The travel industry sits on some of the most valuable first party data on the planet. Few other verticals have data that can be quite so useful to other advertisers. For example, if an airline knows an individual is going holiday to a given city, that information is of immense value to hotels, taxi companies, car hire services, tourist attractions, travel insurance companies and even restaurants.
While many travel companies have been putting their data to work for years now, there are still huge opportunities for additional growth, and mobile will be at the heart of it. For example, the mobile apps of leading airlines now go beyond just making booking flights easier. They are also used to check-in for flights, for boarding passes, to track flights and to book hotel and car hire services i.e. the travel app is starting to be something that goes beyond the booking process, and is working its way into the holiday itself. So why shouldn’t an airline’s app help you get to and from the airport, allow you to check into your hotel, or recommend a restaurant close by to your hotel?
One of the companies helping travel advertisers to get the best out of their data is ADARA. The company partners with companies like Ryanair, Hertz and Marriott, and helps them to get their data to market so it can be used by advertisers who are seeking travellers to specific destinations. Here Bernie Yu, VP of Marketing at ADARA, explains how the travel industry will see further growth and exploit new opportunities on mobile.
