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Is Content King in Travel and Tourism?

01 July 2009 | Dominic Sawyer

The topic of “content” comes up time and time again in discussions about online presence.  I’m not sure who coined the phrase “content is king,” but I have customers continuing to ask the question:  Is Content King in Travel and Tourism?

The answer is, without a doubt, yes - especially for smaller outfits and organisations with limited online presence.  Sure, there is plenty of free content out there – and judging by the traffic numbers of sites like Wikitravel and the forums on Lonely Planet, free content is here to stay.  But the content on your site is your vehicle to present your message and portray your brand.  And if you offer the ability to book online or at least direct customers to contact info, the content might be the last stand between you and a booking.  Consider:

 
• a frustrated mother can’t decipher if your tour offering is suitable for children will decide to book something else.  Worse, if it is clearer on your competitor’s site, they might get the sale instead of you.
 
• a last minute client who doesn’t see your contact information cannot call to see if there is space for an extra booking.
 
• a referral customer visits your photo gallery and decides not to book because the images don’t reflect the experience his friend described.

The worst part about each of these scenarios is two-fold: 1) you’ll never know that it happened, and 2)  the problems were easy to fix.

Here are some easy questions you can ask while browsing your content.  Do you like the answers you get back?

 
• Is it easy to find all the available mediums for contacting you (phone, email, post)?
 
• Is it easy to see the types of services available, the details on the offering, and availability/cost?
 
• Are images or video professional and reflect the reality of your offering (In this case, less is more.)
 
• Do you display important certification information?

The European online travel market alone is expected to reach EUR 67 billion in 2009 (source: eMarketer.com) , never mind the exploding success in the US.  Is your online presence sending the message it should?  Content is king in travel and tourism, so I hope the answer is yes.

Photo courtesy of jenlight.

Andy Hayes is a professional travel writer and photographer based in Edinburgh, Scotland.  He helps small businesses in travel & tourism embrace online technologies.  To learn more, visit his website, Sharing Experiences where you can download a free copy of his recent eBook, Preparing for Takeoff:  7 Common Mistakes Businesses Make when Going Online.