18th-century church popular with pilgrims is located an hour away, high in the Sierra la Giganta mountains in the hamlet of San Javier.

With history also comes modernity - a new, multimillion-dollar promenade provides spectacular views east towards the islands. It passes a lighthouse and a small marina, where skippered pangas (small open boats with outboard motors) can be rented for about $100 for fishing, bird-watching, wildlife-viewing or a lift to the white-sand beach on Coronado Island.

The best beaches are a short drive from Loreto, but the roads are good and the travel easy. Closer to Loreto, a mere 8 kilometres south, is the town of Nopolo, where investors in 2004 envisioned a 6,000-home tourist community along with shops and a golf course. The course, a few hundred homes and the Inn at Loreto Bay were built before the project stalled in the recession.

In a renewed tourism effort that started two years ago, Mexico’s tourism agency gave Loreto its “Magic Town” label to promote its hidden treasures known for natural beauty, cultural riches or historical relevance. While the  airport welcomed only about 40,000 tourists last year (compared with the million or so who flew to Los Cabos), Loreto’s hidden gem quality and unique charms are a major asset for travel companies to leverage and for travelers to discover.

Why are we sharing this?

Loreto's extremely close proximity from SoCal (about a one and a half hour flight), makes it a more affordable and convenient alternative to other more pricey Mexican beaches. Loreto also offers more than just a resort town, with historical buildings, a picturesque desert landscape, and aquatic activities like whale watching and deep see fishing. For those travelers with a unique explorer spirit, Loreto is the place to discover. 

Link to Article:

http://www.registerguard.com/rg/life/lifestyles/31221419-74/loreto-beach-mexico-town-bay.html.csp

[alifeexploring]

Top Travel Trends of 2013 Set to Continue into 2014

Here are five 2013 travel trends from Friendly Planet Travel, with indications pointing to a continuation of growth in these areas for the coming year.

1. Travelers want active touring.

Travelers want to be active and adventurous. They want to hike, climb, bike, and explore - physically as well as intellectually. They're going off the beaten path, and exploring destinations such as Patagonia and Cuba. These destinations provide opportunities to trek up glaciers, scuba and snorkel among pristine corals, and ride a horse through colonial towns and tobacco fields.

2. Travelers want to give back.

As they visit these international destinations, travelers get up, close and personal with the wonders of each new place. At the same time, they witness the less positive aspects of life, such as poverty and lack of available resources, like water. Many travelers are inspired to help those they meet, and to fill that desire, many tours now include an element of outreach.

3. More families are choosing to travel internationally.

Forget Disney World - more families are taking flights to international destinations, including ever-popular European cities, as well as exotic locales. Among the favorites are China, where parents and children are equally thrilled to see the pandas and climb the Great Wall, and Kenya, where everyone can delight in the magnificent creatures of the wild by day, and sleep in their very own tent in the bush at night. And that's just for starters. In response to this trend, many tour operators are offering family-friendly programs that include activities that are kid and adult-friendly, at prices that are truly affordable, making international family travel accessible for families with serious wanderlust.

4. Food is front and center for many while traveling.

 For many travelers, enjoying the local specialties, sampling new and different foods, and even going outside their comfort zone makes the experience of travel complete. Tour operators are keen to offer foodie travelers lots of opportunities to learn about the food they eat abroad -- how it's grown, prepared, and served. Visits to local markets and lessons in preparing foods under the guidance of local chefs have become really popular inclusions as well, adding a new -- and delicious -- cultural gastronomy component that everyone can enjoy.

5. Wine, beer and spirits, anyone?

It's not just the food that has travelers excited, but the beverages of choice that accompany those gourmet adventures that get the travel juices flowing. Whether you're exploring your roots in Ireland, trekking on a glacier in Patagonia or viewing the Taj Mahal in India, you're bound to find travelers sampling the local wine, beer and spirits. In today's world, most countries have found ways to offer their beverage of choice to tourists, and help them fall in love, sending sales at airport duty-free shops soaring. For example, you can't visit Peru without enjoying a pisco sour or drinking mojitos in Cuba. And microbreweries are cropping up everywhere -- from Munich, the holy land of beer, to Beijing. Wine, beer and spirits aficionados are looking closely for opportunities to learn about and, of course, sample their beverages of choice and often make choices about where to go based on what's being served.

Why are we sharing this?

These 5 trends from 2013 will most likely continue into this year, proving travel companies an opportunity to incorporate aspects of these trends into their offerings. Airlines or travel companies with offerings to Mexico can leverage this insight. Mexico's variety of cosmopolitan cities and tropical beaches allows for consumers to take part in any of the aforementioned trends. Whether it is zip-lining in the jungle, taking a cooking class in Mexico's capital, seeing how tequila is made, or helping build houses, Mexico is an all-encompassing and diverse destination right in our own backyard.

Link to Article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peggy-goldman/5-noteworthy-travel-trend_b_4373033.html

[alifeexploring]

Are Hispanics More Actively Engaged on Social Media?

Last August, Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project released data from its spring tracking survey showing that Hispanic Americans are more likely to use social networking sites than non-Hispanics. 80% of Hispanic internet users use social networking, compared to 70% of white non-Hispanics. Hispanics are also twice as likely to use Twitter (28% compared to 14%). In support of the previous claim, data from the social TV analytics company SocialGuide revealed that the social media audiences of several Spanish-language TV programs consistently generate more social media actions per user than their English-language competition. For instance, the morning talk show, Despierta América, garners more tweets on average per broadcast (approximately 2 ½ to 3 tweets per viewer), than shows like Today and Good Morning America. So while the Today show might have a larger audience, Spanish-language television has more engaged viewers. In addition to social engagement during broadcasts, Hispanics are also more than twice as likely as their non-Hispanic counterparts to be content creators and write ratings and reviews. Hispanic shoppers also are twice as likely to share their opinions and write reviews online regarding purchases and experiences. Hispanic Americans have the tendency to contribute rather than simply observe online because the need to connect and share is very prominent in Hispanic culture. They are motivated online to connect with friends, family, and niche communities. When other online forums have declined in popularity over the years, the forum on Univision.com continues to draw substantial traffic and engagement as users converge on the site to find others with the same interests and share their thoughts. Implications: Marketers looking to turn customers into advocates for their brand by helping to generate content and spread the word should take note of the power of Hispanic Americans on social media. The U.S. Hispanic market is increasingly valuable not only as potential customers, but also as potential brand evangelists.   Link to article: http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/Column/Social-Pulse/Are-Hispanics-More-Actively-Engaged-on-Social-Media-93538.htm

[alifeexploring]

Latinas Living La Vida Rica

A report from Nielsen recently called upscale Latinos, “the most influential segment since the baby boomers,” controlling $4 out of every $10 spent by Hispanics. According to the study, Hispanics are helping shape the landscape of America’s economy and have become a game changer for marketers. Latina women are at the forefront of this new wave of power; the percentage of Latinas earning more than $50,000 has grown more than 200 percent over the last 10 years. Such statistics, and the realization that this group is largely being ignored, inspired Journalist Alida Valdes to create a media destination specifically for upscale Latinas. RICA magazine, scheduled to launch November 15th, will cover lifestyle content: from fashion and beauty to books and celebrities. RICA will target the fast-growing demo of sophisticated Latina women who are very much interested in reading about these topics. Valdes says the magazine will avoid being overly ethnocentric. According to her, a mistake with ethnic websites is that they assume the Latina only wants to read about people like her. Instead, the magazine will cover content usually seen in magazines such as Town and Country or Uptown, but through a Hispanic and luxury lens. While publications like People en Español and Latina have been successful in targeting a broader Hispanic audience, publishers agree that not much attention has been paid to the luxury Latina consumer, going so far as to say the upscale Latina has been underserved and maybe even ignored. Why are we sharing this? Valdes’ initiative to create a new category in publishing points to the fact that Latinas are growing as a powerful consumer, ready to be taken seriously. Now is the chance for advertisers to target this demo and court her with luxury brands. However, as Adweek mentions, while advertisers want niche, they also want scale. Whether RICA can attract enough upscale Latina readers to warrant advertisers’ attention, only time will tell. Link to Article: http://www.adweek.com/news/press/rica-new-online-lifestyle-magazine-targeting-wealthy-latinas-153092

[alifeexploring]

Today's Traveler: A Love-Hate Relationship

Conill Advertising recently released an infographic which summarizes findings conducted in a proprietary study, Today’s Traveler: A Love-Hate Relationship. The study highlights the differences and similarities between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic travelers, and their attitudes about air travel.

Here are some of the highlights:

81% of travelers agree flight attendants are polite and courteous, but 61% say passengers are treated more like cattle than people.

55% of travelers aren't happy to see kids seated nearby.

Hispanics feel less comfortable traveling alone, 71% compared to 86% non-Hispanic.

Hispanics appreciate flight attendants helping them with customs forms more than non-Hispanics.

Hispanics also feel more anxious about navigating through security and customs, 34% compared to 23% for non-Hispanics.

What do Hispanic travelers love about flying? Being relaxed and entertained, the view/being in the air, exploring new and faraway places, good service/courteous staff, and meals/snacks/alcohol.

To view the whole infographic: http://conill.com/todaystraveler-airtravel/

[alifeexploring]

Hispanics Are Creating a New Baby Boom in the United States

There is no doubt Latino culture reaches every aspect of American life. From sultry Sofia Vergara (now the top paid actress on television) to Chipotle popping up on every street corner, the Latino influence is hard to ignore. But more importantly then the Latino effect on food or pop culture, Latinos represents a very crucial and lucrative business opportunity - one significant in age, size, and growth. Chiqui Cartagena - an American of Puerto Rican descent - and the vp of corporate marketing for Univision, recently wrote a significant piece for CNN on this widespread effect taking place in the US. According to her, ignorance on the importance of the Hispanic impact on the U.S. economy still runs rampant, even as the Hispanic population continues to sore. While Hispanics represent a profitable opportunity to many sectors of business, many business leaders still do not feel equipped to take proper measures to capitalize on the enormous opportunity, and therefore choose to do nothing at all. This lack of action results in a gap between the awareness to start marketing to Latinos and the ability to do so. That being said, the Latino phenomenon should not be dismissed. Latinos already represent 17% of the total population, but on average, only about 5% to 6% of all advertising budgets are allocated to marketing to them. Latinos also make up more than 20% of key demographic groups – children, teens, and millennials. Minorities make up half of all millennials, with Hispanics accounting for almost 25% of them and growing rapidly. A "millennial strategy" has been a hot topic of late, but one including Hispanics seems even more pertinent. Why are we sharing this? A key statistic that captures the importance of Cartagena’s editorial: every 30 seconds, two non-Hispanics reach retirement age and one Latino turns 18. We are clearly in the era of a new Latino baby boom. Simply because this target is young, does not mean they are any less connected to their Hispanic heritage, in fact, many are proud to identify with their roots. If reached through their culture and with campaigns that are culturally relevant, marketers can capitalize on the Hispanic opportunity.

Link to Article: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/14/opinion/cartagena-latino-boom/