THR's opinion
Seasonal Tourism: Vigo Case Study
Compared to other Spanish cities in the Galicia region such as Santiago de Compostela, Vigo often receives less attention from visitors. In recent years, Vigo has tried to correct this dynamic to attract a greater numbers of tourists – in particular during the shoulder season – by means of a large investment in a city-wide Christmas-lights extravaganza. This investment - of nearly €2.5m in 2020 alone – has positioned Vigo as one of the …
TripAdvisor Plus: Innovative Subscription Model or Risky Gamble?
In March of 2021, TripAdvisor surprised the travel industry by announcing the launch of TripAdvisor Plus, a new subscription program for US customers charged at $99/year. When the program was launched, Tripadvisor Plus was presented as a free program for hotels, with no commissions to pay. Potential consumer subscribers were offered discounts on room reservations and other benefits, such as personalized treatment during their stay at …
Slow Tourism – Passing Fad or Integral Component of Sustainable Tourism?
Many tourists are now seeking a different approach to travel, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions, focusing on a more relaxed, authentic, and down-to-earth style of enjoying time spent in a new destination. The Slow Tourism movement, which contrasts with traditional tourism, aims to satisfy those needs, focusing on a more moderated intensity of activity and a deeper relationship with the environment and other …
“Destination brand love” and Machine Learning: unlocking new ways to evaluate tourism destinations
What is destination brand love? Brand love, a concept that has gained a significant traction during the recent years, is one of the most influential marketing constructs in the travel industry. The term is defined as the degree of emotional and passionate affection that a satisfied consumer has for a particular brand. For the destination branding sector, the concept of brand love expands to a whole new level: the feeling of love a …
Cryptocurrencies and the Tourism Sector
What on earth is cryptotourism? The tourism industry relies on a complex chain of intermediaries and transactions all working in tandem to satisfy the requirements of the tourist end consumer. The dozens of digital transactions in this equation play a significant and increasing role in the success of the tourist enterprise, with many now being revolutionized by blockchain technologies. Many organizations in the tourism sector, …
Marketplaces In the Tourism Industry – What Are They and How Are They Useful?
Before deciding where to go on vacation, the average traveler conducts 33 searches and consults 12 travel websites. On average, the entire process takes 19 days. This data, according to a Bain & Company and Google study (2019), paired with the constant growth of tourism offerings, underscores how important it is for destinations to differentiate from their competition and strive to reach their target customer through whichever channel …