A replacement for Travel Thinking

A New Look for Travel Thinking
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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Travel Thinking has a new look. The appearance of the website has not changed. But we now have what Google calls a custom domain - www.travelthinking.com. Since the travel seo blog's inception in 2004 we have used a blogger sub domain - http://travelthinking.blogspot.com. We have decided, that with over 250 posts and tons of content and comment regarding seo and travel industry marketing, that the blog really should look more like a professional website. The site has a repository of material regarding hotels, travel agents, tour operators, travel destinations and resorts.

The Travel Thinking blog remains hosted by Blogger and uses the Blogger platform for publishing and archiving. We have just acquired our own domain. In addition to the www.travelthinking.com domain, we have also acquired www.travelthinking.co.uk. The UK domain redirects to the dot.com version.
Apr 27, 2011 5:03 PM
Slowdown Brings Travel Bargains
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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If you are free to travel abroad in May 2011, there are some absolutely amazing last minute holiday deals to be had on the internet.

Travelzoo’s pick of the bunch could be:

A 7-Night North Cyprus Holiday inclusive of all meals for £279
The Greek Island Escape inclusive of all meals and drinks for £269
Spring Week in Turkey inclusive of all meals and drinks going for £269!

Are these travel bargains due to the fantastic UK weather that we have enjoyed lately, or could it be that most people planning for a spring break have taken their days off in conjunction with the bank holidays over Easter and this week’s Royal Wedding? Has the stretching of valuable days off over April left the travel companies to fill their allocated spring capacity at the rock bottom prices?
Apr 18, 2011 11:24 AM
Conference Market Boost from Volcano Anniversary
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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The travel industry is reaching an interesting birthday. It is 12 months ago that the European travel industry was afflicted by the volcano cloud from Iceland. The volcano cloud forced a complete closure of UK airspace. At the time, amongst other issues we reported that the conference industry had suffered from a number of event cancellations. 12 months on the conference supplies industry appears to have fully recovered with new businesses and new products on the rise. Destinations and key locations should now be benefitting from significant year on year growth during the month of April.
Apr 8, 2011 9:43 AM
First Choice All Inclusive
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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Travelmole's take on First Choice's all-inclusive move.
Apr 8, 2011 9:00 AM
First Choice Goes All Inclusive
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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First Choice
According to the BBC, Tui has repositioned First Choice UK and Ireland as an all-inclusive holiday brand from 2012. Apparently in response to market needs. More information to follow.

I'm not sure this is such a good move. Given the vagaries of the holiday market and the scale of the First Choice brand. Essentially 20 years ago "all-inclusive" was the preserve of upmarket holiday brands such as Sandals. Today the concept is more closely associated with budget destinations such as the Dominican Republic.

One reason behind the move may be an attempt by Tui to reposition First Choice against the Thomson brand.
Apr 5, 2011 10:17 AM
Global Travel Conference
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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I have just spotted this page about the Global Travel Conference on travel photographer Steve Dunlop's website. The page refers to my presentation on SEO for travel agents.
Mar 28, 2011 3:27 PM
More Positive News for UK Hotels
by David@SimplyClicks.com
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Hot on the heels of the report from the Yorkshire tourist board comes two other reports that indicate the UK hotel industry may be a beneficiary of the economic downturn. Firstly comes a report from coach operator Shearings. Secondly a report from Pegasus that shows the conference and incentives market is back from extinction and groups and meetings bookings are well ahead of 2010. Shearings which specialises in UK coach holidays reports that 2011 bookings are 6% up on 2010.

Shearings tend to focus on group travel, which tends to be low margin. On the other hand conference and meetings business tends to be higher margin. With many opportunities to generate ancillary margins.

A well run hotel marketing programme should already be targeting UK sourced business. Conference and meetings represent a great source of revenue, particularly in the form of the additional margins generated from food and beverage areas. The implications for hotel SEO are that a wider range of terms may need to be targeted. The traditional approach is to go for the generic "hotels in" type of terms. Conference and meetings terms cover a wider range of needs. These include meeting room size, the availability of technology such as wi-fi and facilities for gala dinners.
Mar 28, 2011 2:37 PM
Business Tourism Worth £19 Billion
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Shared by you
Yorkshire Conference Revenue Doubles
Travelmole the online community for the travel and tourism industry reports that UK business tourism is worth £19 billion. The data comes from a report by the Yorkshire tourism board. Welcome to Yorkshire reports that it has recorded £16 million worth of conferencing revenue for the current financial year, its highest ever total and more than double last year's figure.

From experience I would suggest that UK business tourism is a poorly defined category. For example, when is a business tourist different from an ordinary tourist? However, one clear way of describing the business tourist category is when someone attends a conference or exhibition. Conference delegates tend to spend more per day than leisure tourists. Travelling on expense accounts and often entertaining clients, conference delegates are more predisposed towards more expensive dining. A hotel or other meeting venue will typically have a much higher spend from business visitors than leisure visitors.

Welcome to Yorkshire puts much of its success down to the substitution of UK venues for overseas conference destinations. With corporate budgets under pressure conference organisers are turning to domestic conference venues.
Mar 15, 2011 3:47 PM
Travel Agent Seo
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Travel Agent SeoPopout
View more presentations from dburdon.
Mar 9, 2011 3:26 PM
New SEO Project
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Simply Clicks has taken on a new travel industry SEO project. We are to manage the search engine optimisation for Indian visa specialist Skylord Travel plc.

India is a fast growing long haul destination attracting thousands of UK citizens and people of Indian descent every month. An India visa is essential for all travel to India. India visa company manage the application process on behalf of travels. The service costs £59 per application.
Mar 3, 2011 9:54 AM
Travel Agent SEO
by David@SimplyClicks.com
A framework for travel agent SEO
The presentation for the Global Independent Travel Agent conference is now finished. You can find it by clicking the post title above.

The presentation is focused on travel agent SEO and covers a wide range of issues concerning travel SEO, pay per click management and optimisation for a wide range of Google search services.

A list of topics covered in the presentation is as follows:

SEO theory
SEO practicalities
Understanding how a travel agency website works
Search marketing planning
Google local search
The importance of Google place pages
Google map search
Keyword research
Pay per click management
Google Adwords Quality score
Improvingyour conversion rate
SEO recommendations

All of the above search issues are covered from the perspective of an independent travel agent. The most important overall idea is to avoid direct competition with the vertically integrated travel groups and tour operators. Secondly to focus of keyword terms and market categories that are most likely to yield a booking.
Mar 2, 2011 2:52 PM
Travel SEO loses out to social media
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I have just seen a travel industry job advertised for the position of Social Media Manager. That such a job is available is no great surprise. However, the salary quoted for the position is £50,000. This may be no great shakes in the wider executive job market but for the travel industry it seems rather a lot. No details of the employer are given except the role covers EMEA, implying that it will be a larger, rather than a smaller firm.

Interestingly, Travel Thinking has covered details of a number of travel SEO jobs. Both the of the UK's leading integrated tour operators Thomson and Thomas Cook have advertised for SEO executives in the past year. Typically, the salary for a UK based SEO manager is around £35,000. The salary advertised for the social media position is approximately 43% more.

Given the premium offered for the social media position imply that social media is deemed more important than SEO?
Mar 1, 2011 2:45 PM
Global Travel Conference
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The Global Travel Group
I am speaking next week at the Global Travel Conference. The audience of around 300 conference delegates will be made up of around 200 agents and a further 100 travel industry suppliers. The event takes place next week in Leicester. I will be presenting my ideas on how an independent travel can best leverage search marketing to improve their presence on the Internet. The conference is organised by Dave Clayton of Global Travel and will be moderated by Jeremy Skidmore, the former editor of Travel Weekly.

The presentation will cover aspects of travel SEO, pay per click, local search marketing, blogging and social media. As far as possible I will look at free and low cost ways to boost search engine presence.

The list of topics will covering the following areas:

Travel SEO for web, image and Google shopping search
Google local search - Google Places and Google Map
Blogs and Blogging - Both Wordpress and Blogger
Forums such as UK Business Forum
Social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
Directories
Free website design tools such as Gimp and Kompozer

Feb 15, 2011 12:32 PM
Croatia Holidays Client
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Dubrovnik Croatia
Simply Clicks has recently secured Croatia holidays specialist tour operator Completely Croatia as a new client. Simply Clicks will be responsible for the Google Adwords and travel SEO of Completely Croatia. Outside of my existence at Simply Clicks, I have had experience of launching and managing the marketing of Croatia as a holiday destination back in 2002/3.
Feb 8, 2011 9:34 AM
Thomas Cook Seek German SEO Executive
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Thomas Cook are looking to recruit a German speaking SEO executive. The job will be based in London with a search engine optimisation brief to cover all German language sites within the Thomas Cook Group.

The full job description is as follows:

Job Title: SEO Executive - (German Speaker)

Role Level: 4

Location: London

Job Description

Role Purpose

To be responsible for a number of TCG owned and operated sites. The role will be responsibility for the operational for keyword choices, front end optimisation through to reporting and evaluation. The SEO specialist will take onboard or be involved in all language appropriate sites as needed and feed into the central SEO product requirements & strategies.

SEO Strategy

To understand, contribute to and execute against the SEO strategies and action plans on a number of topics;

Content
Link Building
Onsite optimisation
SEO Product requirements
To utilise and communication against plan on reporting & analytics

Budgeting and accruals input
Agency selection & operational management

SEO Operations

Ensure all strategies are executed accurately and efficiently
Work all wider stakeholders to ensure the correct promotions of products and lines of business
Work with relevant parties on SEO site enhancements, new features and future developments
Share learning's and best practice with the wider SEO & Search terms

. Essential:

Hands-on experience of supporting SEO strategy and execution in an e-commerce space
German language (wriiten and verbal)
An understanding of online and direct marketing required and how this interfaces with the wider business
Creative with excellent presentation and communication skills
Ability to multi task, plan and prioritise to deliver on time
Good commercial and analytical skills
Enthusiastic, self-confident, positive and energetic team player
Deep knowledge of SEO
Excellent MS Excel, Word, Power Point skills.
Extremely data-orientated, moderately comfortable with statistics and economics
Relevant experience in support SEO for a large e-commerce business

Desirable:

Online relevant experience, online travel strongly preferred
Experience working with SEO agencies
Knowledge of database tools (e.g. SQL, Access, etc.)
Experience supporting search engines other than Google

Consumer e-commerce preferred
_______________________________________

Thomas Cook advertised for an English speaking SEO manager back in October 2010.
Feb 3, 2011 11:33 AM
Adwords Headline Limit Removed
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Adwords Headlines - No longer limited?
It seems that Google is no longer limiting the headline in a Google Adwords ad. The above example for a search for "package holidays Croatia" shows a headline that extends to 56 characters, including spaces. The normal limit is 25 characters. I have previously seen this limit exceeded by a character when dynamic keyword insertion is used. However, 56 characters seems to be a deliberate attempt to make the sponsored results look more like organic results. In so doing it would be more likely that the ads are clicked on.

I have checked the Inside Adwords blog and can find no reference to the change.
Jan 10, 2011 10:51 AM
Travel Industry News and Reviews
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Ayers Rock - Uluru - Australia
I have just spotted a new travel blog; Travel News Reviews. The blog will feature new, reviews and offers for the travel industry. The first post covers holidays to Las Vegas, Greece, Sharm el Sheikh and Thailand as well as flights to Australia.
Las Vegas - Nevada - USA

With the exception of Greece, all of the other destinations make great winter destinations. However, January is the traditional booking period for summer holidays. The recent record low UK temperatures have seen a surge in holiday bookings.
Jan 6, 2011 2:46 PM
Searching for your 2011 Holiday
by David@SimplyClicks.com
If you are looking for some January inspiration, maybe booking your 2011 holiday would do the trick?

The Destinations Travel Exhibition
Increasingly, consumers go online to research for holiday destinations and the best deals. For the undecided, the amount of information and choice online can at times be overwhelming. Maybe this year it would be worth waiting until you've had a chance to visit to the 2011 Destinations Holiday and Travel show before starting your online activity.

The exhibition takes place between 3 - 6 of February at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre and 4 - 6 of March at Birmingham NEC. To inspire you, some of the most famous names and guest speakers within travel will be present at the show in the Meet the Experts Theatre. At their exhibition stands with brochures, banners, offers and branded gifts you'll find all continents, over one hundred countries and all sectors from the world of travel. You'll have a chance to visit a range of Mediterranean and city tour operators as well as luxury operators, both long haul and short hall, airlines and other transport providers, many UK and overseas tourist offices, hotels and other accommodation providers, travel agents, adventure organisers and other travel related providers just to name a few.

This show is worth a visit for inspiration and exclusive travel offers helping you find and book your next dream holiday online or at the travel agent with confidence.
Jan 5, 2011 11:21 AM
Travel Searches on the Rise
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The early part of the New Year has seen a rise in activity for travel related search terms. It looks like volumes for Spain and France are seeing their normal boost in interest. UK holidaymakers and tour operators are now getting used to a Euro to Sterling exchange rate of 1.15. French travel specialists, particularly had a very tough couple of years when the exchange rate fell from around 1.47 to as low as 1.05 in early 2009.

Some market categories such as ski have been hit particularly hard. A high season ski pass in a major French domain now costs in excess of £200 per week. In the other parts of the travel market, such as Andalucian villa rental, accommodation providers have benefited from the growth in low cost air. This has widened the season with flights to major airports such as Malaga now being available throughout the year.
Dec 14, 2010 3:16 PM
New Cheap Flights Blog
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Just seen the new cheap flights blog. You can fly to Perth, Western Australia from as little as £645. Although the blog refers to direct flights, I believe flights to Perth involve at least one stop. I understand the blog author is referring to the advantages of flying to Perth as your first Australian stop, rather than flying to a more popular destination such as Sydney, then making an internal flight to Perth.
Dec 14, 2010 2:16 PM
Cheap flights to Australia with Travelbag.co.uk
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Sydney Opera House
For my planned trip to Australia I wanted to find the cheapest flights to Sydney on the web. After discovering Travelbag.co.uk from an advert in the Daily Mail newspaper I quickly found a cheap flight to Sydney on their website. After comparing the price with other leading travel companies Travelbag.co.uk were by far the cheapest.
Although my trip is to Sydney, Travelbag.co.uk also offered the cheapest flights to Australia including destinations such Perth, Melbourne & Brisbane. After a quick call to the Australia travel experts they quickly found the best deal for my flights and also offered exclusive offers on Sydney hotels. With over 30 years experience, ATOL & ABTA bonded, my money is not only safe but I've recieved excellent service and would highly recommend Travelbag.co.uk for anyone wishing to use a long haul tailor made travel expert.
Dec 2, 2010 10:39 AM
James Villas Acquired by Wyndham Worldwide
by David@SimplyClicks.com
James Villas - Leading Mediterranean Villa
According to Travelmole, leading Mediterranean villa specialist James Villas has been acquired by Wyndham Worldwide for a fee of around $77 million (£50 million).

Wyndham Worldwide already owns Hoseasons.

The UK villa market is one part of the outbound tourist market that has weathered the pressures impacting on tour operating. Many loyal villa holidaymakers do not see their purchase as a package holiday. Even though they benefit from ABTA or ATOL protection.

There is real scope for expansion in the villa market as both the direct booking and low cost air travel trends appear to support growth of the market category. The most popular destinations include Spain and Portugal that are well served by Ryanair and Easyjet.
Nov 30, 2010 6:13 PM
Al Fresco Sold to Homair
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Thomson sells Al Fresco
Travelmole reports that TUI Travel is to sell its camping operation Thomson Al Fresco to French operator Homair Vacances for £10.3 million.
French camping company Homair Vacances has been operating for 20 years and claims to be a leader in the mobile home holiday business with 60,000 families staying at its homes in France, Spain and other Mediterranean countries.
Al Fresco was added to the Thomson portfolio about 7 years ago. I could never work out why. Thomson's strength in the 1990s was its vertically integrated model that combined travel agent, tour operator, airline and accommodation in a single aligned business.
Firstly, the UK outbound camping market primarily relies on motor based transportation to deliver passengers to the key resorts in France. Secondly, even with Thomson's resources Al Fresco's market share would always lag well behind the market leader Holiday Break, the owner of the Eurocamp and Keycamp brands.
I stayed in an Al Fresco mobile home in the second year of the company's operation. I was much impressed by the comparison with the quality of the caravans versus competing businesses. On this this years stay in south west France, it struck me that 6 year's later the company appeared to be using the same stock.

European camping holiday operators have been having a tough time in recent years. The demise of the company car, the rise of low cost airlines and the fall in the value of Sterling against the Euro have all squeezed the business.
Nov 25, 2010 5:49 PM
Hotel SEO to the fore
by David@SimplyClicks.com
In recent weeks we have an upturn in visitors generated by the search term "hotel SEO". Hotel SEO is something we have been undertaking since 2005. In many respects it should be an easy sell. Ambitious hotels spend large sums on pay per click advertising and the hotel consolidators and online travel agents have well optimised websites.

I have spoken at several conferences on the subject but it seems there is a reluctance on the part of independent hotel owners to commit marketing funds to SEO. That appears to be changing.
Oct 28, 2010 6:52 PM
Social Media Gurus
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I've just noticed that I'm featured on Twitter on a list of social media gurus. Now I've already come across someone else in this community who describes themselves as an SEO god. But me a social media guru? I've always regarded myself as a bit of a social media sceptic. I can only think, that it may be to do with this blog being recommended by the social media in travel group on LinkedIn. Anyway enough navel gazing.
Oct 28, 2010 6:30 PM
Google Launches Place Search - Travel Industry Implications
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Google has today launched Google Place Search in the UK. Google's latest search initiative and another development to keep the travel SEO community on its toes. This is hot on the heels of its other big media event the launch of the The Connected Kingdom report.

I have already carried out a few test searches - largely for hotels - and I can already see the implications for the travel industry. At first glance it seems to tip the balance further in favour of Google map type - or place pages - searches over traditional web searches. However, a closer look at the results suggests a change to the place pages algorithm. Based on the limited number of searches I've undertaken - 25 or so - it appears that websites that did better on "web" searches than they did on "map" searches have had a bit of a leg-up.

Now I'm not suggesting that poor map optimisation has been rewarded. But there are factors other than optimisation affecting your map search position. The most obvious being your address, particularly your postcode in relation to the centroid of a map search.

In the example above, a search for Canterbury hotels, I can see clearly where a hotel with the wrong postcode, that ranked well outside the top 7 results shown in the old "7 pack" map results, has now made it into the top 3 place results.
Oct 26, 2010 5:58 PM
Marketing Executive SEO - Travel Weekly - New Frontiers
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I see Travel Weekly is running an advertisement for a Marketing Executive -SEO and Social Media. The job is available via New Frontiers. The salary advertised is in the region of £30-£32k.

According to the ad the job description is as follows:

As an Online Marketing Executive you will undertake an array of tasks responsibilities:
* Campaign Management - Updating of marketing campaign documents with Website, SEO and Social Media developments
* Research, Reporting & Analysis - Ongoing measurement ad reporting of website visitors and conversion, Ongoing research into new techniques and developments that will impact SEO, Ongoing research into new online media opportunities.~
* Campaign Planning and Implementation - in conjunction with the E-commerce Manager, develop the annual SEO and Social Media Strategy
* Carry out technical audits of each website on a bi-annual basis to secure that they are meeting SEO guidelines
* Work with web development team to ensure all new features
* Develop, create and upload content that is SEO friendly for the website.

Oct 21, 2010 10:10 AM
Tui in £117m Blunder
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Tui, the parent company of Thomson and First Choice tour operating brands has admitted to overstating 2009 profits by £117 million. The problem has been caused by the merger of the Tui and First Choice operatings and relates to problems in accounting for discounts, rebates and commissions paid to travel retailers. Most embarrassingly this includes their own retail operation, Lunn Poly.
Oct 20, 2010 9:49 PM
Thomas Cook Recruiting SEO Manager
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I see from a recruitment advertisement on my Linkedin home page that Thomas Cook are looking for an SEO manager. The job description is as follows:

The key focus of this role is to own the English SEO sites. Reporting directly to the Head of SEO. To be responsible for ThomasCook.com and a number of other English language sites. The responsibility will be for keyword strategy, front end optimisation through to reporting and evaluation. The SEO Manager for the English language will have guidance/mentorship of the SEO executives. The UK SEO manager will take onboard or be involved in all English language sites as needed from time to time, and feed into the central SEO product requirements.
SEO Strategy and Financials

* To produce the SEO sub-strategies and action plans for…

Content

Link Building

SEO Product requirements

To utilise and communication against plan on reporting & analytics

* Budgeting and accruals input

* Agency selection & operational management

SEO Operations

* Ensure all strategies are executed accurately and efficiently

* Work all wider stakeholders to ensure the correct promotion of products and lines of business

* Work with relevant parties on SEO site enhancements, new features and future developments

* Share learnings and best practice with the wider SEO & Search teams

Skills

# Hands-on experience managing SEO strategy and execution in an e-commerce space

# An understanding of online and direct marketing required and how this interfaces with the wider business

# Creative with excellent presentation and communication skills

# Ability to multi task, plan and prioritise to deliver on time

# Good commercial and analytical skills

# Enthusiastic, self-confident, positive and energetic team player

# Deep knowledge of SEO

# Able to forecast performance and spend for £MM+ budget

# Excellent MS Excel, Word, Power Point skills

# Extremely data-orientated, moderately comfortable with statistics and economics

# Relevant experience in managing SEO for a large e-commerce business

Remuneration is described as competitive. The position reports to Adrian Land the Head of Search Marketing for Thomas Cook UK.
Oct 13, 2010 1:51 PM
Travel SEO and Complexity
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I have been wrestling recently with the growing complexity of search marketing. In recent months there has been an accelerating level of market and technological innovations in the search space. Some of these innovations have been driven directly by Google and Bing the search market leaders. Other innovations have been spill overs from the developments around and pressures from social media.

A Hotel Search For Rye
It was not so long ago that the Google search results page (the SERPs) just showed the web results. That is the normal text based results that related to standard html/php/asp based web pages. Now of course the results have been superseded by a whole range of different screen configurations that could include maps, images. shopping, real time, blog or news results. Between search categories the selection of results that are shown appears random. However, within a search category, say hotels, the configurations appear relatively stable. An example would be "hotels in Rye" where web results 1, 2 and 3 are shown before a local results map featuring just 3 results. In this case, despite the 3 paid results above the organic results, the "web" no.1 ranking has a significant value.

A Hotel Search For Canterbury

In the case of a search for "hotels in Canterbury", the local results map features 7 hotels. This "7 pack" map relegates the number 1 organic result to just above the fold. So the use of Google maps, which are predominantly driven by the content of Google Place pages, has reduced the value of an organic ranking.

The next issue where complexity diminishes the value of good SEO is the use of personalised search. The implication of this is that each individual user of Google is given results tailored to their search and browsing history. In the case of travel SEO this would mean a frequent searcher of hotels (or airlines) or terms related to a destination would be see skewed results. From close examination of analytics we can see the variation to actual search results that this presents.

Google instant search is another new innovation. As mentioned in my previous article this is particularly awkward for destination based searches, where various alternative destinations are suggested.

We have yet to mention paid search and all the innovations in Google Adwords. An issue is that all this complexity creates additional search marketing overhead. For an SEO agent its a question of whether clients will stomach the increased costs.
Oct 8, 2010 9:18 AM
Thomas Cook and Co-op Retail Merge
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I have been alerted by Travel Mole that Thomas Cook and the Co-op Travel group are to merge, creating the UK's largest retail travel network of 1,204 stores. The merged company will be owned 70% by Thomas Cook and 30% by the Co-op Travel Group.

The enlarged retail chain will maintain separate branding. Co-op tends to be stronger in the north, whilst Thomas Cook is a truly national brand. In addition, 70 Going Places will be renamed under the Co-operative Travel brand. Thomas Cook’s online operation is not part of the merger.

Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa, said:

"Today's announcement, together with our plans to cut costs and streamline the rest of our UK business, will put us in a much stronger position, should market conditions in the UK remain weak,"

Last week, Thomas Cook launched a cost-cutting programme, although the details were not clear at the time, the merger was obviously on the cards.

The consolidation of the package tour and retail travel industry has been inevitable. This merger is obviously defensive. As long ago I was writing about the structural problems of the vertically integrated tour operators. The major players in the industry may refer to the problems related to The World Cup and the ash cloud but the business model employed by many of the travel industry's players is anchored in the 1980s and 1990s. There will be more pain to come.

Oct 1, 2010 2:15 PM
Heli Salmons Makes it to Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
by David@SimplyClicks.com

Heli, 4th from Left, on Mount Kilimanjaro

We have just heard that Heli has made it to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet, the highest mountain in Africa. Heli completed the climb with a group of 24 climbers. She has undertaken the climb in order to raise funds for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity.

The expedition was organised by the KMFM Kilimanjaro Trekkers, based in Kent. Details can be found by clicking the title of this post above.

Donations to Marie Curie can be made on Heli's Just Giving page.
Sep 29, 2010 11:22 AM
John Kay on Innovation in the Airline Industry
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Economist John Kay in todays FT, makes the point that governments generally get wrong when they try to encourage growth and innovation within an industry. They talk to the major players. The major players are established firms with vested interest vis-a-vis customers and new entrants. In fact, Kay contends, these are the interests that will stifle competition and innovation.

When looking at the airline industry the British government of the 1990s bent over backwards to promote the interests of British Airways and British Caledonian. At the time they were Britain's two major airlines. Kay argues by implication that the government should have been talking to Michael O'Leary of Ryanair and Stelios Haji Ioannu of Easyjet. At the time both businesses were embryonic but their models of operation and marketing were quite radical in several ways:

Flexible, simple one way based pricing
Not using the major hubs such Heathrow
Not using unionised labour
Not distributing via or paying commission to travel agents
Simplistic price based marketing
Not using paper tickets
Not supplying free meals or drinks

However, the low-cost or no-frills approach has come to dominate short-haul air travel. Indeed, without these low cost carriers, there would be no growth in the airline industry.

Between them Ryanair and Easyjet upset the flag carriers, i.e. the nationally owned airlines like BA and Aer Lingus, other airlines operating a full service offering and the travel agents and the tour operators who distributed their flights to end users. I came across both Haji-Ioannu and O'Leary during the mid-1990s. The vested interests from ABTA to IATA to the trades unions seemed dead against them. They were pilloried or dismissed at every opportunity. At times it seemed their only friends were the newspapers and other media that took their advertising. Then along came the Internet. And the rest is history.

The moral of the story, as John Kay points out in his article, is that:

if an industry is to advance, much – perhaps all – innovation will come from businesses that do not exist yet. Their founders may not even have imagined the activities that will one day make them celebrities.

Sep 28, 2010 12:28 PM
Thomas Cook to Make Cuts
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Thomas Cook has announced it is reviewing its operations in the light of a disappointing summer. According to Thomas Cook's statement volumes were down 1% in summer 2010, although average selling prices were 3% higher than 2010.
Costs were £10 million higher than expected. Most of the cost overruns appear to centre on Thomas Cook's airline.
Quoted on Telegraph.co.uk:

Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa confirmed there would be job losses, but said it was too early to reveal numbers.
He said: "The review is looking at everything from the bottom up and top down. Of course that includes staff, but also suppliers and our overhead structures."

The financial statement appears focused on the company's tour operation. Although Thomas Cook is the leading high street travel agency brand and a competitive provider of foreign currency. However, Thomas Cook is one of the last two large vertically integrated tour operators left in the UK. The other is Thomson. I have been arguing for several years that the vertically integrated tour operating model is a 1990s phenomenon that has little economic logic in the 21st century. Thomas Cook employs 15,000 people in the UK.
Sep 24, 2010 11:06 AM
Visit Britain and Visit England Under Quango Review
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Visit Britain - Under Review
The UK Government has announced a full list of publicly funded bodies that are at risk under the so-called "bonfire of the Quangos". Amongst the bodies at risk are Visit Britain and Visit England.

The Conservative led coalition government is fighting a £150 billion public sector deficit and came to power with a pre-announced agenda to cut down on wasteful spending. It would seem obvious to most people that outside of the UK, Britain and England are effectively synonymous. The English tourism lobby will probably bleat that their Scottish, Welsh and Irish counterparts are not under threat. However, the Irish have already merged the two separate bodies that looked after the tourism promotion of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. And without a doubt Wales and Ireland are seen as separate entities from England/Britain in many parts of the English speaking world such as the USA and the Commonwealth.
Sep 21, 2010 4:49 PM
Stena Line Boss Calls Brits Fat
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Stena Boss - Pim de Lange
The boss of Stena Line's Harwich to Hook of Holland route, Pim de Lange, has dropped a clanger by describing British workers as too fat and covered in tattoos. Pim's remarks have created a storm in the British media, whipped up by the RMT union who are complaining about the employment of Filipinos at £2.20 per hour. Pim had made the remark to a Dutch trade newspaper.

Pim is a nice guy. I worked alongside him at Stena. A typical laid back Dutchman who probably didn't realise the risks he was taking when he made, what to many people, is a fairly accurate assessment. Pim's background was in the freight industry where nobody would get excited about such remarks. The good news for Stena is that they are now back in profit having got over the problems associated with the end of duty free.

Pim de Lange joins Jet2 boss Philip Meeson in the Putting your foot in it Hall of Fame. In 2006 Meeson described striking French airport workers as Lazy Frogs. Since then Jet2 have gone from strength to strength. Link bait anyone?
Sep 10, 2010 11:22 AM
Google Instant Search and Travel SEO
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Google Instant Search is here and there has been a lot of debate about its implications in its first 36 hours of existence. Much has been made of its apparent bias towards big brand searches. Some mention has also been made of the negative impact it may have on businesses that rely on long tail searches.

My greatest concern with Google Instant Search is obviously for the impacts it has on both the SEO and PPC management programmes of our clients. It is early days but we have carried out some experimentation. This has focused on some the most important and high value keywords that drive business for our clients. We have looked at a number of market categories and have seen some interesting search results. Given that this is a blog dedicated to travel SEO I will look at finding from relevant categories.

In this particular case I will look at hotel SEO. Below is the progression of searches made for one particular client. Key search terms are "hotels in Rye" and "Rye hotels". In the first example I will focus on the second of the two searches. One caveat is that Google Instant search only works on Google.co.uk if you are logged into your Google account. Although I try to make as few searches as possible whilst logged-in, it is possible that any results shown have been modified by the personalisation of results.

The sequence below shows the suggested searches that Google presents as you type the term "Rye hotels".

R = Rightmove
Ry = Ryanair
Rye = Rye House
Rye h = Rye House
Rye ho = Rye House
Rye hot = Rye hotels
Rye hote = Rye hotels
Rye hotel = Rye hotels
Rye hotels = Rye hotels

The key question to ask is the likelihood of any of theses pre-completion searches acting as a distraction to the search term that generates a result that links to the client's website. The first term is a national brand but nothing to do with anything the potential searcher of hotels in Rye is likely to be distracted by. The second, is go karting circuit but the name "Rye house" could credibly be a hotel and may lead to distraction. The interesting thing is that for 3 or the 9 letter entries that make up the search term, Rye House is the suggested term. It is not until letter 6 that "Rye hotels" appears as the suggested search term.

Searching for Rye but I get Rome - and at a lower price!
The next most important search for this client is "hotels in Rye". This type of search opens up a completely range of suggestion options as not only do you have organic and paid searches being suggested but also Google Maps plays a dominant role on the page. Given that this search takes a totel of 13 letter entries, including spaces, I won't go into such detail this time. However this search may prove slightly more distracting because I am being offered places that could be slightly more exotic than the Sussex coastal town. For the Google Adwords being shown discount prices and special offers may cloud my previously clear intentions. Click on the image of the Google search engine results pages for an almost full-sized version. The key components of the search entry sequence are as follows:

Entries 1-3 = Hotmail
Entries 4 - 6 = Hotels
Entries 7 - 10 = Hotels in London (with Google map of central London)
Entry 11 = Hotels in Rome (with Google map of Rome)
Entries 12 - 13 = Hotels in Rye (Google map disappears)

What are the implications for the client of this type of search suggestion progression? At this stage we will just have to watch the analytics. But it will take some time before we get to understand the meaning of the new definitions of data such as impressions and click through rates in the new environment.

However, with changes to Google Adwords and Google maps also cluttering the searcher's screen, there will obviously be some level of distraction. In other categories Google Shopping, Google News and Google Image search will also be jumping around the screen.
Sep 10, 2010 10:27 AM
BA Offering Free Flights to Small Businesses
by David@SimplyClicks.com
BA Face to Face
British Airways is offering free flights to small businesses under their Face to Face Program. The spelling of "programme" may provide a clue that this is a US only programme.

So far in 2010, a total of 100 small and medium sized enterprises have benefited from the programme. The scheme awards business opportunity grants in the form passenger flights, cargo flights and a package of other business benefits in conjunction with a number of multinational partners such as Marriott, Canon and Regus.

Most of the flights are long haul. And BA obviously hopes to grow and secure long term loyalty.
Sep 3, 2010 1:15 PM
Back from Aquitaine
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Laugerie Basse - Gite Complex Dordogne
I am back in the office after a three week break in south west France. We were based in Les Landes on the coast at Messanges. I'm a great fan of the region having discovered it in 1989. The culture, cuisine and lifestyle are so different from northern France. Rugby and bull fighting are the amain sports, foie gras the local produce, plus the gascon dialect being just four examples of what differentiates the region. Given the distance from Calais, 635 miles, I spent quite a bit of time travelling around the Aquitaine region and the adjacent area of Spain.

Our time in Spain included two separate visits. One visit was to San Sebastian, Donostia in Basque, for the Semana Grande. The second visit was to Pamplona in Navarre, the home of the famous encierro or bull run at the festival of San Fermin. Although both cities are nominally Basque, Pamplona, as part of the kingdom of Navarre incoporpated into Spain in 1512, sees itself as more Spanish. San Sebastian on the coast is close to the population centre of Basque Spain and it citizens come across as fiercely independent of Castillian influence.

On the way back to the UK I drove via the Dordogne. Visiting an old work colleague who has retired from the London-based rat race and acquired a small Dordogne gite complex. The gite complex is well located in Berbigiueres, 2 minutes drive from the riverside town of St. Cyprien and has access to some of the popular Dordogne towns such as Beynac, Sarlat and Souillac.

One of the pleasures of the Dordogne stop over was the opportunity to sample some of the local Bergerac wine produced by the St. Grinou winery at Monestier. Made from Sauvignon Blanc Semillon grapes the white wine was as delicate and crisply refreshing as any I've tried.

I've now been back in the UK 4 days. And I am already missing Aquitaine.
Aug 4, 2010 11:32 AM
London Travel SEO Project
by David@SimplyClicks.com
We have just started the early stages of an SEO project for London tourist activities and events. The new travel and tourism website will feature details of hotels, restaurants, transport, shopping, attractions and events.

London is one of the World's top tourist destinations. This is for both leisure and business tourism. With a weak pound and a two year run in to the 2012 Olympics, there are a range of reasons to think that it is well placed to see tourist visitor numbers on the rise.

London is a great place to go for individuals, couples, families and business people. With events for all ages, a range of top sporting venues and a number of major business conferences and exhibitions. As well as the Olympics, longer term, London will see the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and, of course, is bidding to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Jul 31, 2010 3:43 PM
Most Luxurious Hotel in the UK
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Search engines and SEO can work in the most mysterious and unexpected of ways. Take the title of this post. I was drawn to write this blog post on the basis of a search I had spotted. The search was "most luxurious hotel in the UK". An ex-client hotel comes in fifth for this search on Bing. Coming fifth in the search engine results pages, even on page one, is no big deal. Especially for what is essentially a long tail search term. But two things struck me.

Firstly, the hotel in question is The Glenlo Abbey Hotel in Galway, Ireland. And that's right, Galway is in the Irish Republic. The second thing that struck me, was that although the Glenlo Abbey appeared fifth in the rankings, it was, in fact, the first actual hotel website. The results for rankings 1 to 4 were all hotel booking agents or consolidators. So, if the searcher is looking for an actual hotel, rather than an agent, coming fifth is no bad thing.

In travel SEO and hotel SEO in particular this type of search engine results page is quite typical. The online travel agents and hotel consolidators have much greater SEO resource and more powerful linking resources than an independently owned hotel or small hotel chain. Google talks a lot about searcher intent. And I am sure, that more often than not, a prospective hotel guest would rather be shown the results featuring the websites of actual hotels, than a list of hotel booking agents.

The last issue to tackle is to ask why, if the Glenlo Abbey Hotel is so obviously located outside the United Kingdom, did it appear in the results for such a term? Well, the answer will the subject of a future post on hotel SEO.

Jul 28, 2010 12:50 PM
Bullfighting Banned in Catalonia
by David@SimplyClicks.com
According to The telegraph, the regional government of the Spanish region of Catalonia have voted to ban bullfighting. The ban is planned to come into effect in 2012, with the region's parliament in Barcelona voting 68-55 in favour of a ban.

Part of the rationale for the ban is that the people of Catalonia are not Spanish. Those, particularly from Barcelona, see themselves as more European, than Iberian. And that they see the sport of bullfighting as a vestige of Castillian rule. Although bullfighting has existed in the Catalonian part of Spain for several centuries the real strength of the sport is in Castile and Andalucia. Other parts of Spain, such as the Basque country, also claim they are not Spanish. But from my visits to San Sebastian I am aware that bullfighting remains popular in the region. Indeed, there is a part of Catalonia that is definitely not part of Spain because it is part of France. I am referring to the area around Perpignan.

In French Catalonia, in direct contrast to their Iberian Catalan neighbours to the south, the people claiming to be Catalans celebrate bullfighting as a defining part of their Catalan or Occitan heritage and culture. A heritage and culture that differentiates them from the Frankish and Parisian dominated north. The bullfighting ban in Barcelona presents an interesting contrast in the two Catalan communities' claims to represent a separist approach to their surrounding administrations and populations.
Jul 21, 2010 9:46 AM
Google ITA Buy - Further Negative Comment
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Google ITA Acquisition
This morning's Media Post carries an article with a more detailed critique Google's proposed $700 million acquisition of travel meta search engine ITA. Entitled Will Google's Acquisition Of ITA Damage The Online Travel Industry? the full post can be reached via the blog post title above. The Google ITA deal is highly likely to require regulatory approval. The critique is by Brian Silver the CEO of Travel Ad Network in New York is perhaps the best, so far, from a travel industry insider.

Perhaps Brian's most salient comment is as follows:

Most of the press coverage of the announcement took the easy way out and copied from the media release the shorthand that ITA is simply a "flight information software company." But the fact is, ITA is the primary transaction component for major OTAs and Meta Search sites, allowing them to sell seats directly to site visitors. With only minor tinkering, Google could create a landing page with dynamically updated flight prices and availability that would dominate the natural search rankings and suck a good deal of the traffic away from the established travel sites.

The truth is that travel insiders understand the fragility of their existing role in the travel distribution value chain. The growth of the Internet and the increasing dominance of search have transformed the way travel is markets. Google, as the owner of the dominant search channel, combined with the dominant travel meta search engine will have tremendous power.

Brian contends that for the travel industry this acquisition will lead to Google becoming the only game in town. That, to me, sounds like a monopoly. Within a UK context nobody, not even Thomson, or any of the global distribution systems has ever had such a potential concentration of market power.
Jul 20, 2010 4:03 PM
Goldtrail Vultures Bend Google Adwords Rules
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Goldtrail Holidays Collapse - Google Adwords
Despite the obvious distress that has been caused to 16,000 holiday makers and hundreds of staff, the travel industry wasn't slow in responding to the failure of Goldtrail holidays. As a search for "Goldtrail travel" on Google shows - see Adwords screen shot image - there are plenty of willing takers ready to offer flights, holidays and even claims advice to the victims of the Goldtrail collapse. Click on the image to see a full sized screen shot.

The image to the left shows a search on Google Adwords for Goldtrail travel and Google of course are a beneficiary of the collapse. Google makes 95% of its revenue from Google Adwords. The vulture advertisers are exploiting a short term and ephemeral surge in Goldtrail search volumes. In addition, in this particular case Google appears to have turned a blind eye to one of its own rules. That is, as an advertiser, there are restrictions whenever you buy a brand name term, in this case "Goldtrail". The rule is that you are not usually allowed to use that term in the copy of your ads. In this case, a close inspection of the screen shot will show a number of advertisers unconnected with Goldtrail are using the Goldtrail name. The Goldtrail text is highlighted or bolded on the search results page.

On the Beach
Travel Republic
Travel Patrol
Monarch
Holiday Claims
Very Cheap Holidays

On the other hand, some of the advertisers have avoided any mention of the Goldtrail brand.

Those eschewing the opportunity to fully exploit the Goldtrail brand include:

easyJet
Fly Thomas Cook
Sunwings

Are these brands practising some form of decency or have they been held back by internal legal advice? It seems to me Google has probably taken a commercial decision and not bothered to enforce its own rules on the basis that Goldtrail no longer exists as a viable entity.
Jul 5, 2010 12:37 PM
Google ITA Buy - A Huge Threat to Travel Industry
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The UK travel industry has been warned that Google's purchase of ITA Software represents a huge threat to travel distribution intermediaries. The warning comes from Andreas Pourous of SEO agency Greenlight.

Google as been attracted to ITA by their QPX tool that searches airline fares, schedules and availability. Not only will Google have direct access to this information but it will also be in a position to decide how this information is presented.

I suspect that the QPX results will be shown in a similar way to Google Shopping results. This will, at a stroke, displace and devalue the organic (free) results below ranking positions 2, 3 or 4. This will raise the value of rankings above the "shopping" and make these organic positions more competitive.

An intermediary will be presented with several options but most will lead to them spending more money.
Jul 2, 2010 4:19 PM
Google Moves into Travel with ITA Purchase
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Online Travel EcoSystem
Google has made a major move into the travel business with the $700 cash acquisition of ITA Software. ITA, a 14 year old company, already provides the data that powers a number of travel businesses including those provided by Microsoft, CheapFlights and Expedia.

This is one of the largest of Google's acquisitions to date. More information can be found at Google ITA Acquisition.

The travel industry is one of the largest of the online vertical markets and one of the first to embrace the Internet. It is generally seen as a battle between principals, the core providers of travel components such as airlines and hoteliers, and intermediaries, the agents and tour operators that interact directly with travel consumers. However, with the growing importance local, map and mobile search to the travel industry, Google has decided to make a major strategic move that immediately threatens the longer future of a range of industry players from within the traditional travel industry to providers of data and booking services such as Travelport, Amadeus and Sabre. Watch out for the responses of these and perhaps other technology companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Nokia and Expedia.
Jul 2, 2010 3:53 PM
Weddings Venues in Kent
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Georgian Ballroom
The George in Rye has created a new page for weddings in Kent. Although in East Sussex, Rye is less than 3 miles from the border with Kent.

Major Kent towns such as Ashford (19 miles), Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (both 29 miles) are within an easy drive of the historic coastal town.

The George, as its name may such suggest, features an authentic Georgian Ballroom that has the capacity to seat 100 in a formal reception.
Jun 25, 2010 12:33 PM
Bing Travel to Launch in UK
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Microsoft is apparently on the verge of launching its Bing Travel business in the UK. The Bing travel website was launched 12 months ago in the US but will soon be available in the UK.

The US version offers hotels and flights and appears to have an association with Orbitz.

Microsoft hosted last night's TravelMole Travel Industry Question Time.
Jun 24, 2010 9:21 AM
Web Content - Travel Mole Question Time
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Travel Mole
In London later today. I'll be at the Travel Mole Question Time event.

The Title of the event is: Web content – is it that useful or is there too much?
Jun 24, 2010 9:04 AM
World Cup Win Delays Travel Industry Boost
by David@SimplyClicks.com
England's World Cup win over Slovenia has delayed the expected boost an early exit would have given the travel industry. I'm not sure what odds the bookmakers are giving but I suspect we might sneak a win in our last 16 match versus Germany.

Regardless of my views the travel industry will be watching Sunday's match very closely.
Jun 21, 2010 12:35 PM
Business Impact of World Cup
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Matthew Upson - World cup Player
It is very interesting that I have yet to see any real reference to the impact the World Cup is having on the travel business. I can definitely see a website traffic downturn on the days when England play a match. This decline is most marked on Business to Consumer websites. I suspect that any impact on leisure and travel websites will be even greater. This is simply because watching football satisfies a need for leisure.

So far both England matches have taken place early evening at 7:30pm and the tail off in traffic precedes the match by two or three hours as people make sure their essential tasks are completed in time for the pre-match build-up . This week's match, the England's team final group match, kicks off at 3pm Wednesday. Don't be surprised if traffic starts to fall around lunch time!!
May 21, 2010 9:05 AM
BA Posts Record £531m Loss
by David@SimplyClicks.com

British Airways has posted a record annual loss of £531 million in the year to March 2010.
Revenue was down £1 billion to £7.99 billion.

BA is Britain's flag carrier and has suffered operational interruptions from the recent volcano ash cloud and a series of ongoing employee strikes.

The Unite union which represents the striking union has recently won a court case allowing it to continue with a series of further stoppages. Embattled CEO Willie Walsh is determined to transform BA in order to compete with the no-frills airlines.
May 17, 2010 9:45 AM
The Best Hotel in Wales?
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Quay Hotel Deganwy Wales
I am back in the office having spent the weekend at The Quay Hotel and Spa in Deganwy, North Wales. The Quay was opened by the Earl and Countess of Wessex in 2007 and awarded the accolade of Best hotel in Wales by the AA in 2008. It offers five star luxury with all the attendant facilities of spa, pool, gym, restaurant and bar.

The hotel enjoys a spectacular location overlooking the estuary of the River Conwy.
In many respects this part of North Wales is undiscovered by English tourists. Particularly those from the south. Deganwy is between the historic fortress town of Conwy and the seaside resort of Llandudno. Deganwy is easily accessed from the A55 which is an extension of the M56. And is on the route of many travellers to and from Ireland who use the Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead to Dublin ferry routes.

Our own stay included dinner in the award winning restaurant. The menu included local Welsh Black Beef and we availed ourselves of the locally brewed ales from the Great Orme Brewery.
Apr 27, 2010 11:54 PM
Google Place Pages - Link Facility
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Having read much of the Google produced material regarding the rebranding of Google Local Business, I notice that the revamped service also includes a link facility.

Google Place Pages is incredibly important for travel category searches. None more so than hotel searches. An example is Canterbury Hotels, where the Google map is more important than the standard organic results.

The key question for search marketers is whether linking to the place pages has any impact on the Google Places ranking algorithm. We shall see.
Apr 27, 2010 3:45 PM
Conference Supplies Market Suffers Volcano Damage
by David@SimplyClicks.com
If you are one of the delegates or exhibitors of an event cancelled because of the ash cloud over Europe last week, you may never recover the money lost due to the air space shut down over Europe.

Conference events and exhibitions are scheduled with associated arrangements made months in advance. They are expensive and logistically complex events which include an array of associated costs such as travel arrangements, hotel rooms, exhibitions stands, delegate packs, branded promotional items, conference folders and corporate clothing. Most of these items are event specific, many are dated and therefore not re-usable.

The cost of the airline cancellations is only one part of the total picture which has consequence for businesses both related and unrelated to the obvious, such as exhibition venues, travel companies, airlines and insurance companies. With some insurance companies already having decided not to pay out on travel expenses and airlines such as Ryan Air only paying out up to the value of the ticket, there is unlikely to be a way of getting compensation for costs of an cancelled event elsewhere.
Apr 23, 2010 11:06 PM
The Importance of Google Place Pages
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The Importance of Google Place Pages
Apr 21, 2010 1:31 PM
Tui Travel Advertises for SEO Executive
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Tui Travel SEO
I notice that Tui Travel are advertising for a SEO executive. To work with the SEO manager. No salary is specified.
Apr 20, 2010 4:44 PM
Ominous News From Boris Johnson
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Volcano Ash Cloud Graphic
Just read some ominous sounding news regarding a speech by London Mayor Boris Johnson. Johnson, whilst asking questions about the no fly science, made the point that the country needs to be prepared for an indefinite flight ban. In essence, in terms of an impact on the British airline and travel industry, the Volcano ban could be worse than 911, the First Gulf War and the Second Gulf War.

In the short-term airlines must absorb cash flow implications, but, I am sure, that once the flight rules get back to normal, the British public will have a least a marginal reluctance to book flights for all but the most essential of travel requirements.
Apr 20, 2010 12:56 PM
Just Seen a Jetplane - Volcanic Ash News
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I feel a little like a south sea islander responding to their first sighting of the ocean going explorers. However, it is 12:45 and I've just seen my first jet aircraft in the skies over Ashford for at least a week.

The plane was flying east south east at about 500 knots. We all got up from our desks to watch it in complete wonderment.
Mar 10, 2010 11:39 AM
Travel Marketing Conferences and Exhibitions
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The nature of the travel meetings and conferences is changing. So is the context and content. For the past three years travel SEO and pay per click advertising have been the hot topics. Based on experience of two recent London located conferences with a large travel content (Confex and Technology for Marketing and Advertising) the online marketing agenda has moved on to Social Media. At both events both the official seminar programmes and all of the larger stands focused on social media. Barely an exhibitor existed without several pop-up or banner stands proclaiming the wonderful benefits of social media.

Now, I'm no Luddite. However, I'm not so sure I can see any real direct evidence of social media playing a directly attributable role in large scale website use, conversion process or even buying decision making. On the other hand, the fact that social media exists and plays a role at the executive level is beyond dispute. Most contacts I come across at least have a LinkedIn profile.

I can at least see a role for LinkedIn. It is an adult oriented site full of sensible people, saying sensible things. After all, nobody wants to look a complete idiot to a potential employer. My main scepticism is focused on FaceBook. I just cannot see how most businesses can leverage or monetise its vast traffic. Yes, if you market products targeted at teenagers and students, FaceBook may provide a coolness to your positioning.

Next, I'm also sceptical of the real value of Twitter. Firstly, it is intensely ephemeral. Secondly, who has the time to really take any notice of the stream of low chatter a long list of following/followers would generate. One character I know is following 5,158 and is followed by 5,399!!!

Anyhow, if I'm giving social media The Emperor's New Clothes treatment what should the travel marketing exhibitions and conferences community by focusing its efforts on? In my view it's mobile search both SEO and paid versions. Google Adwords new mobile based click to call service could have real potential. Combined with Google Local, Google Map and Google Voice search it has real value for travellers. Especially when they're on the move.
Feb 5, 2010 1:14 PM
Eurostar Ad hits the Google Adwords Buffers
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Eurostar Logo
A client has just had a Google Adwords ad rejected after two years of use. The ad referred to Eurostar and has failed the trademark test. Essentially Google allowas you to bid for a trade marked term but does not allow you to use the trademarked term in your advertising copy.

There were several offending ads of which I show just one example.

Le George Hôtel - Kent
Hôtel près du Tunnel sous la Manche
et de la gare Eurostar d'Ashford.
www.TheGeorgeinRye.com/Francais

You will have guessed that the ad is French and was targeted at the French market. If you try to run a similar ad in the UK you get an immediate rejection. It seems therefore that the French part of Google Adwords isn't quite as hot on this matter as their English speaking equivalents.
Jan 30, 2010 10:45 PM
Google Launches Click to Call Mobile Ads
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Google Click to Call Mobile Ads
Google announced, on Thursday 28th, a new "click to call" mobile advertising service. The service allows paid search advertisers to add their number to mobile directed ads. The service will work with smart phones running the Apple or Google Android operating systems.
I can see the service having a fantastic benefit for travel companies. Especially those that are relevant to people whilst they are on the move such as hotels, restaurants, airlines and ground handlers.

From the example presented by the image, it can be seen that the telephone numbers will be displayed on the final line of an Adwords mobile ad. The phone number will be clickable, obviously making it extremely convenient for a traveller on the move.

As mentioned in previous recent posts, the search landscape for travel SEO is moving rapidly. Google Local, Google Maps and Google Mobile all have a crucial role in directing relevant role in directing prospective bookers to travel company websites.
Jan 17, 2010 11:18 PM
Hotel Celebratory Lunch
by David@SimplyClicks.com

I had the pleasure of attending a lunch to celebrate a silver wedding anniversary. The lunch was held at the St. Michael's Manor Hotel in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Our party consisted of 11 guests ranging in age from 2 to 84. The location was excellent, the food exquisite, house champagne good quality, service efficient and, overall, the lunch represented good value for money. This was after all in one of the UK's most affluent towns.
I will certainly be going back.
Jan 3, 2010 11:06 PM
Oak Desk Sale
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Client Old Sawmills has just commenced their January sale. The centrepiece is a sale of oak desk collections. The desk collections include a desk, a chair and a free bankers lamp.
Dec 29, 2009 3:54 PM
Paddy Power Tips Monarch to go Bust
by David@SimplyClicks.com

According to today's Times Online, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has tipped leading charter airline Monarch to go bust. Monarch, largely owned by the Swiss Mantegazza family have dismissed the story as a publicity stunt. Paddy Power's speculation appears to based on nothing more than 100 bets placed on the airline to fold. Paddy Power in their defence claim that the betting profile last looked like this when XL Airways went under.

I am an ex-employee and director of Monarch's sister company Cosmosair PLC. Without rushing to an uninformed defence I'd suggest that prior to its demise there were many rumours circulating about the viability of XL. In this particular case I've heard nothing untoward about Monarch.
Dec 3, 2009 3:28 PM
Folio Hotels Portfolio Sold - Travel Mole
by David@SimplyClicks.com
According to Travel Mole, the core of the Folio Hotels portfolio has been sold to a start-up business with substantial private backing.

The travel industry has been having a tough time during the recession and no more so than in the hotels market category. Folio Hotels is a four year old chain of 34 hotels that went into administration in December 2008. Since December a number of their hotels have been sold off individually including The Falstaff in Canterbury, one of the leading Canterbury hotels.

The general view from the domestic hotel industry is that booking levels are back to where they were but that margins continue to be squeezed.
Nov 18, 2009 4:18 PM
Rhino Conservation
by David@SimplyClicks.com

Today I am working with animal conservation charity Save the Rhino. Based in London, Save the Rhino works with communities in Africa and Asia to support Rhinoceros conservation.

There are five rhino species; Black rhino, White rhino, Javan rhino, Sumatran rhino and Indian rhino.

Rhinos are threatened by poaching for their horns and habitat loss.

Save the Rhino are in favour of responsible tourism that supports local communities in rhino important habitats. Save the Rhino has an active fundraising programme that utilises sponsored endurance events in the UK and overseas.
Nov 16, 2009 10:09 PM
New Hotel SEO Page
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Simply Clicks has carried out a number of travel SEO projects over the past 5 years. Some have been for travel agents. Some for villa businesses. However, our most striking success has been with hotels. In recognition of this we have created a separate hotel SEO page on our website.
Nov 15, 2009 7:02 PM
Hotel Marketing Website - SEO, PR, Branding, PPC, Design
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I have just finished writing copy for a new hotel Internet marketing website. The website covers the complete marketing mix from an online perspective. This includes Hotel SEO, Hotel Pay Per Click Advertising, Hotel Branding, Hotel Public Relations, Hotel Web Analytics and B2B marketing for the Business and Corporate markets.

Simply Clicks has worked on a number of hotel marketing programmes. The hotel segment of the travel industry has been going through a tough time during the recession. However, competition online remains strong. Competition is not only between hotels but also between booking channels. Hotel search typically present search engine results pages that feature online travel agencies as well hotel websites.
Nov 10, 2009 5:05 PM
Travel Companies to Up SEO Spend
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Travelmole Autumn Logo
According to global research amongst 225 travel companies, 9 out of 10 companies intend to up their online marketing expenditure during the next year. The research comes from a joint project by Travel Mole and Frommers Unlimited.

Within the overall total there was a wide range of responses. 54% of travel companies plan to increase their online expenditure by between 10 and 50%, 31% of travel companies would spend the same and 15% would reduce expenditure. The current hot spot is social media with 60% of travel companies increasing expenditure.

When asked about search engine optimisation (SEO) 57% of travel companies said they would be upping their expenditure, 30% would be spending the same and 5% would actually cut spending. Paid search, specifically Google Adwords, is reportedly to grow in 39% of cases, stay the same in 35% of cases and fall in 11% of travel companies.

The weakest part of the online marketing mix was display advertising. Where 22% of travel companies plan to reduce expenditure.

When asked where travel marketers plan to spend their budget SEO remains the largest part of the online market effort.
Nov 8, 2009 11:59 PM
Promotion d'hôtels en France
by David@SimplyClicks.com

J'ai créé une page de site Web pour les hôtels anglais de vente en France. La page est écrite en français. Normalement j'écris seulement des poteaux de blog en français quand je suis en vacances en France. Le but de la page française est d'entrer les pages de langue française de l'hôtel de Zetter à Londres dans les pages francophones de l'index de Google.fr.
D'ailleurs, je sais que mon Français est en peu merde.
Nov 6, 2009 3:55 PM
Travel Thinking | Travel SEO and Marketing: O'Leary Signals Ryanair Change of Tack
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Travel Thinking | Travel SEO and Marketing: O'Leary Signals Ryanair Change of Tack
Nov 6, 2009 2:55 PM
Tui Boss Long in APD Lobby
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Tui Logo
Tui boss Peter Long has been in Parliament to lobby against the proposed rises in Air Passenger Duty (APD). Long met several MPs including Paul Clark, Parliamentary under secretary of state for transport.

The increases in APD are proposed for November 2010. By which time the UK will have had a change of government. Tory shadow minister Julian Brazier was also in attendance.

In my opinion, the UK Government is using the smokescreen of green taxes to find ways of closing the massive £175 billion in government borrowing. During the parliamentary meeting Long made it clear that he believes a per plane approach to taxation is greener than a per passenger levy. Tui are the UK's largest vertically integrated tour operator with a large charter fleet. As such they will be hardest hit by a per passenger levy as they tend to fill their planes more efficiently than scheduled operators.
Nov 6, 2009 12:54 PM
British Airways Slumps to £292 Million Loss
by David@SimplyClicks.com
British Airways Tailfin
Flag Carrier British Airways has slumped to a £292 million loss for the 6 months to September 2009. The loss compares with a profit of £52 million for the same period of 2008. The financial performance was approximately £40 million worse than stock market analysts were expecting.

BA is seen as one of the strongest international airlines. The strength of its position on the key Trans-Atlantic routes has generally kept it above the fray of price cutting on short-haul European routes. This time BA's performance is in contrast to the profits recently announced by Scandinavian carrier SAS.

There was, however, some good news for BA. It has just won a legal ruling that it can changed its working practices. BA's 14,000 cabin crew are to be balloted over strike action in the run-up to Christmas.
Nov 4, 2009 10:47 AM
London Hotels Good Value Says Lonely Planet
by David@SimplyClicks.com
London Double Decker Bus
The highly credible and influential tourist guide book Lonely Planet has described London as good value. The falling £, now worth just €1.10, and a host of new cheaper hotels has made the city one of the world's best value destinations.

Travelodge and Premier Inn have opened a number of hotels in the central areas of London. If you are looking for something a little more upmarket it is possible to find good value boutique hotels in London EC1. The close proximity of so many historical sites, museums, bars and restaurants make London an easy place to explore. London has often been criticised for its high prices but with a range of budget options, alongside Tokyo, Paris and Rome it now looks very cheap.

One opportunity missed by many overseas visitors is the opportunity to explore thecountryside surrounding London. South east England has many other tourist destinations within an hour or two of the capital. One popular destination is Kent. The Garden of England is home to Chilham, the recent location for the filming of a TV production of Jane Austen's Emma. Chilham sits in the North Downs of Kent and nearby a range Canterbury hotels are available.
Nov 2, 2009 7:31 PM
O'Leary Signals Ryanair Change of Tack
by David@SimplyClicks.com

Since September 2001 Ryanair has been on an aggressive growth track. It has been deflected but not deterred by the global recession. Ryanair's strategy was less about profit, certainly less about ROI, just aggressively grabbing for market share on established routes and creating demand for routes that had not previously existed.

Since the mid-1990s and the arrival of the Internet Ryanair has grown incessantly. On the way O'Leary has trampled on anyone that gets in his way. Aer Lingus, The Irish Government, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, Regulators. Growth meant everything and nothing was allowed to stop it. Now O'Leary has signalled that growth is not everything. Or so it seems.

It could just be the latest ploy in his battle to extract ever better deals from suppliers. The latest target is Boeing. The aircraft manufacturing giant. Ryanair was in the market for 200 planes. Now O'Leary is saying they can take it or leave it. We shall see. The whole business model for aggressive no frills airlines demands growth. Not dividends.
Oct 28, 2009 11:02 AM
UK Travel Search
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Web research company Hitwise has carried out a study on the way UK consumers search for travel. The findings have implications for both travel seo and pay per click advertising. Click on the Hitwise chart below for more detail. The study, based on August 2009 data, the research shows that 5 large categories make up for 83% of searches.

Agencies/Holidays 24%
Flights 16%
Maps/Directions 16%
Trains/Coaches 16%
Hotels/Accommodation 11%

Travel SEO - Search Data

In many respects the searches can be summarised into places to visit, how to get there and where to stay once you are there. The agencies and holidays category may well show that there are still some people who would look to book a package holiday put together by a tour operator and sold by a travel agent. This could of course still be an online tour operator or travel agent.

My specific interest would be to firstly to drill down into the data for hotel and accommodation bookings and secondly to distinguish between generic and branded searches and thirdly to see whether there are variations between paid and organic searches.
Oct 19, 2009 11:53 AM
New Search Campaign for Canterbury Hotel
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The Falstaff Hotel in Canterbury
Simply Clicks has taken on a search marketing project to promote the Falstaff Hotel in Canterbury. The well known Canterbury hotel has been recently sold by Folio hotels. The Falstaff is centrally located in Canterbury, close to the city's famous cathedral and two railway stations, and dates back to 1403. It is named after the Shakespearean character Sir John Falstaff who appears in three plays as an associate of Henry V.

Canterbury is perhaps the most thriving tourist destination in Kent, 60 miles from London and near the channel crossings of Dover and Eurotunnel. The search marketing campaign features both pay per click and SEO components.
Oct 13, 2009 12:25 PM
Ryanair's Michael O'Leary Survives Trial by TV
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Michael O'Leary Ryanair
I watched Panorama last night fully expecting Michael O'Leary to get a roasting. In the end I thought the BBC gave him a fairly gentle ride. This despite the show being trailed as "Why hate Ryanair?".

Panorama did open with a few disgruntled and now mainly ex-customers. But the longer the show went on, the more it came across that Ryanair gives you what you pay for. Its as cheap as chips and does what it says on the tin. Its a low cost airline. O'Leary realises that his number one battle is to retain leadership in the "cheapest" category.

O'Leary's approach has been one of progressively cutting away at anything that gets in the way of pricing his flights at direct operating costs, plus marketing costs, plus a margin. 15 years ago the battle was with travel agents. Once Easyjet arrived and said they were direct only, O'Leary realised that he would have to go the same way. Travel agents would be sacrificed. The retail lobby within the travel industry was up in arms. O'Leary went to the sun and gave away flights for a £. The Internet arrived just in time to give the leverage to first cut commission and then do away with it all together. At the time he battled with ABTA, major travel agency multiples and several large Irish travel specialists. He was single minded - and won.

He then turned his attention to getting the best deals from airports. Even if this meant securing reverse premiums from developing airports. The airport owners and their local government backers realised that Ryanair had the muscle to generate local economies. The European commission objected largely on the basis that the state owned airports were losing out.

At the strategic level, the events of September 2001 where seen by many as a disaster for the aviation industry. O'Leary saw a buying opportunity. He went to Airbus and Boeing securing capacity at knock-down prices and more importantly with knock-down finance. Aircraft manufacturing is a strategic industry creating and sustaining highly technical employment skills. O'Leary got his planes at the lowest possible prices and with generous deferment terms.

Even the Panorama's description of a Ryanair cabin wasn't too bad. Cramped navy blue plastic seats are acceptable when you're paying half the price of a flag carrier such as British Airways. The food on board isn't so expensive either. £4 for a sandwich is comparable with a motorway service station. Ryanair like the service station has a captive audience.

O'Leary made a personal appearance on his exit from a shareholder's meeting. The interviewer Vivian White was bombarded with a genial O'Leary who got his point across without the need for the BBC to edit his comments. It all made for good TV. And it reinforced Ryanair's position as a cheap as chips operation.
Oct 7, 2009 4:27 PM
Aer Lingus Joins BA in Announcing Cuts
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Aer Lingus Travel Promotion
Irish carrier Aer Lingus has joined British Airways in announcing a range of job cuts and other cost saving measures. The airline has announced that it will lose 676 jobs plus impose pay cits on anyone earning more than £32,000 per annum.

The measures come a day after British Airways announced that it would 1,700 jobs. The continuing recession and the high cost of the Euro mean Aer Lingus is less well placed than other airlines with access to cheaper labour.

Interestingly I am off to Shannon with Aer Lingus in a few months time. The flight from London Heathrow was no dearer than an equivalent flight with Ryanair from Gatwick. The Aer Lingus website is also promoting one way flights to Ireland from £19.99.
Oct 7, 2009 10:26 AM
Hotel Internet Marketing
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I have being doing some work in the hotel marketing category for several years. During this time I have come across a number of people with complimentary expertise. Rather than just let this expertise dissipate I have come up with an idea of combining this expertise into a group that can share and combine their talents on a range of hotel marketing projects.

These projects could focus on an individual hotel marketing discipline such as branding, public relations, SEO or website optimisation. Or they could take on a project that would require an integrated solution combining several disciplines.
Oct 5, 2009 7:51 PM
Jane Austen's Emma - From Kent
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Last night I watched the first episode of the BBC's new adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. As soon as I saw the village scenes I spotted the modern day village of Chilham in Kent. Chilham is about 10 miles from the Simply Clicks' office. It has a couple of good pubs, a tea shop and a castle.
Its great to see this part of Kent on the map.
Sep 23, 2009 1:13 PM
Kent Attracts a New Type of Tourist
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Kent, the Garden of England, home of the White Cliffs of Dover, Margate, the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway and Canterbury Cathedral is home to a new type of booming tourist - the Euro Bankrupt.

Due to the UK's relatively lenient rules for discharging bankrupts and Kent's proximity to the continent, many European bankrupts are making the county their home. According to the report in The Times, favourite hotspots include Tunbridge Wells and Greenhithe. I can understand Tunbridge Wells as its amongst England's most attractive towns, situated in the rolling countryside of The Weald. Greenhithe on the other hand, has Gravesend and BlueWater.
Sep 18, 2009 11:38 PM
The Outlook's Bad for the Pound
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The travel industry has had a torrid time this year. The recession is one reason. But essentially the recession generally hits all expenditure fairly equally. The big problem for the travel industry has been the decline in the value of the UK Pound versus the Euro.

Two summers ago, the Pound bought almost 1.50 Euros. Summer 2008, the exchange had fallen to 1.27 Euros. At the beginning of this year it had fallen to as low as 1.05 Euros. At this level European travel was really painful. I went to Italy in February and couldn't believe the pain of buying beer at £6 per pint. By the summer things were beginning to ease. During my August holiday in France, the Pound was briefly worth as much as 1.17 Euro. Today, though, the slide is on. The news that the UK Government ran a deficit of £16 billion in August, has shocked the currency markets.

Does this matter? If you are selling holidays to the Eurozone this year's tourists are highly likely to remember the expense and be less likely to book at an exchange rate that's even worse. Just imagine weekly ski passes at £150 a pop. No, not for me either.
Jul 21, 2009 12:22 PM
Zetter Hotel - London Hotel Deals
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The Zetter Hotel, London EC!
London becomes quite a competitive place for hotels during the height of summer - particularly at weekends. The Zetter Hotel located in London EC1 has come up with special rates for weekends. Prices for a room start as low as £99 per room.
Jun 30, 2009 5:33 PM
Promotional Merchandise
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Back in my leisure industry days in the sports, travel and drinks industries a large proportion of any budget was taken up with point of sale or promotional materials. I had a constant supply of personalised pens, promotional bags or even golf umbrellas. These days I am constantly scratching around for items and I need to go out and buy them. I'm on the look out for any spare material.
Jun 25, 2009 4:43 PM
Spot the Difference - LinkedIn Recommendations
by David@SimplyClicks.com

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. This is a LinkedIn recommendation I wrote for Heli Salmons. Note the date.

LinkedIn recommendation for Heli Salmons

Here is another recommendation. Its for someone called Mick Mason. LinkedIn recommendation for Mick Mason

Maybe LinkedIn should organise a competition to see who really is unbeatable at the highest levels of strategic account sales management? Its Good to see that intellectual capacity of the travel industry is thriving in the current environment. In the meantime I'm off to write advertising copy for Michael Page.
May 8, 2009 8:36 PM
Hazel Blears Claims Stay at Luxury Boutique Hotel
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Hazel Blears
Amongst all the noise about MPs and their expense claims I've picked up a story in the Daily Telegraph about Labour chairperson Hazel Blears claiming for a stay at the Zetter Hotel. Under the headline MP's Expenses:Ten Extraordinary Claims, The Telegraph shows a photograph of the hotel's penthouse suite.
Mar 5, 2009 9:07 AM
Eurotunnel Finally Delivers a Dividend
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Eurotunnel Logo
After 20 years of late deliveries, failing to achieve passengers targets, brushes with bankruptcy and restructuring of its equity and loan capital, Eurotunnel is to finally delivering a dividend.

Eurotunnel made a net profit of £35.6 million in 2008. Not a bad number when compared with all the EBITDA (earnings before interest tax depreciation and amortisation) numbers previously produced. Eurotunnel had actually reported a profit of £14 million for 2007. However, these have now been restated as a £1 million loss.

I have never had an issues regarding the utility provided by the channel tunnel. As a transport device it works. However, the financial prospectus and the hard sell given by former chairman Alistair Morton were always too ambitious on market shares, traffic volumes and rates. The ferry companies were expected to close and volumes were meant to exponentially. A visit to Dover will show P&O Ferries, Sea France and new competitor Norfolk Line, in good health.

Even the Eurotunnel attitude towards operationl breakdown was based highly questionable assumptions regarding disruptions and fires. On the latter subject, the tunnel has been subject to three serious fires in just 14 years of operation, when I believe the assumption was one every hundred years.

One key issue on volumes has always been the dependency the UK market. This continues as the Brits have a higher propensity to take their cars to the continent, than the continentals have in coming here. The fall in £ sterling relative to the Euro, will bring extra pressure during 2009.
Mar 5, 2009 8:45 AM
BA Premium Traffic Falls 20%
by David@SimplyClicks.com
BA Tailfins
The recession appears to be forcing people to down grade their travel arrangements on British Airways. The airline reports that February saw a 20% reduction in first and business class passengers. Overall passenger volumes were down 10.1%, with economy passengers down 5.5%.

BA has always relied on premium passengers to make the airlines profits. As a result of the change in mix, BA expects to report an operating loss of £150 million for the year to 31st March. This compares with a £900 operating profit in the year to 31st March 2008.

I recently flew BA one way from Rome and paid £71 to sit in row 9. The club class curtain was 2 rows in front of me. I can see why even business travellers are trading down. Not so long ago a one way flight ticket would have cost £150. But of course with Easyjet competing strongly on Italian routes BA are finding it harder to justify their price premium. No wonder Alitalia are in trouble.

The real question is, what happens next for BA? As the recession intensifies, the pressure to trade down will increase. If BA's premium passengers have provided the airline's profits, economy class passengers have paid the operating costs.

BA has already announced that it is looking at headcount, however, as I've mentioned before, when discussing vertically integrated tour operators, the problem for large travel providers is one of scale. In essence they, BA included, are too large and, by implication, too unwieldy to adapt the pressures of modern markets.
Mar 3, 2009 2:53 PM
Earth Tremor Strikes Kent
by David@SimplyClicks.com
I think we've just had an earth tremor in this part of Kent. It happened just a couple of moments ago - 2:35 pm - but it's been confirmed by people as far away as Folkestone. I'm on the second floor of a building just off of Ashford High Street. It felt and sounded like a large truck going by.

I was just writing about Italy and the tremor gives Kent a continental feel.
Mar 3, 2009 2:41 PM
Italy Looking Up
by David@SimplyClicks.com
There seems to be doom and gloom pervading much of the travel industry. But why should travel be any different from other industries? After all it's not banking, financial service or estate agency.

I've recently returned from Rome. A really exciting city. Rome is expensive, of course, with the Euro effectively 1:1 with the £ sterling. But despite beer being £5.50 a pint it was well worth the effort. Just like any other city Rome can be expensive. Avoid taxis and the city centre restaurants. The local tube service was cheap - much cheaper than London - and worked well.

In addition, use Rome as a base. The countryside appears much closer than in London. And Tuscany and the historic cities of northern Italy are only a couple of hours drive away.

My outward journey to Italy was by train, by Eurostar, RER and SNCF sleeper - don't ask me why - but the return flight to Heathrow on British Airways was only £71.

If you want to travel abroad and experience other cultures the journey is still worthwhile. One other benefit is that by and large you'll find less Brits at your destination than before.
Feb 25, 2009 2:07 PM
Eye Spy Security Gets Boat Show Review
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Eye Spy Security has secured an unexpected bonus from its recent appearance at the International Boat Show at London's Excel. Gadget website MegaWhat.tv - slogan "straight from the box" - has featured a 2 minute video review of how easy it is to use the Eye Camera. The video can be found at home security video.
Feb 21, 2009 12:20 PM
Ryanair Introduces In-Flight Mobile Calls
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Although I've seen people try it without much success, Ryanair is launching an official in-flight mobile phone (cell phone) service. The service is managed on behalf of Ryanair by OnAir.

Calls will cost £3 per minute. Emails £1 each and texts 40p. Given that many of the people flying Ryanair's short haul routes will be business customers, I believe the service will be lucrative.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
BA posts £70 million loss
by David@SimplyClicks.com
British Airways has posted a £70 million loss for the 9 months to 31st December. This compares to an £816 million profit in the same 9 months of 2007.

BA, the self styled "World's favourite airline" is suffering from a combination of factors. As everyone else is in travel. These include fuel costs - hedging? - currency movements and the general downturn. One impact of the financial deterioration is that BA is imposing a wage freeze on its 42,000 staff. I haven't worked it out yet in relation to passengers or revenue but it seems rather of lot of employees.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Weak Sterling Hammers Flight Searches
by David@SimplyClicks.com
A report from Internet search company Hitwise indicates that the weakness of sterling is having a major impact on flight searches. According to Hitwise, UK searches for flights were down 42% in the week that straddled the New Year holiday. This is traditionally one of the biggest weeks of the year for holiday booking.

Along with the general recession, the impact of the high Euro and Dollar can be seen. The Eurozone average decline was 44.8% and the USA 52.2%.

Change in UK Internet searches for flights to popular destinations between 05/01/08 and 03/01/09:

Turkey: -24.6%
Dubai: -27.1%
Thailand: -32.2%
Australia: -32.8%
South Africa: -32.9%
Caribbean: -34.6%
Italy: -41.2%
Portugal: -41.7%
Spain: -42.8%
France: -45.4%
USA: -52.2%
UK Domestic: -32.7%

As can be seen non-Euro and non-US Dollar destinations such as Turkey, Thailand, Australia and South Africa appear to faring slightly better.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Easyjet Jumps on Good Results
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Easyjet Soars
According to a report in today's Financial Times, Easyjet is benefiting from a fight to value. Europe's airlines are under pressure but in the quarter to December Easyjet raised revenues by 31.5% to £550 million. Part of the benefit comes from currency movements - Easyjet charges many of its customers in Euros but incurs most of its costs (apart from fuel which is US$) in £s.

On a constant currency basis revenue per seat rose 14% as average passenger yield grew from 80.8% to 83.4%. When this is translated back in sterling at the current rate the rise is equal to 23%. In cash terms this is £45.57 per seat.

The flight to value is something we are seeing with other "value" brands. On the UK high street supermarkets such as the German owned LIDL and ALDI and British owned Morrisons go from strength to strength, taking share from their more expensive rivals.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
New Tuscany Holidays Website
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Farmhouse in Tuscany
A new website for holidays in Tuscany has been launched. Le Casacce is a holiday resort near the Tuscan town of Montelcino. Famous for its wine, cuisine and beautifully rustic scenery, the area has become increasingly popular with more discerning tourists.

The resort features a number of accommodation types clustered around a historical farm. The area is an ideal treat for holidaymakers exploring the Italian countryside.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Group Travel Marketing Conference
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Out of the blue I have been asked to speak at a group travel conference organised by leading travel magazine Group Travel Organiser. The event takes place on the Hispaniola, moored on the River Thames, just below Embankment station.

The theme of the conference is creating an Integrated Group Marketing Strategy in the Online World. The brochure for the travel conference is now on the Simply Clicks website. The conference takes place on Wednesday 26th November and has a delegate list of 65 marketing executives representing travel companies, hotels, tourist attractions and tourist boards. So I'll be preparing my presentation tomorrow.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
United Pilots Rip Into Boss
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Glenn Tilton
The pilots at United Airlines have found a new way of ripping into the perceived failings of the airline's boss Glenn Tilton. They've launched a website called naturally enough GlennTilton.com. Click on the post title to see the website.

Tilton is blamed by the pilots for a $519 million quarterly loss on fuel hedging. This is particularly ironic as Tilton was hired from one of the world's largest oil companies Chevron Texaco. The pilots are calling for Tilton to be sacked and have gone as far as sky advertising "Glenns gotta go" above United's Chicago head quarters. Not content with attacking Tilton, the pilots also attack the $525k salary of the airline's new finance director Kathryn Mikells.

The moral of the story is, if you want to be CEO of a business make sure you don't screw up in an area of supposed expertise.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Cha-am Villas, Hua Hin, Thailand
by David@SimplyClicks.com

The Cha-am Villas project is now well under way. The basic website is now up and running and contains a number of photographs. These show internal and external shots of the villas, gardens and pool.

The travel SEO for the website will commence shortly. The site is already generating traffic for specific destinational terms. The key will be generating traffic from broader villa and and Thailand terms.

Cha-am Villas opens for bookings in January 2009.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Eurotunnel Fire Damage - Worse than reported
by David@SimplyClicks.com
It is now three weeks since the Eurotunnel fire. The third since 1996. Circumstances appear worse than first reported as we are still suffering the occasional imposition of "Operation Stack". Stack is the name given to closures of the M20.

The last time the tunnel suffered similar damage was back in 1996. Now, however, volumes of freight, car and train traffic making the short sea crossing to Calais and vice versa are much greater. This means even small increases in traffic, or small hold-ups on either the tunnel or ferry services brings Kent to a halt.

Local - unofficial - reports are that the tunnel is much worse than reported. That the repair process may well take several months.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Options for Recessionary Marketing
by David@SimplyClicks.com
With the financial market turbulence of the last few days beginning to make an impact in the real economy, it is more important than ever to focus on two key elements of the travel marketing mix. Those two elements are "reason for travel" and "reason for choice".

The relatively benign economic circumstance since 2003 have mean it has been easy to grow a travel business. With the market under pressure and with consumers being force to reduced discretionary spending so, so marketing will no longer suffice.

One area to be exploited is activity holidays. Particularly those involving sports such as skiing, horse riding, cycling or diving. This view appears to be borne out by reports coming from the travel industry. City breaks and hotels appear to struggling. But activity holidays appear to be doing ok.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Galway Hotels UK Site
by David@SimplyClicks.com
The Glenlo Abbey hotel in Galway now has a fully functioning home page targeted at the UK mainland. The website has been created to ensue the hotel has full exposure in the UK market place.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Channel Tunnel Fire Causes Chaos
by David@SimplyClicks.com
A fire at the Channel Tunnel is causing chaos for travellers. The fire started yesterday afternoon. The alarm was raised when a freight vehicle caught alight 7 miles into the French side of the tunnel. As at 8am this morning there is no indication when Eurostar passenger services between London and Paris and Brussels will resume. Meanwhile the roads at both ends of the tunnel blocked as freight and passenger vehicles attempt to divert to ferry services.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
XL Leisure Goes Bust
by David@SimplyClicks.com

At 3am this morning Britain's third largest tour operator, XL Leisure, ceased trading. Some planes were even halted as they taxied on runways ready to take off.

The group trades under a number of names and operates a combination of scheduled flights, packaged tours and accommodation only packages. According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which operates the ATOL protection scheme, approximately 85,000 passengers abroad will have their flights disrupted. Another 200,000 passengers have advanced reservations for either flights or packed holidays.

XL Leisure brands include XL Airways, Freedom Flights, Kosmar Holidays and Travel City Direct.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Zoom Goes Bust
by David@SimplyClicks.com

The problems for low cost airlines appeared to intensify as long haul operator Zoom collapsed. Unlike most low cost airlines, which focus on targeting European routes, Zoom targeted the transatlantic market. The problem with this segment of the market is that the successful players, such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, are masters of this category. Unlike short haul, the direct operating costs leave little room for error. Only this morning I heard the company's managing director on Radio 4 fail to explain why his company had got things so wrong when it was obvious that increased fuel costs could not be passed on to passengers.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Ryanair Air Scare
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Over the bank holiday weekend a Ryanair plane was involved in an emergency landing at Limoges in France. The plane was flying from Girona to Bristol. At some point cabin pressure was lost and the plane rapidly descended 22,000 feet. The story, coming less than a week after the Spanish disaster at Barajas is receiving extensive coverage.

There have been reports that the onboard oxygen system failed. It will be interesting to see how Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary copes with the negative coverage.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Messanges
by David@SimplyClicks.com

I've been neglecting the travel blog for some weeks. Apologies, but I've just spent the last three weeks in Messanges in the Les Landes department of south west France. Les Landes and the Cote Basque is big rugby country. So I've been slightly distracted.

There's been going on in the world of travel. Not least the news regarding the Spanair plane crash in Madrid. We are not far the Spanish border and the crash has been big news in nearby San Sebastian.

I am shortly heading back and due to arrive in Dover on Thursday.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Tour Operators in Trouble
by David@SimplyClicks.com
According to a report by Plimsoll Publishing, UK tour operators need to shed 8,300 jobs. This may sound dramatic but it represents just 6% of the industries workforce. The report is covered on The Telegraph website - click title link above.

The tour operators are pressured on three sides.

The credit crunch and attendant "precession" whereby consumers cut back spending in anticipation of an economic downturn.
The price of oil, which is forcing up the cost of flying.
The strength of the Euro which at 1.25 to the £, is 15 to 20% stronger than 12 months ago.

In my opinion many of these impacts are temporary. Indeed the tour operating industry received a short term boost when England (and the rest of the home soccer nations) failed to qualify for this year's European soccer championships.

The real problem for tour operators is adapting to the changing needs of the market. The combined forces of Internet driven technology and the consumer desire to tailor make their holiday and leisure plans makes the traditional vertically integrated business model redundant. Vertical integration aligns the distribution, transportation and accommodation functions under one ownership. Allowing a single company such as Thomas Cook to completely manage the holiday process.

For more information on the Plimsoll tour operating report try here.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Hoseasons Reports a Surge in UK Bookings
by David@SimplyClicks.com

Hoseasons' chief executive Richard Carrick reports that summer 2008 could be sold out. Along with the chief of VisitBritain, Tom Wright, he reports a surge in bookings for UK holidays. The story has been posted on Travel Mole and can be read by clicking on the post title above.

I have some involvement with domestic tourism. Client The George in Rye, a boutique hotel in Rye, Sussex, has seen an 87% increase in June web traffic compared with a year ago. The upward trend has continued into the first four days of July. Some of this traffic growth could be attributed to the SEO programme run on behalf of the hotel's website. However, relevant rankings have been strong for over a year. So we are looking at real like for like growth. In addition, paid search activity for the hotel has been reduced against a year ago. Therefore, the only logical argument is that there are more people looking for holidays in the UK.

Hoseasons' is an established domestic travel operation which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. Richard Carrick is one of the most perceptive executives in the UK travel industry and was recruited following a career with Airtours. With the economy under pressure, the £ weak against the Euro and airline travel costing more, Carrick knows his business is in one of the strongest positions in the travel industry.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
easyjet Launches New Biarritz Service
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Low cost airline easyjet has today launched a new London Gatwick to Biarritz service. easyjet claim return fares will start from £43.60. The target is to carry 10,000 passengers in their first year of operation.

I holiday each year near Biarritz and have noticed that the fares charged by the existing operator, Ryanair, have doubled over the rates we paid last year. Ryanair flies from Stansted to Biarritz. Seems that Ryanair will now have some stiff competition.

Biarritz and the Atlantic coast of south west France is a great place for surfing. For those of you with a stronger constitution there's also bull fighting - both the local French style and Spanish - and regular festivals. My favourite is the Feria de Dax. Biarritz is also very close to the Spanish border and a visit to San Sebastian is a must.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Easyjet and BMI own up to flying slowly
by David@SimplyClicks.com
According to a report in Saturday's Guardian both Easyjet and BMI have owned up to asking their pilots to fly more slowly. The object is to save fuel. Easyjet have confirmed that the speed reduction is equal to 2% - roughly 10 mph. Whilst BMI claim they have set a 3 mph reduction.

The difference is speed should hardly be noticeable to most travellers as on short-haul flights its the taxiing before take off and the stacking above airports before landing that take up a large proportion of the time.

This behaviour reminds me of the brewers - especially Watneys. In the 1960s and 1970s the brewers worked out they could make more money if they reduced the strength of their beer. A 1 degree reduction was the order of the day. The trouble is having improved margins with one 1% reduction it became too tempting to repeat the trick the following year. And so on until Watneys was regarded as undrinkable and the brand died.

If an airline saves money with a 2% reduction in speed, why not 5% or 10%? At some point a dangerous line is crossed and the brand - Easyjet or BMI - starts to lose credibility.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Online Travel Retailers Trashing Margins
by David@SimplyClicks.com

I have picked up on a post on Travel Mole, whereby online retailers are complaining about the decline in margins. It's the usual story whereby one market competitor complains about the predatory pricing of another competitor. Implying that the other competitor is selling below cost and somehow destabilising the market. Look its 2008, and its called capitalism.

Given that there's a recession on, there is over capacity in all components of the travel value chain. From airlines, to hotels, to ground handling and car hire. There's therefore no surprise that prices, i.e. margins, are being cut to stimulate demand.

In my view prices will fall close to marginal cost. It's classic yield management in a strategic sense. The capacity is there - and its instantly perishable. The problem is if you operate as an intermediary and your margins fail to cover your costs. This takes me to the role of travel agents. Online, offline, vertically integrated or otherwise. Their costs are commission based and these days can't be made up by the selling of overpriced ancilleries - such as insurance or currency. The direct provider - or principal - can on the other hand cut base prices and make margins on meals or refreshments. Witness the behaviour of Ryanair.

Managing customers is expensive. Even in the online world. Last week I attended the ecademy presentation by Brent Hoberman, talking about Lastminute.com. It astounded me when he explained that out of 2,000 staff, 1,200 were in customer services. This is a company that claims to sell online. If you are merely an intermediary you are only accessing a small share of the revenue you handle, can you really by bogged down by so many staff?

Lastly, based on the comments in the Travel Mole article, there appears to be an over-reliance on pay per click advertising. And residual misunderstanding of the role of search engine optimisation. Any market competitor who fails to embrace the role of SEO is simple paying too much to attract potential customers.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Social Networking Goes Offline
by David@SimplyClicks.com

I had the privilege on Thursday evening of attending an Ecademy networking event. Ecademy is different from the typical social network website in that it offers an offline reality. Members are encouraged to physically meet up. This event was hosted as the Tower Hotel in London. About 500 members and guests were in attendance, constituting the largest Ecademy event so far.

The other reason that Ecademy is different from other social networking websites is that its 10 years old - positively geratric compared to the likes of MySpace, Facebook and even LinkedIn. The event's host was Ecademy founder Penny Power. Penny was obviously pleased with the turnout and asked the audience whether the draw had been the location, the free Pimms or the guest speaker - Brent Hoberman? Hoberman, above left, was introduced by compere Jeremy Nicholas who did a good warm up act.

Brent Hoberman is famous, along with Martha Lane-Fox as one of the joint founders of Lastminute.com. Lastminute, perhaps more than any other brand, changed the face of UK travel retailing. Without Lastminute, there would be no travel SEO and perhaps no Simply Clicks.

Hoberman was billed as talking about the future of the Internet. However, the main thrust of his speech was focused on his background and how and why he launched Lastminute. Taking an anecdotal approach, Hoberman came across as highly genial and self deprecating. Lastminute had been an idea that had been around in his head for a number of years and had he been more successful as a management consultant he may have never got round to launching the business. After a roller coaster flotation that straddled the dotcom boom and bust, and the subsequent rise to prominence Lastminute was eventually sold to Travelocity for $1.1 billion in 2005. It seemed clear from Hoberman's tone that he was slightly disappointed with the way the Lastminute business evolved, particularly the problems associated with scale - managing 2,000 staff, integrating acquisitions and even the whole issue of corporate life.Today, Hoberman concerns himself with a new internet venture called MyDeco.com and working as a non-executive director at The Guardian.

All in all, my first outing at such a networking event was quite good fun. And I managed to meet the odd interesting character. I may well attend the next Ecademy networking event.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Ryanair's O'Leary Bullish on Future
by David@SimplyClicks.com
Ryanair's boss Tony O'Leary was in a bullish mood at a shareholders' meeting yesterday, despite gathering gloom in the airline industry. The day after IATA held a gloomy meeting forecasting global losses of $3 billion, Mr. O'Leary outlined contingency plans for the low cost carrier to cope with oil at $127 per barrel. The most striking assertion is that Ryanair will put growth above profit. This will mean a reduction in margins and a probable breakeven position in the year to March 2009. But at the same time O'Leary announced that there will be some mothballing of the less efficient planes over the winter period. This tactic was also used as an opportunity to take a swipe at the Dublin and London airport operators, who despite rising fuel costs for airlines are able to increase airport charges.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Caravan Holidays Back in Vogue
by David@SimplyClicks.com

According to the National Caravan Council the caravan holiday is back in vogue. Their latest report shows bookings for the summer peak are up 20% on last year.

The trend should be no surprise given the strength of the Euro, the rise in fuel costs for airlines and the general economic downturn forcing holidaymakers to cut their travel budgets. The greatest beneficiaries will be British caravan parks. UK holiday parks specialist Hoseason's boss Richard Carrick says the last two weeks have seen a 15% rise in bookings.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
Airlines Face a Capacity Shakedown
by David@SimplyClicks.com
A report on Times Online predicts a major shakedown for the airline industry. Airlines have seen the price of aviation fuel rise 60% since the end of January but have only managed to increase prices by 5%. British Airways recently posted profits of more than £800 million and an operating margin of 10%. But this referred to last year. Conditions have got much tougher in recent months. Despite this capacity has increased and more aircraft are in the pipeline. Times business editor David Wighton argues that too many senior airline executives are focused on market share rather than profitability.

Over recent years deregulation of routes (Open skies) and the rise of low cost airlines has been a downward pressure on fares and stimulated demand. The next few months will test whether consumers will accept the necessary fare increases.
Feb 15, 2009 9:23 PM
BA Profits Soar
by David@SimplyClicks.com
British Airways profits soared by 45% in the year to 31st March. Total pre-tax profits reached £883 million on turnover of £8.7 billion. The profits come on the back of bad news from most other airlines.

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