+27 (0)79 505 8841
WB Consulting - Crafting Successful Brands
  • Home
  • About us
    • Resumes >
      • Wilna Beukes
      • Natalie Sokolich
  • Services
    • Website Design
    • Email Marketing and Newsletter Management
  • Clients
  • Contact
    • Newsletter subscribe
  • Blog

Sneaky habits of international travellers

6/17/2015

0 Comments

 
I am sure you never do this....? Right?  Looks like the Germans are by far the most law-abiding - Wilna 

When you are a tourist, you may also have habits you prefer to keep classified, but as people prepare to leave on summer vacations, a new global survey reveals the dirty little secrets of travelers across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Taking Hotel Toiletries

Grabbing extra hotel toiletries ranks as the most common travel secret for Americans (69%) followed by Canadians (63%), Chinese (61%) and Britons (45%). Germans (20%) were the least likely to snag the mini bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion.

Tinkling in the Pool or Ocean

Almost two-thirds of Americans (64%) confessed to tinkling in the pool or ocean. The survey revealed 58% of Canadians, 46% of Britons and 44% of Germans admitted to the using the pool or ocean to relieve themselves. The Chinese (41%) were the least likely to skip the restroom.

Cheating on Your Partner

While many travelers snag the hotel goodies or skip the restroom, the majority of jetsetters remain faithful to their partners while vacationing. Germans (10%) were most likely to have a vacation fling followed by the Chinese (5%), Britons (4%), Americans (3%) and Canadians (2%).

Sneaking Goods through Customs

Americans might take the lead on snagging hotel goodies but when it comes to sneaking goods through customs, the Chinese lead the pack with 32% admitting they haven't declared all merchandise at customs. Twenty-three percent of Canadians admitted to the secret, followed by 22% of Americans and 19% of Britons.

Vacation Planning During Work

When it comes to vacation planning, the survey revealed the Chinese (70%) and Americans (67%) are the biggest offenders for doing vacation research during work hours. Canadians came in third with 64% secretly booking vacations during work, followed by Britons (40%) and Germans (38%).

Playing Hooky to Extend Your Vacation

Playing hooky isn't just for Ferris Bueller. Almost one-quarter of Americans (24%) admitted to calling in sick to work to extend their vacation. Canadians and the Chinese tied for second place at 16% followed by 15% of Britons admitting to calling in sick. Germans (10%) were the least likely to use a sick day over a vacation day.

Skipping on a Bill

When it comes to paying the bill, most travelers settle it fair and square. Only 13% of Americans have skipped out on the check and less than 10% of Canadians (9%), Britons (8%), Germans (7%) and Chinese (6%) have left a restaurant without paying the tab.

Reserving a Lounge Chair with Your Towel

While not a terrible habit, it is frowned upon to reserve a lounge chair with your towel early in the morning, when you're not at the beach or pool. Almost two-thirds of Canadians (64%) admitted to the crime followed by 59% of Americans, 40% of Chinese, 33% of Britons and 33% of Germans.


Source: Travelzoo
0 Comments

Luxury trends - Feedback from Virtuoso Travel Mart

8/24/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
I haven't attended Virtuoso for a number of years and strangely miss the buzz and camaraderie of the luxury travel community. Wilna 






6 Luxury Travel Trends To Know Now
By Annie Fitzsimmons

There was an audible gasp in the room when Francis Ford Coppola came on stage to speak to 4,000 luxury travel advisors, hoteliers, cruise lines, tour operators and more at The Bellagio in Las Vegas. Cameras and iPhones started clicking and hundreds of flashes went off. He was a surprise guest at the newly rebranded Virtuoso Travel Week, The Bellagio's largest meeting of the year, and spoke about The Godfather (of course), his family, friends, and career as a winemaker and hotelier in Belize and Italy. "If you're doing something you love with people you love to be with, that's a great start," he reflected.

This love for a career in selling luxury travel and relationships was flourishing in Las Vegas. Our leisure time is valuable, and this week in Vegas is where many travel trends are established and announced. 350,000 (yes you read that number right) "speed-dating" appointments between advisors and suppliers in cavernous Bellagio ballrooms set the tone. Luxury travel advisors treat this as a buying trip for their clients and instead of clothing, they are selecting the best travel experiences around the world. The previous name for this long-running event of 24 years, Virtuoso Travel Mart, sounded too corporate and even boring. The gathering works - they estimate that $450 million in annual sales is generated from advisors who attend.




I had the opportunity to attend and learn more about this community of like-minded travelers, as well as gather information on what advisors are selling to clients and what should be on your radar for the upcoming year. First and foremost, there are millions of luxury travelers on the road and they are eager for new experiences. Sustainability was a common thread of many conversations I had, and while still important, it's nothing new.

1. River Cruising
River cruising is the fastest growing sector of the travel business, and it's not just in Europe. Gary Murphy, the VP of National Accounts for AmaWaterways, says the company is growing faster than 10% a year. Their first ship was built in 2006 and there are 15 ships now. It is still a great option for older travelers but AmaWaterways has seen a younger clientele booking, and has spent $600,000 putting free WiFi on the ships for those that need to be connected. They also claim they are the only river cruise line that has built dedicated storage facilities for bikes, very popular with active cruisers. Viking is continuing to roll out their improved Longship-style boat, for a total of 14 new ships over 2 years, with cutting-edge technology and spacious suites. For exotic, truly impressive river cruising, Aqua Expeditions was all the buzz, announcing a new Mekong River cruise in Cambodia and Vietnam in January 2014, while still filling their popular Amazon River/Peru experience.

2. Younger, More Affluent Travelers
Virtuoso says they have seen major growth in the traveler from 40-55 years of age using advisors to help plan their trips. Many advisors told me that young, successful families in their early 30s and 40s are planning adventurous trips with young children and even babies. They want their children to have these experiences young and they don't want to give up their own travel freedom.

3. Undiscovered, Unfamiliar Locales
Bhutan is high on the list for travelers searching for something new. The Ambassador to Bhutan, Lhatu Wangchuk, spoke at the event about Bhutan, a small country "under the protection of the great Himalayas." Bhutan was isolated for centuries and is now experiencing incredible growth, with 50 hotels currently being built. Luxury brands like Aman and Taj have properties there. However, "we have no plans for Disneyland or bungee jumping," the ambassador joked. Other countries on hot lists include Colombia, Russia, Vietnam, Cambodia and for the next ten years, South America will continue to shine with Peru, Ecuador, and Argentina growing even more in popularity.

4. Space TravelWe've been hearing about it for years, but it's closer than you think. Virgin Galactic is one of the companies developing suborbital space flights and they are currently in the advanced stages of flight testing, with over 500 people booked on flights. Tony Poe sells these flights and says "We are not just selling space flights. This is a whole new era in tourism." Virtuoso has already sold more than $10 million for Virgin Galactic, including its first full charter (6 seats). Space tourism should bring in between $600 million and $1.6 billion in revenue in the first ten years, says Reuters.

5. More All-Inclusive Options
James Shillinglaw, Editor-in-Chief of Agent@Home, Vacation Agent, andTravel Pulse, mentioned that travel has been headed to more all-inclusive options for quite some time, citing frustrations that travelers have with resort fees, airline fees, and huge cruise line add-ons. The image of an all-inclusive experience is changing with more hotels and cruise lines delivering great options. Stacy Small, President of L.A. based Elite Travel International, recently returned from The BodyHoliday LeSport in St. Lucia raving. "I am always skeptical about "all-inclusives" but LeSport is in a category all its own after $25+million in renovations with more planned, including rooms and the entire spa. I was most impressed with the healthy and gluten-free dining options and range of fitness classes from spinning to paddleboard yoga. This is the IT spa of the Caribbean," she says. On Seabourn cruises, known for small, intimate all-suite ships, all dining venues are complimentary, from room service to restaurants. There are open bars all over the ship and tipping is not required or expected.

6. New Value From Luxury Operators
Abercrombie & Kent, a name synonymous with luxury travel, unveiled one of the biggest pieces of news in Vegas, announcing their new Connections line debuting in September 2012. The 17 small-group itineraries around the world including India, Peru, Croatia, Africa and Australia will cost 30% less than their average trip, using hotel brands like Fairmont, Hyatt Regency, Marriott and Intercontinental.

About Annie Fitzsimmons

Virtuoso provided 4 nights of accommodation and admission to Virtuoso Travel Week. Annie Fitzsimmons is a freelance travel and hotel writer based in Manhattan.  Connect with her @anniefitz or atannie@anniefitzsimmons.com.
Source: Forbes

0 Comments

The world we live in!

5/24/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

Anatomy of the new ‘micro-tripper’

7/26/2011

0 Comments

 
Who are "micro-trippers"?

Flash sale, group buying, and private-travel sale travel companies are not intruding upon the OTA’s business but are, in essence, capturing an undiscovered new segment of the travel market - the “spontaneous micro-tripper”.

The spontaneous micro-tripper, created via the convergence of social networking and sharing, new ecommerce technology, an extended recession, our insatiable desire to buy deals, and email marketing, is the primary delivery path of the new “travel deal” product.

The woman in the family leads the spontaneous micro-tripper. Micro-trippers take between three and five trips per year, on one- or two-night stays. Micro-trippers are staying at lodging properties and destinations that 75% of the trippers are unfamiliar with, and/or have never visited before, and did not plan on traveling to.

The trips purchased were never consciously planned or pre-planned and an overwhelming number of the purchases by micro-trippers occurred within twenty-four hours of hearing about the trip from their friends and family, or through the email marketing that comes into their email box.

The spontaneous micro-tripper is not an OTA buyer (the pre-planned travel market). The micro-tripper market is unlike any mature travel market. I believe this new market is being driven not by the 50%-off deal, like most people think, but by the power of the spontaneous purchase and the opportunity it creates for the lodging industry as a new online distribution channel.

Get the full story at
Tnooz

0 Comments

All eyes on the luxury sector

6/20/2011

1 Comment

 
The rich are back and buoying airline revenues though higher demand for first-class and business-class seats. The Virtuoso agents surveyed for the January 2011 forecast reported that 2010 agency sales were up a whopping 36 percent over 2009.

Two years ago, the domestic luxury market was widely believed to have shrunk permanently. The credit-fueled forays by the aspirational shoppers stopped. Frugality was “in” so even the super-rich eschewed conspicuous consumption. Even the vaunted Neiman Marcus re-tooled its merchandise offerings to provide less extravagant alternatives.

After unloading excess inventory and closing stores, luxury retailers were able to walk away from discounting in early 2010.

- In late February 2010, Tiffany & Co had raised its prices for the first time in two years.

- Saks, a self-admitted “poster child for discounting,” attributed its rebounding first quarter profitability to “full-price selling.”

- After having re-mixed its merchandise for a more value-conscious (but still rich) consumer, the CFO of Neiman Marcus observed that “some of the hottest things we’re selling are at the very upper, upper end of our price range.”

The Great Recession did not, as The Wall Street Journal forecast, usher in “an age of belt-tightening and less conspicuous consumption.” It only temporarily slowed the freight train of luxury spending.

Luxury travel commenced a comeback in early 2010, at the same time as the retail resurgence.  Carriage trade travel agents surveyed for Virtuoso’s January 2010 travel forecast reported rebounding demand.
  • 81 percent said their future bookings were up over the same time last year
  • 80 percent said sales were up over the prior three months period reference?
Hotels have seen this booking activity translate into increased room night demand.  Since April 2010 luxury hotel RevPAR has grown in the 10 to 15 percent range, which was achieved mainly through occupancy growth.



Get the full story at Hotel Online - it is a long article, but well worth a read if you are in the luxury consumer industry.
1 Comment

Millennials: marketing to a moving target!

6/5/2011

0 Comments

 
A new demographic buzz-word is Millennials. Here is a great article by 5to9Branding about how to market to them.

A recent report confirms that millennials are harder to reach than older generations, but are less cynical about advertising. My son Mac was 3 years old when we got our first Apple iMac.  He could barely talk, but the first thing he did the morning after we set up the computer, was turn it on and play a video game.

Researchers are intrigued by Millennials like Mac because theirs is the first generation raised with the help of computer technology and online media.

Recently, e-Marketer senior analyst Lisa Phillips, authored a new report,
“Millennials Online:  Marketing to a Moving Target.” .

The  report found that millennials, which they classify as adults 18-34, are different from previous generations in at least four ways:
  1. They quickly adapt to new technologies and adapt them to their lifestyles.
  2. If something new comes along that suits them better than what they are using, they are quick to make the change.
  3. They don’t read newspapers or watch TV the same way their parents do.
  4. 78% engage with social media versus only 43% of their parents and grandparents.
The report also uses existing data from Experian Simmons to make the case that millennials’ attitudes toward advertising are different from other adults:

If you’re the marketer of a travel or leisure brand, the findings of this report might affect your marketing in the following ways:
  • Don’t invest all your marketing dollars in one medium, as millennials will migrate to new and better technology as it emerges.
  • Avoid newspapers and radio, but don’t be afraid to experiment with TV shows targeted to this generation. Augment broad reach media with complementary social media channels.
  • Use email marketing to reach this age group, as fewer millennials remove their names from mailing lists.
From 5to9branding 

0 Comments

Travelers turn back to travel agents

5/11/2011

0 Comments

 
For years, it looked as though the travel agent had gone the way of the milkman. As online booking sites soared in popularity, travel agents became the butt of jokes. But the travel agent has been given a reprieve, as travelers are starting to need vacations from planning their vacations.

“Not only are customers confused and frustrated by new airline fees and events, but they are bombarded by social media,” said John Clifford, president of the luxury travel consultancy InternationalTravelManagement.com. “Everyone is trying to tell you where you should stay, where you should eat, what you should do.”

A study by Forrester Research found that the number of leisure travelers who enjoyed using the Web to plan and book their vacations dropped from 53 percent in 2007 to 47 percent in 2010. And in an American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) survey, 44 percent of agents said that they had more clients in 2010 than they’d had the previous year, with the strongest rebound in rail and hotel reservations.

Travelers “don’t have hours to spend on research to compare multiple flights, multiple cruises, multiple packages,” said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Forrester Research. “It’s not unlike doing your taxes. Depending on who you are, what your priorities are, there are some people who will choose to do it themselves or to use a professional.”

Get the full story at The Washington Post

0 Comments

    Wilna's Blog

    Staying relevant, delighting guests & crafting successful brands excites me.

    Here is a collection of articles that have interested me - definitely not all written by me, but all personally read and found by me!

    I hope you find them informative too!

    Categories

    All
    Advertising
    Brand
    Humour
    Leadership
    Marketing
    Motivational
    Namibian Insights
    Online Bookings
    Online Trends
    Self Improvement
    Service
    Social Networks
    Time Management
    Travel Agents
    Travel Trends

    Picture
    Thought Salad! 
     our monthly newsletter. 
    Subscribe HERE

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn

    Archives

    March 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011


Home
Services

About us
Contact 

Resumes
Clients
Web Design
Blog

Photos used under Creative Commons from Martin Cathrae, Andrew Stawarz, laura padgett, Dave Dugdale