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FYI News and Insight for December 2005 / January 2006
FYI News and Insight for December 2005 / January 2006
Willowbrook, IL � December 2005 � Welcome to the December edition of FYI, brought to you by Leisure Group Travel, Group Travel Directory and Prep Traveler.

In typical end-of-year cleaning fashion, I was sorting through my vertical files and happened upon some �way back� issues of Leisure Group Travel. Boy how things have changed! Paging through old magazines is like leafing through your yearbook. Part laughter and reflection on old times, part �what was I thinking?�


As we begin to wrap up our 7th year at Premier Tourism Marketing, I want to thank those of you who take a few minutes out of your busy month to read FYI, and to those who have supported our print and online publishing endeavors these past seven years. It means a lot to me.

We have plenty of new things in store for 2006, which we�ll unfold as the calendar rolls on to January. In the meantime, enjoy December�s edition of FYI.

Best wishes to you and yours this holiday season!
Jeff G.
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Jeff Gayduk
Jeff Gayduk
Shrinking Group Sizes?
Not necessarily so, according to the leisuregrouptravel.com web poll. We asked planners to estimate their average group size, with surprising results:
  • 48% of planners average 36 or more passengers per trip

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  • 23% average 21-35 passengers per trip

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  • 29% average less than 20 passengers per trip
Poll results indicate that while the phenomenon of �small group travel� is taking hold, larger group sizes still dominate the market.

Suppliers and destinations often mistakenly equate smaller group sizes to market weakness. While this may be true for some senior-oriented groups that are having difficulty recruiting new members as their base of travelers age, the affinity and special interest group travel movement is all about small to mid-size groups. They don�t travel in large packs because the experience they are looking for isn�t possible in this fashion.

Imagine unloading a coach-full of travelers at a nature preserve for a bird watching expedition? �Shh, everyone be quiet!� Or 48 golfers arriving at the same time to play a round? It will take two hours to get the entire group off the tee! How about a participatory cooking demonstration with 55 of your best friends? Better get there early for a good spot!

This new wave of group traveler seeks a unique experience and bonding that occurs during specialized experiences. Any company intent on capturing this market needs to adapt their product lines and policies in order to transition this market shift.

Editing Like a Pro
By Tom Sant

When I was young, I had an English teacher named Mrs. Whipple who had a simple, inflexible rule for grading: if you had more than two misspelled words, you got an F. 

Maybe you had a Mrs. Whipple in your life. If so, you may have unconsciously learned to equate proofreading with editing. It�s good to proofread, of course, but it�s not the same as editing. Editing is the most difficult part of writing and one of the two most essential steps. (The other is organizing your thinking.) Editing means looking objectively at your writing from the perspective of your audience, and then improving it so the audience fully understands it and so that it accomplishes the purpose for which you wrote it.

Poor writers often believe that good writers do not need to revise, that letters and reports simply pour forth in their complete and final forms. That�s not true and until a writer gives up this delusion, he or she has little chance of improving. Even the most gifted writers, Nobel laureates and Booker Prize winners, edit their work carefully. Read the entire article.

Improve Your Search Engine Rankings
GroupTravelDirectory.com generates quality inbound links that are important to your search engine ranking with Google, Yahoo and MSN. The search engines consider external links pointing to your site as a vote of confidence. Particularly if these sites are industry related or are important portals in your industry.

GroupTravelDirectory.com draws more web traffic than any other group publisher site according to Alexa.com, and our highly targeted and important industry portal delivers extremely relevant answers to hundreds of targeted searches daily.

The formula for top search engine ranking is as follows: Optimized Web Pages + Quality Inbound Links = Prominent Search Ranking. If you�re not linked from GroupTravelDirectory.com, you�re missing a key part of the equation.

Enhanced membership directory listings are just $95 for an entire year�s worth of online exposure (now included automatically for display advertisers of Leisure Group Travel and Prep Traveler!), Premier level participation includes more benefits for just $395. If you�re not here, groups can�t find you... Register directly online.

Four Secrets to Building an Engaging Brand Experience
By Kristie Tamsevicius

Driven by the Burger King mentality, today�s customers want to do business their way on their time. They want to make their own choices. As business people, it�s our job then to make sure that, when customers are ready to make their choice, our product or service is their top choice. Below are four secrets to put some spark and imagination into your brand and create an unforgettable brand experience.

  • Tell Your Company�s Unique Brand Story

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  • Make Your Brand a Household Name by Coining a Term

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  • Add Your Unique Brand of Humor

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  • Create Your Own Catch Phrases and Quotes
Read the entire article

Prep Traveler Doubles in Size, Moves Up Production for 2006
November�s Prep Traveler, our second edition of this popular youth sports and performance group travel publication has doubled in size from the debut edition. At 64 pages, plus inserts from Theatre Direct and Myrtle Beach, the magazine is making quite an impact on the market.

Join in on the youth travel revolution by reaching the most lucrative segments of the market (not just the class trips to MCO, NYC and DC!).

Reserve your advertising space now for the Spring edition of Prep Traveler. Visit PrepTraveler.com.

Here�s What�s on Target for Leisure Group Travel
February �06:

  • State Features: Carolinas, Illinois
  • City Focus: Seattle/Vancouver
  • Hub & Spoke: Hampton Roads
  • Regional Travel Tips: Frontier & Mountain West, Mid-Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairie Provinces
  • Directory: Tour Attractions
  • International Dateline: Western Europe, Caribbean
  • Affinity Rules: Bank Travel
  • Also: Cruises, Gate 38
April �06:
  • State Features: Texas, Maryland
  • City Focus: Atlantic City
  • Hub & Spoke: Southern California
  • Regional Travel Tips: Midwest, Southeast
  • Directory: Theaters
  • International Dateline: British Isles, Africa
  • Affinity Rules: Special Needs
  • Also: Cruises, Gate 38
June �06:
  • State Features: Mississippi, Georgia
  • City Focus: Nashville
  • Hub & Spoke: Colorado�s Front Range
  • Regional Travel Tips: New England, Pacific States, Atlantic Canada, British Columbia/Yukon
  • Directory: Gaming/Casinos
  • International Dateline: Asia/South Pacific, Latin America
  • Affinity Rules: Religious
  • Also: Cruises, Gate 38
August �06:
  • State Features: Michigan, California
  • City Focus: New Orleans
  • Hub & Spoke: Cape Cod
  • Regional Travel Tips: Frontier & Mountain West, Mid-Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and Prairie Provinces
  • Directory: Tour & Receptive Itineraries
  • International Dateline: British Isles, Africa
  • Affinity Rules: Red Hats
  • Also: Cruises, Gate 38
About Premier Tourism Marketing
Premier Tourism Marketing is a leading publisher of trade journals, web sites and e-newsletters for the group travel industry, with a total circulation of 53,000 group travel organizers. Readership includes travel planners representing religious groups, banks and credit unions, retirement clubs, special interest and alumni groups, plus tour operators, bus companies and travel agents that serve the market. The firm is a four-time winner of the Mature Media Awards for journalism excellence in travel trade magazines. For more information about the company, visit premiertourismmarketing.com.
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Contact: Jeff Gayduk
jeff@ptmgroups.com
630-964-1431
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�Service of Hospitality 1ST and Subscribing Members�
Placement Dates: 12/13/05 � 02/13/06
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