Direct booking definitions

SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user. It is common practice for Internet users to not click through pages and pages of search results, so where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic toward the site.
SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine.

SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
Form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs). According to the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization, SEM methods include: search engine optimization (or SEO), paid placement, and paid inclusion. Other sources, including the New York Times, define SEM as the practice of buying paid search listings.

Geo Search Marketing
Geo-targeting enables you to target your ads to potential customers located or interested in particular geographical areas.1
You can target your ads:
To the entire market; e.g. the Southeast Asia market.
To countries within that market; e.g. Singapore, Malaysia.

Benefits
Geo-targeting can be helpful for:
Small businesses that want to drive traffic to their physical shops or offices by targeting customers searching online for local providers of goods and services.
Service-oriented businesses, such as plumbers or estate agents.
Large businesses that want to drive customers to their web sites and/or physical shop locations.

How it works
When you create a new campaign or modify existing campaigns, select your geographic area to be targeted.
Your geo-targeted ad will be served to users based on one or more of the following:1
User’s location—A search is conducted from your targeted location.
Interest location—A user includes the name of your targeted location as part of the search term.

Location Based Services
Information and entertainment service, accessible with mobile devices through the mobile network and utilizing the ability to make use of the geographical position of the mobile device.

LBS services include services to identify a location of a person or object, such as discovering the nearest banking cash machine or the whereabouts of a friend or employee. LBS services include parcel tracking and vehicle tracking services. LBS can include mobile commerce when taking the form of coupons or advertising directed at customers based on their current location.

Article Summary #11: Death of the travel brochure as travelers opt for online reviews

This article illustrates well the new trend in term of travel information.

Indeed, nowadays, customers trust more other customers' comments that travel agencies'brochures. As swindles are more and more common, customers cannot trully rely on what travel agencies offer.

This phenomenon shows that customers have the power to take part to a travel industry actor's development or drop. All the stakeholders of the travel industry had better to be very careful and pamper all their customers, without any discrimination of purchasing power or social class.

Indeed, the richest as the poorest can send bad comment about your services...

Today in the world: Sandstorm in Beijing

After the hearthquake in the Sichuan province in 2008, a sandstorm choked Beijing last friday.

I guess that China always underwent natural disasters but since its opening to the world, foreign media largely display China's troubles.

Will those natural disasters endanger the tourism development in China? Are those natural disasters a direct consequense of China non care of its environment and resources?

Let's see what will happen...

Article Summary #10: A Spiritual Journey in Bali

This article
Indeed, customers are now looking for new ways to travel and they are very demanding. In order to fullfil their new expectations, hoteliers have to develop new strategies.

This article introduces the proposal of LUX2asia, which is Bali’s first Luxury Destination Management Company and Concierge Service. This company offers the customers to enter the spiritual part of Bali by exploring sacred places and try to understand Bali spiritual believes.

To my mind, this experience is really interesting and is likely to work as most people do not know about Hinduism and this spiritual journey offers them the opportunity to discover it.

Is religious travel a new trend? let's see what will happen

Article Summary #9: Google Maps adds biking directions

I found this article interesting because it is an additional service offered that is relevant to my point of view.

Indeed, people are more and more concerned by environmental issues, so if they are encouraged to do so, they will be likely to use bicycle insted of cars for transport means. Thanks to this application, cyclists will know where the suitable roads are and it will be more secure for them and for car drivers to drive.

Moreover, for the moment, the concept only exists in the USA but we hope that it will be provided in countries that use a lot bicycles, such as Holland or China.