Friday, March 30, 2007

5 Free Online Photo Editors

Perhaps you're on vacation and didn't feel like lugging your laptop along with you. But of course you're taking pictures. You can now clean up those photos and even do more advanced image editing from any internet café. A crop of web-based photo editing programs has sprouted up over the past year. Learn more.

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posted by Toddles @ 5:21 PM   0 comments

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Tourism Keys Survey

Tourism Keys Workshop Participants are completing the online survey at:
http://www.tourismclicks.com/tk2007survey.html

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

posted by Toddles @ 4:56 PM   0 comments

Credibility and Rich Media

Sometimes, credibility can be achieved with more than just comments on web sites like http://www.tripadvisor.com



Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

posted by Toddles @ 1:02 PM   0 comments

You've got to Taste the County

This place is amazing and has totally rejuvenated me.
http://pec.on.ca
Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 9:56 AM   0 comments

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

MapQuest Map to Cell Phone May help your Guests

MapQuest has upgraded its free "Send to Cell" services that allow users to create driving directions and maps on their desktops or laptops and send them to any Web-enabled cell phone. Once directions or maps are created on a computer, users click on a Send to Cell link. The information, which is "right-sized" for cell screens, is accessed on mobile devices via a text message containing a URL link. The service is available on several major carriers at mapquest.com.

Tourism Businesses might consider providing links to the service on their Web sites.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 7:30 AM   0 comments

Ontario Tourism Businesses can Link to OTMP Resources

OntarioTravel.net Travel Tips are a great way for tourism businesses to link to reliable information for inbound travelers to Ontario. Ontario Tourism has given permission to continue granting tourism businesses the right to link to relevant info directly on the site.
Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 7:16 AM   0 comments

Thursday, March 22, 2007

How much would you pay for a phone call or a newsletter sign up?

http://www.businessweek.com reports this week that Google has tested a pay per action service and potentially could use the tool to increase revenue and combat the ever present click fraud problem that dogs traditional pay-per-click advertising.
This announcement on the heels of Yahoo's update of its Panama pay per click advertising service which has received very good reviews from users.
My hunch is that we'll soon see Google's ad revenue growth slow, particularly as the search giant is dogged by occasional poor search results, particularly in the travel sector as described in an earlier post. See Google Spam's its results post below.

posted by Toddles @ 7:18 PM   0 comments

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Minimize Clicks to Enhance Sales on your Tourism Web site

When we undertook a redesign of PaddlingOntario.com my overwhelming objective was to minimize the number of clicks to get to a buyable tourism product or in most cases, a selection of five ready-to-buy packages.
For example, a search on google for the terms: "family camping trip getaway" features a link to this family page on PaddlingOntario.com
You will note that there are a handful of ready to purchase experiences with contact info at the ready. The interested visitor can take action right away!

Designing a site for doorway pages that get the searcher to desired product in one click ensures that 100% of searchers who click can consider your offer.

Clicking Rule of Thumb: With each click required to get to purchasing your product, you will lose half your audience. If product is two clicks away, you are going to be able to pitch only 25% of your potential audience.

Ensure your calls to action are straightforward and readily available on every page of your site, along with your phone number. Also, do what you can to ensure that any travel package you offer is available in one click from any page in your site.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 5:53 PM   0 comments

Monday, March 19, 2007

Vox - a social networking / blog interface


Sites like and are social networking meccas. Places where people go to meet likeminded people - people with similar interests.
Sites like Blogger and Typepad.org are sites where blogging is king.
Also, ever heard of a little site called , the video site and multimedia darling.

The new Vox combines the power of all three in a refreshingly simple interface that permits all sorts of benefits for tourism businesses looking to benefit from social networking, blogging, and multimedia all in the same place.
If you don't have a blog, or a social networking site fav, or a way to get multimedia onto your tourism Web site you may be leaps ahead of the rest of us if you get up and going on Vox.

Check it out: http://www.vox.com/

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:41 AM   0 comments

Grow links with Search Engine Registration.

With thousands of search engines on the Web, one of the best ways to generate relevant links for your tourism business is to register your site in relevant directories and subcategories within those directories. This list of Web search engines is a good place to start optimizing your links!

http://www.isedb.com/html/Web_Directories/

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:35 AM   0 comments

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Email Marketing Tool Ideas

Hi Todd
. . .
You always have sensible and sound advice when it comes to websites and such, and we certainly appreciate your generous spirit in sharing info. And so, I have another query.

We are re-doing our website. It will include a content management system (we bit the bullet). What we also need to seriously upgrade is our ability to email high quality newsletters, a la White Squall.

Currently, we have a relational DB using Filemaker. We then export email addresses to a rather primitive list server program provided through our web host. It works, but it ain't great.

Do you have a recommendation as to what we should do, what programs to use, etc., to address our e-communication needs as we go forward?

Francis Boyes,
Smoothwater of Temagami


Hi Francis,
There are a number of online database services that make email management productive, efficient and economical.
, by Got - which started as a Canadian company.
http://www.naturallysuperior.com uses Constant Contact.

Some Web hosting services like 1and1.com offer an email marketing tool as part of Web hosting services.

There are others available, but this should get you started on your quest to find a useful email marketing tool. Also, some Web design companies provide this email marketing tool functions as part of a content management system.

Regards, Todd
http://www.tourismclicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 3:38 PM   0 comments

Second Thoughts on Links to Ontario Tourism

Over the past two and a half years we have been advising tourism businesses to link to relevant content on the OntarioTravel.net site.

However, the Rules governing use of the site expressly forbid such as shown below:

Linking to this Site

You may create bookmarks to any page within the Site for personal, non-commercial use.

You agree that you will not without OTMPC's express prior written consent: (i) direct links to pages within this Site otherwise than to its home page, including without limitation direct links to search functions; (ii) re-use or re-display any content or modification of any content on this Site; or (iii) redeliver any content of this Site by use of "frames" or otherwise.

Until Ontario Tourism provides an update of their terms of use which permits linking to these useful doorway pages by tourism businesses, best advise is to find other ways to link to relevant information for your ideal guest.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 3:20 PM   1 comments

Looking for Travel Media attention?

The Canadian Tourism Commission offers these links to writers.

As well, consider finding a writer at: Rolf Pott's travel writers page.

Also, Ontario Tourism can help Ontario based tourism businesses find media for international and domestic markets. Got a story to tell, contact Ontario Tourism Media Relations.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 2:44 PM   0 comments

Friday, March 09, 2007

Partnering

HI Todd,

You may not remember me from the Gravenhurst Tourism Keys seminar, but we spoke briefly, and I greatly enjoyed and benefited from the day. It has occurred to me that South River and Huntsville are not that far apart. Is there any possibility of Partnership?

I can see us either as a matinee stop on the way to, or from Northern Edge Algonquin. Dependant on rail service, there may be the possibility of continuing a trip, or we could work with Hammond Transportation at creating the trip.

Walter Young,
Artistic Director/CEO,
Theatre Muskoka,
,
http://www.theatremuskoka.ca ,


______________

Hi Walter,
Thank you for the invitation to partner. You've got the idea that is most important for the success of tourism for any business.... partnering with those you have an affinity with.

Ideally you can partner with a wide range of accommodation providers in the region. It would be really great to identify other partners. Perhaps feature partners on your site as preferred accommodation, restaurant, or experience providers and provide links to their Web sites with phone numbers. These partners would of course reciprocate and offer the Muskoka theatre the same, linking to your upcoming events calendar and ticket sales.

Unfortunately, we are not a traditional accommodation provider, so it doesn't work for us. We'll be happy to provide a link to your site.

regards,
todd.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 2:24 PM   0 comments

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Google has begun ranking it's site as the number one search result for most travel related inquiries.... although Google is rarely the most relevant search result.

OneBox results are prominently displayed, taking up as much as 50% of the google results screen.
Search for travel related results and you will now find Google showcases results on it's mapping application as the number one search result.

This is a dangerous abuse of the Google powers to define relevant search results in an unaudited fashion - decreeing that Google's Mapping service is the best search result for any search involving golf, hotels, accommodation, restaurants and the like.

Even the names of individual hotels or restaurants yields the google.com/local site as the most relevant search result! Hardly likely that it is more relevant than the domain name for the business itself.

Try it: Search for any city name along with any of the above and Google scores its mapping resource number one.

This is a dangerous precident for Google. Not only that, but the search results link to travel reviews found on Yahool Travel Planner, Trip Advisor, and other Web resources which can easily be spammed!

Some of the search results on the map link directly to search spam sites. Try a search for the on Google and see what you get! Don't click on the link to the hotel unless you want to make google and a scam site money!

Stop Google from Abusing its position as the most used search engine. Please digg this post and tell everyone in the tourism industry about this dangerous use of Google's OneBox results.

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @   0 comments

When searching for accommodation or hotels on google, the new #1 search result accross all destination names is Google Maps!
Beware, your tourism business credibility can be greatly harmed or enhanced by what others have to say about your travel accommodation.

What are you doing to ensure you get favourable reviews from travelers who use sites like TripAdvisor.com and ?







Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:37 PM   1 comments

Build Credibility with Online Video - FREE

Today at St. Paul's Inlet in Gros Morne National Park, I interviewed a few people about thier experiences at Java Jacks Restaurant in Rocky Harbour. There was overwhelming consistency in their reflections rating Java Jacks as a great restaurant in Rocky Harbour Newfoundland.

If you thought about which of your clients to put on video for an impartial credibility building video who would you choose? Post the video to and tag it with keywords so that it shows up in search results.

This project took 30 minutes to edit, but most video would not require editing expertise, and some online tools allow video editing to be done online.

Visit TourismClicks.com and click on the free Tourism Keys Toolkit for online video editing resources on pg. 13. The toolkit has a variety of other useful resources for enhancing your tourism Web site.



Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:30 PM   0 comments

Monday, March 05, 2007

How Quickly Can you create a new web page?


If you blog using a tool like blogger it can take as little as two minutes. I'm demonstrating with Chris Legg from Gros Morne Resort how a blog works.

Here is a picture of a special salad served at the resort.


Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 3:30 PM   0 comments

CTC Provides Linking Opportunity - another freebie!

Announced at the Tourism BC conference last week, The Canadian Tourism Commission is moving quickly to encourage listings of experiences on it's Web site at no charge. Relevant and market ready experience providers should get a boost from the search engines!
It's time for Canada, and all Canadian Tourism businesses to create new links and new content to grow a healthy volume of content for Web travel planners. Stay tuned for more on this developing opportunity.
Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 12:19 PM   0 comments

Sunday, March 04, 2007

The Perfect Getaway - found on YouTube.com

An Interview with Neddie's Harbour Inn proprietor, Bettina Lori, demonstrates how to use Youtube to reach through the computer screen and share your tourism experience with the world.


Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 8:55 PM   0 comments

Friday, March 02, 2007

Workshop Makes things Happen for New Lodge Owners

Hello Todd
I just wanted to personally thank you for the great information I recieved from you at the Tourism Keys Workshop in Huntsville. It was really an eye opener for us and since then, myself and my partner Ben have been nearly obsessed with changes to our website! We have really learned alot in the last few weeks, and have utilized the list of websites you gave us, awesome connections.
Being fairly new at this, (we bought the Wolf Den last summer) the workshop gave us a great overview of the many things we can do to increase traffic to our website and then get them booked in, by having a really well laid out and attractive site.
We also now have 2 blogs, and really understand the potential of them! Check out our favorite one, if you have a minute http://wolfdenbunkhouse.blogspot.com/
Thanks again!!!
Cheers,
Ben and Robin
Ecosystem Managers
Wolf Den
www.wolfdenbunkhouse.com
1- 1-

You are most welcome. Congrats on taking leaps!
Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

posted by Toddles @ 5:10 PM   0 comments

Seasonality Affects Search

A report in my inbox today showed that Hotels/Resorts category of Web sites experienced a 29-percent boost in visitation in January compared to December.
How does seasonality affect your inquiry and booking rate? What can you do to take advantage of a market when more people are looking at your Web sites at different times of the year?

 Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 11:41 AM   0 comments

Thursday, March 01, 2007

A Kid - focused Web site from Ontario Resort - Delawana

Hi Todd,
Just wanted to thank you for a great workshop in London on Monday. It was very interesting and the delivery was very good.
I really like the idea of a kids page on the web site and I remember that you show an example of an hotel that has one, can you please send me the link for this site?
Please let me know if you have more work shops in this area I will be happy to join them.
Best regards,
Alon Gurman
Hospitality Manager
Lamplighter Inn- Best Western

Hi Alon,
The site you are thinking of is http://www.delawana4kids.com - a great example of a site designed to appeal to an ideal guest!

Todd Lucier - TourismClicks.com

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posted by Toddles @ 5:40 PM   0 comments