The travel industry should dedicate staff to exploring new distribution channels and online innovations.
This view was shared by ITV.com online partnership manager Caroline Knight who said there were 15 people within her organisation employed to play with gadgets such as iPods and Slingboxes.
Knight encouraged the travel industry to do the same saying that it was important for someone to concentrate on emerging media and future trends.
She also said that ITV was attracting new audiences by working across other channels such as the internet.
“Consumers have choice and mobility on any platform they want. By being in these spaces we are attracting people who are not normally in the TV space. Every single platform presents different opportunities in terms of audience.”
But Knight also urged caution, telling delegates to be led by their customers and not just dive in.
“You have to do a cost benefit analysis, test it first and continue to evaluate and work with partners. Don’t be stuck on something that does not work. We have all had our failures,” she said.
by Linda Fox
