For many in travel, distribution would be considered the lifeblood of the industry.  The triumverate of travel, or the BIG THREE of distribution, would tend to agree.  These companies, born from the days when the only products you could distribute were airline tickets, have now expanded into other products like hotel rooms, cruise, and car rentals.  But we are now at the point where many of the systems required to distribute the basics of...

One of the most powerful aspects about tourism is that it is an industry that everyone in a destination can participate in.  Whether they know it or not, everyone from the local bus driver to the hot dog vendor on the corner is contributing or benefiting from the tourism industry.  In a mature market like Vancouver, most businesses recognize that they are part of the tourism equation and most have found a way to participate.  The local...

Cadabra Limited Product Description: Cadabra is creating a worldwide online travel agency specializing in experiential tour planning by combining its innovative software with a network of destination expert inbound tour operators. Cadabra’s Web-based technology allows consumers (or travel agents) to research, plan and book all aspects of complex multidestination touring type travel itineraries in one place including accommodation, activities,...

Over the last year I have started to see an interesting trend in the adoption of technologies by DMOs, both large and small.  The older and more established the DMO, the less likely they are to adopt newer web technologies.  The younger DMOs or ones that have traditionally been a little bit behind in their access to newer technologies are much more willing to try and adopt technologies that are web 2.0, SaaS, or from smaller companies...

I received confirmation last week that I have been invited to present as a keynote speaker at the Florida Association of CVB’s annual Destination Marketing Summit in Orlando. The presentation will be two hours in length and cover two segments; an introduction to social media and it’s impact on tourism marketing and strategies in using social media to market destinations to a changing user landscape. I’m really looking forward...