Giants rev-up marketing. WayAway for female-led travel. Google joins SAF program. – WiT

WayAway responds to demand for female-led travel by highlighting women-owned businesses and safe locations

WayAway has responded to a growing demand for female-led travel experiences by launching a new feature that highlights female-led businesses and locations of interest to women. The feature, titled ‘female traveller approved points of interest’, showcases establishments where the owners, founders, or senior management are female, or where the point of interest has a female-focused theme, such as museums or monuments celebrating women.

Research conducted by WayAway reveals that 87% of female travellers would prefer a ‘female-led’ hotel, with safety being a major factor influencing this choice. Nearly half of the respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay a 10% premium for a female-owned or managed hotel.

 

 

Over 100 points of interest have been included in the launch, and WayAway aims to expand this to the low thousands by the end of the year.

WayAway’s Director of PR, Janis Dzenis, emphasized the expansion of female traveller approved points of interest listings is underway, with a network of over 200 on-the-ground WayAway representatives contributing to the effort. This move follows WayAway’s earlier initiatives, including introducing maps with ‘no go’ areas based on crime data and user input, as well as ranking the 30 safest cities for female solo travellers.

 

Delta expands China service amid eased flight restrictions

Delta Airlines is set to expand its China service in the upcoming fall season due to eased flight restrictions between the U.S. and China. Starting October 29, Delta will increase its frequency on two routes: daily service between Seattle and Shanghai, and thrice-weekly service between Detroit and Shanghai. This marks an upgrade from the current twice-weekly flights on both routes. 

Delta also intends to reinstate its Los Angeles-Shanghai service in March of the following year, with four weekly flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced an increment in the allowed roundtrip operations between the two countries from 12 to 18 per week starting September 1, and then further raising it to 24 on October 29.

 

Travel giants diversify marketing strategies to boost customer engagement

Major online travel companies, including Airbnb, Expedia Group, and Booking Holdings, are investing in diverse marketing strategies to engage customers through various channels and drive loyalty. Airbnb’s recent partnership with Mattel, featuring the Barbie Malibu DreamHouse, garnered significant attention, emphasising the importance of innovative campaigns. While Airbnb’s marketing spending increased to $486 million in Q2 2023, the company underlines that the majority of its traffic, around 90%, is still driven through direct or unpaid means.

 

 

Expedia Group also saw an increase in sales and marketing expenses in Q2, reaching $1.77 billion, with a focus on direct sales and marketing. The company attributed its marketing efficiencies to investments in loyalty and app members. Expedia aims to reduce reliance on Google and is seeking higher long-term return opportunities for its advertising dollars.

Booking Holdings is actively promoting direct bookings to enhance customer interaction and loyalty, potentially leading to reduced spending on paid channels over time. Although marketing expenses rose 4% to $1.8 billion in Q2, a significant portion of room nights, 48%, were secured through the company’s app. Booking Holdings is committed to optimizing marketing spend across different channels to enhance efficiency and ROI.

Header images courtesy of Airbnb / Mattel

 

Google joins sustainable fuel initiative in pursuit of net-zero emissions

Google has announced its participation in a major sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) program, aligning with its goal to achieve net-zero emissions across all its operations by 2030. The initiative, led by American Express Global Business Travel and Shell Aviation, began in 2022 and offers 1 million gallons of SAF for corporate clients, contributing to aviation’s transition to a more sustainable future. Notable companies like Aon, Bank of America, Delta, Cathay Pacific, JetBlue, and Japan Airlines are also part of the program.

According to Michael Terrell, Google’s Senior Director of Climate and Energy, integrating SAF is crucial for the aviation sector to decarbonize. Andrew Crawley, President of Amex GBT, emphasized that Google’s involvement highlights the potential of corporate collaboration to expedite the aviation industry’s shift towards net-zero emissions and more sustainable travel. As air travel is responsible for approximately 90% of business travel emissions, SAF can significantly reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional fuels. However, its limited availability and higher cost currently restrict its production and demand.

The partnership’s significance is underscored by Jan Toschka, President of Shell Aviation, who views Google’s participation as a significant milestone in the aviation industry’s efforts to decarbonize. The collaboration highlights the need for collective action across the aviation value chain to scale up SAF adoption effectively.

 

Increase in travel-themed spam emails highlights the transition from traditional scams

Travel-themed spam emails have seen a significant increase, targeting eager travelers seeking cost-effective booking options. Traditional travel scams have transitioned to digital platforms, exploiting potential victims online. Bitdefender Antispam Lab reported that only 38% of travel-related emails between May and July 2023 were legitimate marketing, while the rest were identified as scams.

 

 

The surge in spam emails has been most prominent in Europe (42%) and North America (40%), with the US being the primary target, receiving 39% of global travel-themed spam. Other countries such as Ireland, the UK, Germany, India, and South Africa also received varying percentages of such spam.

 

 

Analysis of common keywords in a sample batch of 1,000 travel-themed spam emails revealed that approximately 20% contained phrases like “free gift” or “survey” in the subject line, often accompanied by grammatical errors. These subject lines are typical of scam attempts rather than authentic marketing efforts.