The World Travel Market 2015 Travel Tech Show Round Up
The World Travel Market (WTM) is in full swing this week at London’s expansive ExCel centre. The WTM is one of the world’s leading trade events for the travel industry and since 2013, it has established itself as one of the biggest platforms for travel tech companies to showcase their products and services through the Travel Tech Show.
There are 140 travel tech companies, large and small, exhibiting at this event; these businesses range from recently launched startups, like TraveLibro, to established giants, such as Tripadvisor. The size and variety of the Travel Tech Show comes as no surprise as more travellers engage with technology throughout their journey from trip planning and finding a place to stay to engaging with the destination and sharing their experiences with the world.
The internet tends to be the first place people look to when planning a trip. There are more than a handful of agencies at the Travel Tech Show that focus on helping hotels and destinations better develop their web presence through captivating websites, unique content, and robust SEO strategies. Nexa, a Dubai-based digital and content marketing agency with prominent corporate partners such as the Hilton Hotels Worldwide, is excited to announce the opening of its new offices in the UK. Other agencies like Ingenuity Digital provide handy guides at the Travel Tech Show to help businesses in the tourism sector to kickstart their content marketing strategy.
There is a huge market for technological solutions that help hotels to increase its conversions with holidaymakers. Technology companies are addressing this need in several ways. For example, award-winning e-commerce company Ve, is working with major hotel brands to develop dynamic, responsive, and targeted remarketing campaigns to minimise abandonment rates during the booking process. London based travel tech darling Triptease offers a simple but effective widget on hotels’ websites that offer real-time price comparisons between the hotel and OTA’s to increase direct booking rates.
Once a traveller has booked to go to a destination, destination managers also need to use the latest technology to create engaging content for these visitors. Geosho offers a suite of tools to help destination managers maximize their digital content. One of Geosho’s featured tools, Rougeo, is a centralised and intuitive content management and mapping system that allows destination managers to upload digital content across digital maps. Destinations, such as the Tourism Partnership North Wales (TPNW) for example, have used the Rougeo service to digitalize routes on the Wales Coastal Path.
Travellers not only engage with the destination, but also engage with their friends and the wider travel community. TraveLibro is a brand new India-based social media platform that connects travellers with tour operators and agents. TraveLibro allows the traveller to capture, share, and plan their itineraries using its online and mobile interface.
The World Travel Market London will continue through 5th of November. According to WTM, travel tech exhibitors generated more than £100 million in new businesses from last year’s event. With the wide range of industry innovators and technology buyers, the 2015 Travel Tech Show is on track to exceed last year’s phenomenal results.