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Travel companies face up to benefits of social networking sites

It looks like the travel industry is catching on to the nation's obsession with online networking site Facebook.

The site has more than 3,000 third party software applications - of which around 100 are travel related. The most popular is Where I've Been, which gives users the chance to mark the countries they've visited on a map.

US travel company SideStep is already using Facebook as a way of reaching a fresh audience. This could be a great - and free - marketing opportunity for agents wishing to boost their profile and make contact with a whole new generation of potential customers.

As Benji Lanyado of Guardian Unlimited says, "the implications are rather exciting. You could search for and book flights on one application, peruse hotel listings on another, plan a trip with your buddies on another … all without leaving the warm and cuddly pages of Facebook."

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Comments (4)

I'm really baffled why there's very few travel companies promoting their services and products on Facebook.

I've found by creating a Travel group, that I have attracted both consumers [my targeted audiance] and travel professionals, with little promotion or time spent.

I don't know how many members FB has on there nowadays, but it's a gold mine full of potential customers.


Martin Couzins:

Darren
What's your Facebook group called? Martin

Martin Couzins:

Thanks, Darren.

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