#tourismchat is a biweekly twitter chat focusing on social media in the tourism industry.
Pinterest is emerging as a platform to watch. A few brands are testing the waters and seem to be doing well, setting great examples for other organizations that may be curious.
Many airlines are now on Twitter and have pretty substantial followings. Travel 2.0 put together an infographic that provides great incite regarding how airlines are using the service.
Le Parc Suite Hotel is holding a contest via Facebook to appoint a “Director of Pet Relations,” the dog that will receive featured placement on Le Parc’s Pet Friendly and Pet Policy Pages.
Santa Barbara released a new mobile app that includes detailed listings for restaurants, wineries, vineyards, events, arts and cultural offerings, accommodations, outdoor activities, retail shops and more.
One of the platforms to watch in 2012 is Pinterest, which lets users organize things they find on the web. There could be decent potential for the hospitality industry.
There’s a new app available for food-truck lovers! TruxMap aggregates information for food trucks that are open at specific times, and lays out their locations via “pins” on a Google map.
Column Five Media, an infographic design and marketing agency in Orange County, put together a project to allow people to share the love for two important staples at their company: caffeine consumption and data visualization.
The Good Night Foundation is a non-profit organization that partners with leading hoteliers to raise money to support local and global programs. Since the organization began in 2008, The Good Night Foundation has raised over $367,000.
Search Engine Land, a fantastic search engine optimization (SEO) resource, recently released an article noting that search trumps social for local business information. Understanding SEO basics is extremely important.
Royal Dutch KLM Airlines is allowing people to choose who they might sit next to on a flight by viewing other travelers’ social media profiles via a program called “Meet and Seat.”
One of the factors that makes Foursquare appealing is that it rewards users with badges for checking into places. Last week, Foursquare unveiled city badges.
EyeforTravel recently surveyed over 500 Asia Pacific (APAC) travel brands about their implementation of social media. 68% have deployed mobile and social media initiatives but are unsure how to “define, achieve and measure success.”
Delta Airlines has implemented a system for travelers to track their checked baggage via the airline carrier’s iPhone app, allowing guests to monitor the whereabouts of their luggage at all times.
Chicago-based mobile food truck Bridgeport Pasty, serving large, savory pies, is unlike other trucks in that it is tiny and electric.
Social Commerce is one of the hottest social trends in 2011 and the insightful folks at Useful Social Media have put together an infographic social commerce timeline.
JCPenney is welcoming the holiday season with several new digital initiatives, like the Salvation Army Angel Program and QR Santa Tags
All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s leading airline carrier, recently announced its “Inspiration of Japan” service brand and products will be introduced to the Los Angeles-Narita (Tokyo) route beginning January 2012.
Google+ opened up brand pages today and it’s great to stay ahead of the curve and get your page up and running. There are a few tips to get the most out of your page and make sure people know about it and are able to find you.
It’s essential for any company using social media, especially larger entities, to set forth guidelines so that it’s clear what is acceptable in the space.