It’s all about sharing

So, WTM is over for another year. If, like us, you’ve spent the week exploring the world via the ExCeL Centre, meeting new people from across the globe and catching up with familiar faces, as well as enjoying the numerous social events, you’ll be spending the weekend recuperating. One of our favourite parts of the week is the useful and informative speaker sessions. One of the biggest take outs from this year’s sessions is that travel brands need to try harder on social media. They have been accused of complacency and, as Buzzfeed’s Europe vice-president explained, boring brands are creating better online content than exciting travel brands because they know they have to try harder. Cruise lines have also been encouraged to up their social media game and follow in the footsteps of airlines. Looking at travel brands on Facebook and Twitter, airlines are dominating the top 10s with regards to their community sizes. Cruise lines need to build on their activity from the recent CLIA Cruise Week, which reached a staggering 7.3 million people on Twitter and 13,400 on Facebook, according to stats from Andy Harmer, director of CLIA.
 
In the latest in a long line of social media thought pieces, The Guardian this week published an article that delved into some of the ways in which social media is changing the way we travel. The piece suggests that the boom in collaborative social travel shows no sign of slowing down as travellers look for a more authentic (and often better priced) experience. The charge is led by airbnb, changing how people book accommodation and still seeing phenomenal growth. This shift towards the sharing economy is behind the significant increase in the number of individuals looking for tours of cities by those who know it best, home-cooked meals and an experience of the local culture not found in the mainstream. Times are changing – you just have to know how to get involved…
 
Ever fancied embarking on a trip without having to spend hours planning it beforehand? If you want some guidance look to CSI: Miami actor Omar Miller and designer Andres Izquieta as they launch a new six-part travel series ‘Weekend Fix’ on the Esquire Network. In each episode the duo head off to a new city for a weekend with nothing but their phones to guide them, using apps and social media to find something to do each day, and then a place to stay at night. Travel spontaneity at its best.
If you haven’t seen the "AlexfromTarget" hashtag on social media this week, then where have you been hiding! A shop teller from the American store Target, was snapped by a teenage admirer and posted to twitter where more and more teenagers caught on to the hype. Long story short – Alex went viral, accumulating over 100,000 followers in a week or so and getting the attention of celebrities including Ellen de Generes. While we don’t necessarily condone unsolicited photos of strangers, you never know where the next #AlexfromTarget may be hiding so keep an eye out!