Google: Travel Trends and Content Creation

This past month our good friends at Google hosted us at their new Toronto headquarters for the second year in a row to talk travel trends, content creation, and what’s next in the Google space.

After everyone checked in and received their Google nametags, Google warmly welcomed us with a reception of delicious food and drinks where the networking began.

It wasn’t long before we jumped into our seats, with tablets and computers in-hand ready to take down notes of the information our friends at Google were about to share.

From how consumers are researching and booking their travel, to where they look online for inspiration, there is one thing that was clear, content and how people consume it, plays a big role and will continue to going forward.

In a recent study done by Google, 64% of people who watched an online video, decided their next destination based on the video they watched. 45% of leisure travellers are encouraged to book a trip based on video content. It’s important to have a good mix of both professional produced content, along with user generated content.

If you have a YouTube channel, the team shared some great recommendations on how to make the most of it. One tip in particular is using your Content Manager. It allows you to see how your videos perform, audience retention (at what points viewers dropped off and how people are sharing them.

They team shared some great case study examples of travel companies/tourism boards using the video space well:

–> Travel Alberta- Remember to Breathe

–> Canadian Tourism Commission- Canadians Invite the World

CTC called out to Canadians for user-generated content shot on devices like smartphones and personal cameras, and was blended with the work of a few professional directors.

So what’s next for Google?

I think I can speak for everyone in the room, that we were all pretty excited to see a live demo of their new flight search which is still in beta mode but can be accessed at www.google.com/flights/explore. Definitely take a moment to play around with it!

For more photos from the event, check out our Flickr page.