Online Travel Focus

Mozilla claims Guinness World Record

Staff Reporter — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:42:51 +0000

Mozilla has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in 24 hours. More than 8 million people downloaded Firefox 3 within 24 hours of its official launch.

Firefox 3 additions boost security and allow users to run websites when they are not connected to the Internet.

Cape Town Syndrome

Malcontent Developer (Mel) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:58:21 +0000

In the transient harbour town that I live in, my circle of friends and enemies are constantly in and out. Sailing in Greece, fashion buying in London, Spain for a spell, Mexico for some surfing, Bali for a bit, snowboarding in Japan….aren’t they just a lucky bunch of privileged, middle-class Muppets - all living it up on a jet setting tea party.

No matter how awesome the experience or how way-out their holiday, these privileged few all utter the same ho-hum sentence when they return.

“There’s no place like Cape town, bru.” (more…)

The myth that SEO is free

Mandy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:16:03 +0000

There is a general misunderstanding amongst online travel companies and across all industries, that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t cost a lot or that it is cheaper than paid search. This is truly a myth. SEO if applied properly can massively influence the success of your business but it doesn’t come cheap or at least it shouldn’t if you are getting a good service. (more…)

I Hate The Media. But It’s Dying And Web 2-Point-Oh Could Change Tourism. And the World.

Martin — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:14:08 +0000

I hate the media. I hate the way they write in the tabloids, the way they sensationalise death and destruction on television, the way they…

But ‘ang on: this is 2008. I’m a citizen. I’m a blogger. I’m on Facebook. I’m on the Web … and that means I (blush) AM the media!

(more…)

7 Days 7 Stories - a Wrapup of the Week 26 June-2 July

Jane — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:04:43 +0000

The following stories made the top seven for this week ….

1) Tourism boards have a huge responsibility in promoting their destinations. What are our tourist boards doing for us?

2) Following on from last weeks wrap-up, Icann the Internet regulator has relaxed restrictions on domain names. Will there be a bun fight for names, or will the cost limit the competition?

(more…)

Starbucks closes 500 stores

Paul — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:37:18 +0000

Starbucks has announced that it is to close 500 stores, a sure sign of the difficult economic times. Earlier in the Week the Financial Times printed an interesting interview with the CEO of Proctor and Gamble, in which A.G. Lafley described some of the buying behaviours of customers in tough economic times – for example, switching from branded shampoos to house brands.

At the same time research has indicated that price is now the most important factor in buying a holiday online. (more…)

Brits prepared to incur debt in order to have a break

Staff Reporter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:05:14 +0000

Ebookers revealed that Britons would go as far as incurring personal debt in order to go on holiday, despite the current economic climate.

Of the 1000 people interviewed 53% said that holidays were “absolutely necessary or important” while 12% considered it a luxury. 14% Said that they would increase overdrafts or use credit cards to pay for a holiday, and 18% said that they would go as far as taking out a loan to fund their holiday.

Visit Travolution to read more.

Agencies lag behind when it comes to paid search

Staff Reporter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:01:53 +0000

An evaluation conducted by Adweek found that only 5 of the 56 agencies assessed have sponsored links on Google. This is concerning if one take into consideration that the use of paid search has become a fundamental part of brand marketing. Adweek also found that smaller speciality shops are piggybacking on the names of larger rivals.

Go to iMedia Connection to read more.

Teens are savvy online buyers

Staff Reporter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:00:25 +0000

Teens are proving to be savvy online shoppers who compare and contrast endlessly before making a purchase, and a recent survey revealed that six out of ten U.S. teens have made a purchase online.

In response to the June 2008 study conducted by OTX and The Intelligence Group teens said they spent an average of $46 every month. The most popular online purchases were clothes and music, followed by books, electronics and DVDs.

The economic slowdown is however, affecting teens online buying, with total year-over-year spending being down 15% among men and 11% among women.

Visit eMarketer for more details.

Hundreds miss out on compensation for delayed flights

Staff Reporter — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:58:43 +0000

EUclaim, a Dutch company specialising in helping passengers get compensation for delayed or cancelled flights says that aclose to a 1000 people are entitled to £430 every day in the UK.

Most people are unaware of the EC regulation 261/2004 introduced in 2005, which gives air passengers the right to compensation and help if boarding is denied, flights cancelled, delays suffered or downgrades made.

EU law however states that airlines don’t have to pay out if flights are cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances, and many carriers have used this law to their advantage, up until now.

Read the full story on Travelmole.