Tourism Companies Discover the Benefits of Viral Video Marketing

(PRWEB) April 2, 2008 -- Given that tour operators and accommodations market an intangible experience it is important to bring their holidays alive in people's imagination, and tourism businesses are discovering that video is one of the most effective ways of doing so. As a result tourism companies are increasingly interested in using video to promote their holidays, and clients of Authentic Holiday Film Productions are reporting a significant increase in leads and booking conversion thanks to the use of promotional holiday videos.

"We are having our best season yet. I know definitely that whenever we have referred inquiries to the Video on the site it has had a positive result." reported Hank Renzenbrink from Sea All Dolphin Swims near Melbourne, Australia, who has been using a promotional holiday video since November 2007.

Sarah Robinson from Villa Jalon in Andalucia, Spain, wrote: "My conversion rate went over 20% today, I am so pleased. Having a short video on our website has enabled us to get a message to our audience that sound and pictures can do better than text on a page."

Tourism marketing specialists are beginning to put viral video sharing to formal and extensive use thanks to the growth and popularity of sites such as YouTube, and of user-generated content such as blogs and Myspace. And more than 270,000 people have watched Authentic Holiday Films on YouTube alone (http://www.youtube.com/user/tomtravelman).

Hotelmarketing.com reported in 2007 that a nationwide survey by Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) for Google and AOL found that more than 75% of respondents said online video was as good as television for learning about advertisers, with more than 6 in 10 respondents saying they had taken some action after watching an online video ad.

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International reported on Sept 4, 2007 that a recent TravelHorizons? study found that two-thirds of online adult leisure travellers watch online video and audio clips.

And the Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 14, 2007 that Cisco says consumer video will be responsible for a significant portion of the Internet-based traffic increases from 2006 to 2011, with video streaming and downloads increasing from 9% in 2006 to 30% in 2011.

But video not only increases interest and exposure it also raises the search engine listing of tourism companies, thanks to links from popular video-sharing websites. Shaun Latham, a web-developer from Melbourne, noted that: "Video is the ultimate viral marketing tool. We got 15 pages of listings in Google for Bigozmusic.com.au even before the site was launched! These listings were all from videos, posted on sites such as YouTube."

Moreover testimonials on video may prove almost as effective as Word of Mouth because site visitors are able to hear from others about how much they have enjoyed their holidays. And a short introduction from guides, accommodation owners and operators may also provide for a more personal connection and allow potential customers to get to know the company and its staff, simply by visiting the website.

But it can be rather expensive to use full-blown video production services. This is where Authentic Holiday Films comes in because the Sydney-based video production company provides people with a manual to shoot their own holidays, while taking care of the editing and post-production process.

The manual is a simple step-by-step guide on how to shoot effective promotional holiday videos, based on years of experience in the tourism industry and filming holidays. Shooting their own holidays will save businesses thousands of dollars in hiring videographers, while Authentic Holiday Films can take care of the more tricky part of editing the footage and uploading the video. Companies can purchase the manual for AUD29.99 on http://www.authenticholidayfilms.com/welcome.html.

Tourism companies using the video production services will be able to provide feedback on the video, before receiving a final version on DVD and a code allowing them to embed the video on their own website, while the video runs on a designated external server, free of charge. This way the video does not slow down the company's server and runs smoothly with hardly any download time. Companies may also order a German version of the video, with German voice-over, to cater to the substantial German travel market.

Mr. Reissmann, the founder and managing director of Authentic Holiday Films, holds a degree in tourism and worked in the industry for many years. He began shooting online video three years ago while working for Responsibletravel.com in Brighton, England, and has filmed extensively throughout Europe and Africa. Since moving to Australia he has been a full-time videographer for 18 months, filming in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania. His clients have included Kingfisher Bay Resort, The Adventure Company, Neilson Active Holidays, Baobab Travel and Ocean Hotels. His videos can be viewed at http://www.authenticholidayfilms.com.

For more information please contact:

Thomas Reissmann

Tel: 0061 432 899 247

Email: tom(at)authenticholidayfilms.com

Site: www.authenticholidayfilms.com

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