2013 › October

If you want to know about the current tastes preferences of mainstream American travelers, there are few better places to look than Disney parks. When tandoori and flatbread make the menu, then they've made it.

Even if Google Glass does not take off in its current form, wearables are here to stay. This campaign, though unwieldy from a usability perspective, will help show the potential of this technology and its application in travel and the marketing of it.

It is a travesty for American travel and tourism industry, and no one cares. At least no one in power who wants to do anything about it.

The boundary between professional and private worlds is increasingly blurred due to digital devices, and that has profound effects on the traditionally defined silos between managed and unmanaged travel worlds. And these changes differ from culture to culture.

Hyatt may have cast a larger net by engaging guests on Twitter, but the discussion still leaves out a significantly larger percentage of customers who aren't on Twitter, or who are too busy traveling for business to engage in Twitter chats.

Airbnb has embraced the sin first, ask forgiveness later method of dealing with local laws. They'll now need to learn how to negotiate rather than conduct business as usual.

Creating useful content helps build relationships with the consumer. It reaches the consumer long before they even start to plan their trips and it gets them familiar with the brand or destination and hopefully appeals to them when they are ready to start planning.

The FAA does need to update its guidelines for use of electronic devices on airplanes, but in the realm of what's important, flyers have other issues they're worried about.

Considering the market penetration of online travel in China, still a long way to go on growth, and mobile is just getting started. Homegrown players dominate the market, and the only way larger global players can get in is buy their way in.

It's a good season at the high-end of travel advertising.