Social marketing this year will continue but reports of its reach may not meet expectations. Experts say the Facebook juggernaut, which means one out of every dozen people on Earth may soon have an account, cannot be underestimated.
But does it really sell trips?
“I’m not saying Facebook won’t matter — how can anything with over 500 million potential customers not matter? — but it’s been a hard nut to crack when it comes to actually making money,” pointed out travel expert Henry Hardeveldt.
He predicts instead that social travel search and planning will emerge as a major trend, though it appears that applications for making real money appear not to be immediate.
The near-term trend is obvious in TripAdvisor’s decision to allow users to see their Facebook friend’s travel reviews and recommendations.
By David Wilkening
