The Travel Brands That Are Taking Advantage of APIs — Digital Marketing News

This week we’re talking about APIs.

“Application programming interfaces,” or APIs for short, may not seem like a topic for marketers. But as data plays an ever-increasing role in the world of marketing, so too do these unique tech tools. Brands like Google, Hilton, and KLM Airlines now recognize that APIs can help marketers open up new distribution channels and access new sources of information, helping them wield more influence over, and gain more profits from, partners and competitors alike. What do travel marketers need to know about APIs? Read on for more details.

Why APIs Matter for Travel Brands: The term “application programming interface” likely causes many people’s eyes to glaze over. But don’t laugh: this software strategy may very well be the future of marketing. These unique digital tools are like the interpreters of the software world, allowing travel businesses to understand the “language” used by their partners as they seek to access information on inventory, schedules, pricing and more. And just like a language, the businesses that “speak” the most popular ones ultimately gain the most influence, and profits. Read more

New Figures Track the Exploding Growth in Mobile Travel Bookings: Mobile bookings continue to gobble up a greater share of online purchases for companies across the travel industry. This week’s latest evidence of the growth of mobile travel purchases is a report that suggests 29% of travel bookings in Q1 2016 came from mobile devices. Read more

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Designing Hotel Technology With Millennial Travelers in Mind: Hotel marketers struggling to understand the burgeoning millennial traveler market have likely heard the generation is more tech savvy than their older peers. But what does this mean in terms of how a hotel owner might invest in various technologies to attract this fickle age group? New research suggests the importance of mobile and building in-room tech that lets millennials access their own content via in-room devices. Read more

National Geographic Promotes the Benefits of Vertical Video: The meteoric rise of smartphones has had an interesting impact on video creation and consumption, with more publishers and marketers experimenting with vertical-, rather than landscape-style, video. One unexpected travel publisher that’s seen strong success with vertical oriented video is National Geographic, whose Snapchat Discover channel has seen video completion rates and user engagement well above average. Read more

USA Today Experiments with Virtual Reality “Map” for Tourism Australia: Virtual reality is seeing plenty of interest and experimentation in the travel space, with a variety of tourism boards and hospitality brands launching VR tests in recent months. This week’s newest example comes form USA Today’s branded content studio, which partnered with Tourism Australia to build an interactive map that lets site visitors virtually explore the country’s unique wildlife and scenery. Read more

Tracking the Rise of Voice Search on Mobile: Just last week, Skift noted a new test by metasearch company Kayak to let users of the voice-powered Amazon Echo search for flights. Kayak’s test appears to have come at a timely moment, as new data reveals the growing embrace of voice-powered internet searches by consumers. The new interface offers both opportunities and challenges for brands operating in the digital travel space. Read more