ASYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITY (Group Output)
TOPICS COVERED:
a) Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - a Getting Better Search Engine Results the
"Natural Way
b) How to Acquire and Develop Customers - Marketing Channels and the Use of
Customer Relationship Management
c) Branding Project the Essence of the Destination
d) E-commerce for Destinations-Turning Enquiries into Sales
e) Mobile Marketing Exploiting the Essential Companion to Everyday Life
Group 1: Ati-Atihan Festival
Alfuente, Shayna
Apepe, Bernadette Joyce
Bueno, Aira Marie
Castro, Mary Jeff Frozhene
Dela Pena, Anne Roise
Felomina, Ella Grace
Gallientes, Leandrea
Llaga, Myrafe
Musni, Jesika Mariel
Perez, Cedrick
Pimentel, Andrea
Rocero, Nathaniel
Teodoro, Angela Mira
Viray, Mary Anne Janine
TOPIC#1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Tasks:
1. Explain the concept of organic search results and how search engines rank
websites.
The term Search Engine Optimization or SEO refers to the process of making
websites appear in search engine results as often as possible. This can be done by
acquiring and generating the highest possible number of relevant traffic to a website.
But we are going to focus on the organic search results, the term ‘organic’ when it
comes to SEO is the natural results that appear on specific websites. Organic search
results are when the results are not optimized by any search engine that needs to be
paid, so when you search about a specific thing on the website it is the one where it is
just naturally there and cannot be accessed by another ad that you have to watch
before accessing a specific information.
Moreover, there are three primary functions on how search engines work— crawling,
indexing and ranking. But we will focus more on the third one, which is the ranking. The
search engines ranking's goal is to prioritize content that matches the search queries. In
essence, when searching online in search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.,
complex algorithms organize the order of websites/results that appear based on their
relevance.
2. Give at least 3 benefits of organic SEO for tourism destinations.
In today's digital era, tourists are increasingly relying on search engines to organize
their vacations. This makes a good online presence important to tourist attractions.
Organic SEO provides various benefits for tourism destinations, including three
important benefits.
Finding qualified traffic keywords, organic SEO assists in discovering particular
keyword phrases that potential visitors use to find places. This allows businesses to
customize content in their website in order to attract visitors who are truly interested in
the destination's offers.
Making your site search engine friendly, technical SEO ensures your website is easy
for search engines to understand and navigate. This improves your chances of
appearing in search results when people use those qualified keywords.
Building links and marketing the unique value of the site, SEO involves establishing
relationships with reputable travel websites and blogs. These connections serve as a
sign of trust in your location, increasing its reputation and search rating. SEO also helps
to highlight your destination's unique qualities to consumers who are actively looking for
similar experiences.
TOPIC #2: Customer Acquisitions and Development
Task:
1. Explain how a CRM system can be used to develop relationships with existing
customers and encourage repeat business in tourism.
A CRM system, such as HubSpot, can be used in the tourism industry to develop
relationships with existing customers and encourage repeat business by providing a
centralized platform for managing customer interactions, allowing tourism businesses to
store and track customer data, including contact information, purchase history, and
preferences. By utilizing all of the information, businesses can personalize their
communication and marketing efforts, tailoring offers and promotions to specific customer
segments. This personalized approach helps to foster stronger relationships with
customers, as they feel valued and understood. Additionally, CRM systems enable
businesses to automate follow-up communications, such as sending thank-you emails or
post-stay surveys, which can help maintain engagement and gather feedback throughout
their journey.
With the help of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) the tourism businesses
actively listen to customer opinions and address any concerns or suggestions as
businesses can demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction and continuously
improve their services. This, in turn, leads to increased customer satisfaction, higher
retention rates, and ultimately, more repeat business.
Topic #3: Branding Project the Essence of the Destination.
Task:
1. Choose a brand with a current branding strategy of the tourism company you
admire. Analyze and write how they communicate their value proposition to their
target audience.
Delving into the 21st Century: Tourism Edition
As the 21st century arises, there are various needs that need to have an aid.
With that, there are various individuals, groups, and companies that created
ways on how they will give ease and less stress to the people who want to travel,
whether it is for fun or for work purposes. Here are some of the plans that they
come across as they deliver what the tourist needs:
● Accessibility: Through time, people’s attention became lesser than ever. With
the use of more accessible websites, we can now give factual information, share
wonderful locations, and possible costing to the possible tourists in which they
will find it easy as they browse it on their phones. [4]
● Place Brand Research: Knowing the products’ roots in terms of branding local
products became one of the aces in promoting their tourism in the audience
because they can enjoy the treats and the products in the comfort of their homes.
Then, if they want to go to a specific country, they might be interested in where
the food came from and delve into the exciting culture, history, and lifestyle that
the manufacturing company and the region it came from has. [3]
● Internal Planning: Through contacting various places or regions in a specific
scope in order for it to work as smoothly as possible and to deliver the necessary
qualities that the brands want to offer. I.e., “Therefore, taking the place of identity
extracted in this study as a ‘starting point’, it is proposed that workshops be held
for Okinawans to enhance it. The goal of place branding in the prefecture will be
shared as a value and the story will become self-sustaining; this will give rise to
meaning and the place identity will become more apparent. Additionally, the
Okinawa Branding Office needs to be established by the Okinawa Prefectural
Government.” [3]
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the Philippines' national flag carrier and Asia's first airline. As
PAL continues to improve its brand story of providing passionate customer service and
developing a distinct brand identity. It introduces a new Brand Equity campaign titled
"Experience the Heart of the Filipino" with the goal of attracting foreign leisure
visitors from worldwide markets.
· Service excellence - Philippine Airlines prioritizes providing excellent customer
service, enjoyable travel experiences, and individualized attention to passengers'
requirements. They may express this through commercials that feature polite and
attentive personnel, nice accommodations, and onboard facilities.
· Partnerships with other airlines for global connectivity - Philippine Airlines plans
to build a Manila-Seattle service in October 2024, as part of global connectivity
partnerships. Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the first carrier to connect the Philippines with
the United States. Pacific Northwest has nonstop flights from Manila to Seattle.
Furthermore, PAL currently has the greatest nonstop network between the Philippines
and the United States, with flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle,
Honolulu, and Guam. In addition, Philippine Airlines has introduced the Ultimate
Domestic Flash Sale.
· Psychological Appeal - Philippine Airlines' advertising campaigns leverage
narrative to evoke a sense of connection with passengers, highlighting the excitement of
travel, cultural encounters, and unforgettable moments with loved ones.
· Safety and Reliability - Philippine Airlines prioritizes safety and reliability through
advertising, movies, and leadership communications, reminding passengers of their
commitment to upholding the highest standards.
By properly expressing these valuable propositions, PAL can attract and keep
consumers who value outstanding service, cultural immersion, and the ease of flying
with a reputable carrier.
Topic #4: E-commerce for Destinations
Task:
1. Name one tourism product that you love to purchase online and give at least 3
key features of a user-friendly e-commerce platform for tourism products should
possess.
Tourism Product - Airline Tickets
An airline ticket is an important document and the main tool used by passengers that
guarantees their seat on a flight-operated commercial aircraft. They act as a pass to go
to locations all over the world, be it for work, play, or other reasons. With an airline
ticket, a passenger and the airline enter into a legal agreement that gives the passenger
the right to board a particular flight at a predetermined time and date, usually in
exchange for a price. They are crucial elements of travel preparation, enabling people to
effectively and comfortably fly to their intended destinations. With the rise of
e-commerce, airlines, as well as travel agencies, are now issuing electronic airline
tickets for passengers who reserve their flights through online booking platforms.
Booking airline tickets and reserving a seat for a flight is now easy, convenient and
comfortable.
The existence of e-commerce has changed the whole reservation system for airline
tickets. Flight reservations used to be a difficult and time-consuming task. It shifted from
manual systems that only allowed flight reservations via phone calls and face-to-face
interactions to reservation systems that consisted of online booking platforms that
allowed passengers to access various information such as ticket prices and available
seats, and reserve their electronic airline tickets with just a single click on their devices.
3 Key Features:
1. Smooth Booking Process:
- The world of e-commerce has affected and transformed how consumers
and tourists plan to travel, and it is as easy as purchasing airline tickets
via user-friendly websites. Think of it as an all-around shop where our
tourists can quickly look up or book flights, estimate the costs for their
travel, choose seats, and validate their reservations, with just a few clicks!
This process is about efficiency and being direct, preventing tourists from
having the conventional reservation procedures.
2. Real-time Pricing and Availability:
- With this feature, the platform has offered numerous accurate data on the
tourists’ flight costs and the availability of their seats. It is like having a
digital app or dashboard that updates the customer from time to time to
display the most recent pricing or other available and budget-friendly
options for the trip. To state it simply, customers can most likely rely on
such platforms to help customers by providing them with timely and
reliable updates, allowing them to make well-informed decisions and
acquire great travel discounts, rather than rely on out-of-date pieces of
information.
3. Easy Mobile Accessibility:
- Based on different research and references, it is stated that a user-friendly
platform should be mobile-friendly too. This is because technology
emphasizes how convenient it is to get travel services from any location.
We all know that in this generation, cell phones or mobile phones are a
necessity now. Now, imagine that you’re in a situation where you need to
reserve a flight while you’re doing something, whether at work or home or
traveling somewhere. You may look up flights and instantly book them on
a mobile-friendly platform, you’ll just pull out your gadget such as a phone
or table and that’s it. Its like, wherever life leads you, you always have the
ability and chance to arrange your trips in just a few clicks.
Topic #5: Mobile Marketing
Task:
1. Discuss at least 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages of using mobile apps for
tourism purposes (e.g., booking travel, finding attractions, and getting directions).
ADVANTAGE DISADVANTAGE
CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY DEPENDENCE ON TECHNOLOGY
Mobile apps provide a convenient and Relying solely on mobile apps for travel
accessible way for travelers to plan and related information and services may lead
manage their trips. They can easily book to difficulties when internet connectivity is
travel arrangements, find local attractions, poor or unavailable. In such situations,
and get direction while they are on the users might struggle to access their apps,
move. This saves time and effort, as they which could negatively impact their travel
don’t have to rely on physical maps and plans and experiences.
travel agents.
PERSONALIZATION AND TECHNICAL ISSUE
CUSTOMIZATION
Mobile apps, like any software, can
Mobile apps often use advanced experience technical issues such as
algorithms and user data to offer glitches, crashes, or slow performance.
personalized recommendations and These problems can lead to difficulties in
experiences. This means that travelers booking travel, lost reservations, or
can find attractions, restaurants, and incorrect information, causing frustration
events that cater to their specific interests and inconvenience for the user.
and preferences, making their trips more Additionally, internet connectivity issues
enjoyable and memorable. can further exacerbate these problems
when trying to access the app or
complete a booking.
OFFLINE CAPABILITY INFORMATION SATURATION
In a lot of travel applications, maps, The sheer number of travel applications
guides, and other vital details can be available may confuse people, making it
downloaded for offline usage. It has come challenging to choose reliable ones. What
to be an indispensable feature for is more, sometimes sites with
travelers heading to remote areas with user-generated content can be unreliable
limited internet coverage or those who and irrelevant thus disorienting and
may want to save on data while abroad. annoying travelers who need dependable
Even without an internet connection, information.
offline access guarantees that tourists
can still access critical information such
as directions, restaurant suggestions and
translation tools which they would use to
communicate.
USER-ENGAGEMENT TOOLS DATA VULNERABILITY
The interactive features are common in In most cases, travel apps users will be
travel apps such as user reviews, ratings, required to grant access to their location
social media integration to allow tourists services as well as personal information
some comments or information from other that they use while using those apps.
customers. This is an interactive feature Although this information may be needed
that complements the tour revelry with the to fulfill functions such as booking hotel
help of community engagement and rooms or exploring new areas, it can also
allowing travelers to make more informed be a source of privacy and security
decisions from peer opinions. threats to users. Compromising sensitive
data with hackers, data breaches, or
unauthorized usage by external agents
may occur if a travel app fails to
implement strong data protection
measures.
BOOK HOTEL AND FLIGHT TICKET HIDDEN FEES
Booking hotel and flight tickets through a The entire cost of your trip can end up
travel app provides different advantages. being higher than you anticipated due to
Firstly, it grants you access to exclusive hidden fees in travel apps. When costs
aren't clearly stated initially, it's easy to go
deals and discounts that may not be
over budget. Because of this, users may
accessible elsewhere. Secondly, it offers lose faith in the app and its developer.
the convenience of comparing prices and Customers can acquire the most bang for
options from multiple airlines and hotels in their buck with transparent pricing since it
a single location. Moreover, many apps lets them make educated judgments and
provide loyalty programs or reward points precise cost comparisons.
for booking through them, which leads to
possible future savings or advantages.
Lastly, travel apps typically offer real-time
updates and notifications regarding your
bookings, facilitating the management of
your trip while on mobile devices.
SIMPLIFIES TRANSACTIONS LIMITED SUPPORT
A travel app's simplified transactions will A possible disadvantage of a travel app
save you time and effort during the with limited help is that customers are left
booking process. Securely book flights to fend for themselves when they face
problems or require assistance with their
and hotels, manage reservations, and
bookings. Unanticipated events, including
make payments with only a few clicks. flight cancellations, hotel changes, or
This ease of use eliminates the need to technological difficulties, can complicate
go back and forth between different even the most well-planned vacation.
websites or phone conversations, making Users can get their questions answered,
the entire process much smoother. Plus, problems fixed, and concerns handled
you'll have an easier time staying with confidence when they have access
to dependable customer care. Users
prepared and enjoying your trip if you
could get irritated, stuck, or confused
have all your travel details in one spot. about what to do next if they don't receive
enough help.
Submission- This group work should be placed in word document file (Arial; 12) and
saved in pdf format. Use only the references I will provide for this activity. Since this is a
group activity, an individual certification (optional) can be acquired from the reference
link. If in case you decided to get the individual certification, take the exam in the link
and once you have the certificate you may upload too (I will give 15 points incentives to
your final exam).
Major Reference:
1. https://www.emarketinginstitute.org/free-courses/seo-certification-course/
Additional Reference:
● https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo [1]
● https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm/what-is [2]
● https://placebrandobserver.com/sayaka-toyokawa-on-place-branding-in-japan/ [3]
● https://www.webyurt.com/ecommerce-travel-industry [4]
● https://www.mmaglobal.com/ [5]
