This is my first time to see a travel expo that the one being market here are digital tools and digital marketing techniques for travelers and travel operators. The Travel Facilitators Market Asia piloted their 1st event last weekend in Crowne Plaza Galeria and it was attended by travel operators, tourism students, travelers and companies that are under the tourism and travel industry.
Thanks to Raffy of Pinoytravelblog.com, ANR Travel and the organizers of the event (Monique and Macky) for putting up a new travel expo event that will guide our travel operators on how to go digital and how they can take the advantage marketing their services to the traveling netizens.
The event is free for everyone, and open to anyone who wants to do networking to these travel operators and or get first hand information on the latest travel deals and offerings. The event raffled off lots of overnight stay in hotels, trip to the beach and also plane tickets, lucky guests who completed the coupon won a travel package for a trip outside the country.
I got lucky during the panel talks, and I won a Google Android Tshirt, I just got it for free when I volunteered to ask question to the Googler speakers on stage.
Also, I provided here some photo coverage and also digital tools that can be use to power up the digital marketing of travel operators in the Philippines –shared by SEO Hacker, Sun Cellular, Google Apps and Beds Online.
Me and Enzo went there for the afternoon session, we missed the morning session , but it was okay for the afternoon session, here we are greeted by a flash of our names on the screen ahahahah.. nice work Raffy!
We arrived during lunch time, so you can see here that there are less people at around 1pm, but some people in the booth are busy accommodating incoming guest and inquiries for travel. Spotted are Cebu Pacific, 2GO and Phil’s Best drink.
Standees of Zoomanity Group is spotted also, it’s a standee for a free photo op for guest. I forgot to have a photo here haaha.
ohhhh PTB booth!!
Spotted are travel operators and the booth of Google Apps.
88DB booth offering web developing service and pictured here is my freebie drink of the day from Phil’s Best.
check out the list of sponsors who joined this event
2GO Travel
JAVA Hotel
Tradewings
Beds Online
Zoomanity Group
La Casa Teresa
Enchanted Kingdom
Ocean Adventure
Shrofft Travel
ANR Travel
Crafted Tours
SEO Hacker
Singularity Solutions Consulting
Metrobank
Citibank
Phil’s Best, Astig Energy Drink and Tol Juice Drink
Berjaya Hotel
Alyssandra Jewelry
Louie Allan Photography
Solaire Resorts & Casino
Eldar the wizard and princess of Enchanted Kingdom visited the event and here’s Raffy having a photo op with the mascot and the princess haahahaa. I just captured a not so good shot.. sayang! will replace this photo next time with a better pic.. hey Raffy and Enzo… penge pics!
Mr. Ibarra Gutierrez of Computer World Magazine opens the floor from some word about tech and travel
And here are the digital tools and techniques for travel operators, this will help them get more travel clients
Digital tools for travel operators
1. SEO and digital marketing
Sean Patrick Si, the CEO of SEO Hacker gave a basic talk and introduction about SEO and digital marketing, his company can provide these services to power up the travel operator’s website and with the use of rightful keywords and SEO techniques, the website can be spotted easily thru search online or by Google and it will bring to the rightful searcher who are looking for content about travel or searching for travel packages.
2. Google Apps
The world of Google is expanding, from being a search engine, email service provider to OS and up to browser, they finally brought more services for the needs of humans online. The speaker from Singularity who reps. for Google here in the country shared to us the power of Google Apps.
I’m amazed that Google Docs can be operated even offline, you can manage your files offline, even slide presentations are already being done in Google Docs (which is now called Google Drive). Everything sits in a cloud that you can go private with it or connect a document file to your co worker and edit it together inside the cloud.
The speaker told us that many companies in the Philippines and also institutions are now transferring to Google Apps, I think this will help them acquire a FREE application rather than spend more Pesos in buying original software – (ouch..Microsoft butt hurts) but that’s the reality today…we want a free software and also less cost for our company.
Here are a list of companies and schools who are now using Google Apps, take note also that the seal of our President is included, we got tips that they are now going Google docs while at work.
3. Sun Cellular’s Message CastI love this service! I’ve been searching for a SMS blast services and this might work very well to travel operators who want to inform their clients that there’s an ongoing promo or special rates and information can be sent via SMS. I ‘ve tried this kind of service before, with another telco but their UI sucks…its so primitive.. But when I saw a UI sample of Message Cast (via this presentation) I started to fall in love.
For those who will inquire or apply this service, you need to have a proper business document to support your application, just go to any Sun Cellular service store near you.
Why Message Cast will work…
because everyone uses mobile phones anywhere, everywhere and anytime.
For the average of internet users…hmmm.. mine is above 18.6 hours per month hahahaa.
4. Sun Cellular’s Track and Trace service
Here’s another service from Sun Cellular, the Track and Trace service will send signal message to your laptop or mobile and it can trace a certain person or object via GPS, with the help of the GPS device and mobile internet provided by Sun Cellular, you can now monitor your tour vehicle, or a person who carries the device.
Business owners will no longer worry a thing when they know that the vehicle or person is following the right route to their destination.
Here’s a sample UI of the Track and Trace app in your laptop
5. Beds Online
Their website http://www.bedsonline.com provides full service to travel operators only. The company is a wholesaler online for travel agencies, They got so many travel packages that can be offered and this is for the B2B system only. I’m not a travel agent, but I think that their contractor rates are much lower to be offered to a travel operator.
So that’s my report for the day.. Congratulations to Travel Facilitators Market Asia for their 1st event, Hoping for more expo in the coming months or year.
Visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/TFMAsia
