Last week I spoke at an International conference of destination marketing associations, DMAI. One of my topics was Virtual Communities and how to go about developing one in your interactive program, or even if you should develop one. If you are a travel marketer you need to take this topic very seriously. Online travel sales are expected to grow at an annual rate of 17% reaching $146 billion in 2010. Much of the decisions of consumers using online research, planning and booking are reading and responding to user-generated content. In fact 52% believe Traveler Generated Reviews/ Blogs are an influential (and trustworthy) source when planning/booking travel.

I have seen many travel marketing organizations post flogs, or fake blogs. Usually this is a person within the organization that is using a fictitious name and posting glowing comments for others to read in a blog or forum. Other times the PR agency tries to do this, or sometimes there is really no blog or forum at all, but a flat html page that has an editorial by a supposed couple who visited. People, these are not blogs, not forums, not virtual communities.

Actual Virtual Communities, or social networks, are built upon linking people with like interests together in an online venue for dialog, exchange of information, photos, videos, files, etc. We develop Virtual Communities for the purpose of influencing travel decisions with the help of real people who have been there and done that.

Virtual Communities:
  - Engage your target audience naturally
  - Provide interactive settings for discussion, feedback and great
    research data
  - Strengthen the connection between brand/destination and consumer
  - Build brand enthusiasts and hopefully build brand loyalists

Once you build it, don't just hope that they will come. A strategy for building participation and robust dialog is essential to survival, let alone success.

I have a very large report to share with you, but thought I would post a few things on the blog to get you started thinking. Let me know if you want more.

Leah
Travel Marketing Blog
lwoolford@usdm.net