Home >>> News
Welcome to the RMI regional news page. If you were not contacted via e-mail about the latest newsletter being posted and would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact nhall@rmi-realamerica.com.
Real America News
Volume E3, Issue 3, Fall 2007
Archive
Sponsored By:
|
In this issue:
Nuts and Bolts...from Benelux
Social Revolution in the Travel Industry
One of the trends we mentioned last year in our nuts and bolts was “more and more common use of technology”. Nobody could imagine the speed this is integrating further into our way of living.
- November 2007 83% of the households in the Benelux had a PC and 78% had access to internet. Now this has grown to 90% having a PC and 83% having access to internet (with 74% of them with speed access (in 2002 only 15%).
- 1 out of 5 has internet in another way; via mobile phone, palmtop or game computer.
- 25% of the persons uses the computer also for voice communication (VOIP) (2005 only 6% did), watching TV and listening to the radio.
- 7.5 million people have bought something via internet, double the amount compared to 5 years ago. The largest group buying via internet is 25-49 years. The largest share of expenditures is travel (25%).
All these figures prove the statement that within a very short period only a very small group will not have computer and internet totally integrated into their lives. 
This will also strongly effect the travel industry. Items as e-merce, travel auctions on the internet, online communities, consumer-generated content will be the new leading trends in the travel industry.
Only sex-related sites are more popular then the domain “Travel” on the internet. In 2006 38 billion euro’s were spent on online bookings. This is good for 15% of all bookings. For the Netherlands this figure is slightly smaller with 10%. The expectance is that this figure will grow to 47 billion in 2007 and for 2008 even 55 billion, 21% of the total travel market. More decissions nowadays are made via online orientation and based on search behavior.
The internet is important for the travel industry and the travellers are important for the internet. 75% of all users of internet do search for information on travel, transport and accommodation. When searching for transport price is leading. When searching for accommodation also location and quality are important.
Mainly young and well educated travellers look for recommendations of ‘fellow travellers’, this trend is also seen by wealthy elderly people. People do make decissions on hand of reviews, video-impressions in the travel generated media.
The travel industry is highly interested in the possibilities of web 2.0. This means not only consumer generated content but also sharing photo’s and video’s, known as travel 2.0.
Completely fitting into this trend the Dutch Magazine Meridian started already with Video Newsletters. First outcome on a press trip to RMI region has resulted in two videos in newsletters.
A follow up on this trend could be putting these films onto own content and a medium as www.youtube.com.
Together with trends as www.LibertyTV.nl, a travel community with over 2 million connected households, the necesity for professional footage will be of growing importance.
Traveller-generated content is nothing new. The first online community was the Virtual Tourist, the name was already registred in 1994. In the coming five years it turned into one of the larger online communities with 5 million visitors per month. Meanwhile America started with Amerika iExplore and in the Netherlands we got Reisweb.
The influence of online communities was noticed by large travelsites as Expedia (turnover of 17.2 billion in 2006). They took over Tripadvisor with 20 million visitors each month and with this number the biggest travel community on earth.
Also established TV programs as RTL Travel start travel communities, like RTL Adrenaline, aiming on the group of people fancying extreme travel. Daily newspapers go on their online version for travel blogs, for example Volkskrant does this with www.volkskrantreizen.nl.
On important searchengines as Ilse Travel people can leave their travel experiences. Predictable is that big media concerns like Telegraaf and ANWB will go for a take over of travel communities. For example www.Vakantiereiswijzer.nl with over 400,000 reviews. Latest trend is that destinations, hotels, airlines and other services in tourism have a link on their website to reviews on excisting communities or having an own platform for traveller generated content. Examples are Starwood hotels with TheLobby.com.
What will be the effect of consumer generated content in the long term. The first generation of websites mainly consists of digital brochures, booking engines and price comparissons. The second generation added a qualitative element to it, opinions of travellers. Travelling gets more transparant. This will lead to a smaller focus on price only but more on other aspects important for travellers like location and experiences possible.
More and more people will be equiped with better mobile phones with internet facilities, wifi and GPS.
Other branches do implement these trends, like FODOR, they have opened online travel guides where consumers can add their opinion on the expert opinions. Lonely Planet already started in 1996 with the bulletin Thorntree, nowadays a modern online community with reviews and blogs. Via an own TV channel travellers can share video tapes. BBC Worldwide just took over this and will expand it with digital guides, user generated guides and television information.
Auction sites as www.inpakkenenwegwezen.nl, the largest travelwebportal with 1,6 million visitors per month do have 400 auctions per month, growing fast to 800. The “member” website www.InpakkenenWegwezen.nl is having > 300.000 subscribers to their digital newsletter and they are featuring opportunities for destinations with their “destination of the month”.
“New companies” (such as Leads2travel with a website www.surprisetickets.nl) are founded. They produce content for digital travel sections and for glossy travel magazines.They consider themselvesas online publishing companies.
Another (longer existing) feature is the “reader trip” section in glossy magazines such as AmericA and ‘thuis: “buy” one page advertisment insert and get 5 pages advertorial “free of charge”.
Other communities as www.hyves.nl, www.linkedIn.com are also used for sharing experiences on travel.
Goal is to appear in search engines. In Europe 96% of the internet search goes via Google (in America only 60%). On Ilse the word most searched is Google. It is wise to have a well performing website, well found when searched.
We’re on the edge of a “new media” explosion: not only publication wise but certainly also with paid publicity. Entire travel sections of daily newspapers are being “digitalised”. This doesn’t only mean “published” on internet but with a separate editorial department. Together with these digital travel sections there is an opportunity to have newsletters distributed to enormous data files (> 200.000 addresses) and the sending along of travel-clips (video clips of < 5 minutes) is also becoming more common.
TOP OF PAGE
News from the States:
South Dakota
Burning Bluffs and Barking Squirrels
In the fall of 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were completing their journey through South Dakota. The two explorers, commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, reported back that they had seen some unusual sights like burning bluffs and barking squirrels.
The burning bluffs is a phenomenon that still occasionally occur today along certain parts of the Missouri River when smoke and steam pour out of the earth's surface. The burns are unpredictable but when they occur it appears the bluffs are on fire. As for the barking squirrels, it's believed that the Corps of Discovery stumbled upon their first South Dakota prairie dog town near present day Gregory.
 Find out what else Lewis and Clark discovered when you explore the Lewis and Clark Trail in South Dakota.
Discover the Treasure that is South Dakota
South Dakota is truly the 'land of infinite variety' not only for visitors, but also for filmmakers. The cast and crew of National Treasurse: Book of Secrets filmed on location in South Dakota from mid-April to early May 2007. While here, they explored the Black Hills area, made new friends and took countless memories back home with them. Learn more about the crew's time at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Sylvan Lake inside Custer State Park.
TOP OF PAGE
Montana
Big Sky Resort - Village Center One
Big Sky Resort's new $23 million pedestrian plaza Village Center One opens December 2007. This new center features 10,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 49 entertainment suites offering innovative slope-side work and play areas. Andiamo Italian Grille, the newest restaurant in the heart of the Mountain Village, features homemade pasta, private wine room, and tantalizing menu all with an eclectic décor. Also open is the new Dakota Lift, which opens more skiing terrain and access to Lone Peak. Big Sky Resort now provides over 3,812 acres of skiable terrain accessed by 21 lifts, with an average of 2,000 skiers and riders per day.
Visit Big Sky Website. 
Whitefish Mountain Resort
In June 2007, The Big Mountain Resort formally changed its name to Whitefish Mountain Resort to clarify its identity and to communicate its unique offerings in the town of Whitefish, MT and Glacier National Park. Celebrating its 60th anniversary this season, new programs for the resort include a new logo, a new $11 million Base Lodge, expanded terrain park, and a new high-speed quad named the "Big Mountain Express." The ski season opens December 8, 2007. Visit Whitefish Mountain Resort's website.
Montana is for the Birds
The signature bird of the trail, the Sage Grouse, has thousands of acres to perform its "lek", which you might observe in the spring from various stops. Other birds include the burrowing and great horned owls, turkey vultures, peregrine falcons, yellow-breasted chats and the Montana state bird, the western meadowlark. The trail provides information such as habit, species viewed (including special interest birds), best viewing season and directions and facilities available at the various sites. Follow your own flight path to Montana Birding Trails for your own brochure on this and other birding trails in Montana.
TOP OF PAGE
Idaho
Ice Age Mammals Opens in Idaho Falls
Exhibit runs from Sept. 28 - Jan. 17, 2008
The Museum of Idaho has opened a new exhibit, “Ice Age Mammals.” The exhibit features, among other Pleistocene-era mammals, the Columbian Mammoth, Mastodon, Saber Tooth Cat, Giant Ground Sloth, North American Camel, Giant Beaver, Ancient Bison, and Giant Short-Faced Bear.
All of these wonderful animals lived and thrived in Idaho and the Western U.S. until dying out during the most recent Ice Age.
According to museum officials the exhibit helps the public understand and come to their own conclusions as to why these magnificent creatures died off.
“There are fascinating questions that drive our research,” said Dr. William Akersten, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Idaho Museum of Natural History. “Why did certain mammals become extinct while others flourished? Did man have anything to do with it? Was it climate change that caused a large number of species to die out while others made it through unscathed? Or were there other factors? Our ecosystem is fragile and mankind should keep in mind that major changes in life and our environment can occur at any time.” Visit the Museum
Idaho Ski Resorts Gear up For a Banner Snow Year
Idaho snowboarder Expanded terrain, more runs, new high speed chairlifts and hosting the 2008 Special Olympic World Winter Invitational Games are just a few of the major developments at Idaho ski resorts this season.
See the following links for various resorts.
* Treasure Valley favorite Bogus Basin - http://www.bogusbasin.org/
* Schweitzer Mountain - http://www.schweitzer.com/
* Sun Valley - http://www.sunvalley.com/SunValley/Index.aspx
* Tamarack Ski Resort - http://www.tamarackidaho.com/
Idaho is a popular winter destination for skiers and boarders offering beautifully groomed runs and glades of feather-light powder for all skiing and boarding abilities. With more than 26,000 leg-burning vertical feet, 22,000-skiable acres and an endless array of Nordic trails and loops, Idaho has become a hub for skiers and boarders seeking blue skies, fresh powder and few crowds. For a listing of all of Idaho’s great ski areas, visit www.idahowinter.org.
TOP OF PAGE
Wyoming
Go Native America “Highly Commended” at the Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2007 in London 
The only U.S. company shortlisted for the awards, Go Native America, http://www.gonativeamerica.com/, received “Highly Commended” in the Best for Cultural Conservation category. The Sheridan, Wyoming-based company was recognized by the judges, “For using responsible tourism to provide alternative livelihoods, contributing to keeping Native American culture alive and ensuring that the ownership of their culture remains with the Native Americans.”
The Awards program – organized by online travel directory responsibletravel.com in association with World Travel Market, The Times and Geographical Magazine – recognizes companies and organizations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to responsible tourism. Launched in 2004, the Awards ask tourists to nominate those tourism ventures that they feel provide outstanding holidays that also benefit local people and the destination. This year, over 1,700 nominations were received.
Justin Francis, co-founder and Managing Director, responsibletravel.com said:
“This is the fourth year of the Awards and every year, it never ceases to amaze me how much thought and innovation has gone into the holidays that we short list. Not only do such ventures offer sensational experiences for travelers, but they aspire to such impressive standards on responsible tourism that just keep getting better every year. I hope the Awards prove an inspiration for many more tourism organizations throughout the world.”
Amanda Wills, Managing Director Virgin Holidays, Headline Sponsor of the Awards said:
“We are delighted to be able to act as headline sponsor of the 2007 Responsible Tourism Awards. Virgin has always been about driving change through successful entrepreneurship. We are passionate about responsible tourism and proud to be associated with awards that provide recognition to those individuals and businesses whose success in pioneering social and environmental responsibility, acts as inspiration to others.
 The importance of sustainability in tourism has never been greater. In the words of Sir Richard Branson 'Our generation has inherited an incredibly beautiful world from our parents and they from their parents, it is in our hands whether our children and their children inherit the same world.' And to prove we aren’t all talk, all profits from Virgin Holidays, Atlantic and Trains (estimated to be $3bn over the next 10 years) will be ploughed into research, to develop sustainable sources of energy.”
HOTEL TERRA JACKSON HOLE TO OPEN DECEMBER 2007
Proving that luxury and sustainability can join forces with unprecedented results, Hotel Terra opens in Jackson Hole this winter season. The first in a collection of Green hotels launched by the Terra Resort Group, Hotel Terra will offer the exceptional amenities and services expected from boutique hotels, combined with environmentally sustainable building and operating practices. Such practices include Hotel Terra's pending LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, which will put it in an elite group of just 5 LEED certified hotels in the United States.
High Wild & Lonesome Horseback Adventures
has been selected as for inclusion in the 2008 National Geographic Adventurer Magazine's "Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth" print and online Directory. To see the listing, click HERE and enter High Wild & Lonesome in the search box at mid-page.
High Wild & Lonesome was also recognized by renowned author for young readers Pam Munoz-Ryan, in her new book "Paint the Wind", the story of a young girl whose life intertwines with a wild mustang foal in the Honeycomb Buttes of the Great Divide Basin in Wyoming. Munoz-Ryan spent a week in this rugged wilderness with Bobbi & Mike Wade, where she slept in a tepee along the banks of the Sweetwater River, rode long days in the saddle, and tracked a harem band of mustangs as they roamed their desert territory. The book is available through Scholastic Press.
TOP OF PAGE
Gateway City News:
Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington
Exciting New Wildlife Centers Open in Minnesota
The North American Bear Center 
A fascinating new interpretive center in Ely provides detailed insights into the lives of the black bears that roam Minnesota's northern woods. The North American Bear Center focuses on black bears, but there is also information on grizzlies and how they differ from black bears. From the center windows and observation deck, visitors can watch three live bears, a massive male, a honey-colored female and an orphaned cub, in a two-acre wooded enclosure with a pond. Inside, there are updated field notes and a hands-on activity and education area, video clips revealing intimate details of wild bears around Ely and a theatre featuring the best in bear films. www.bear.org
The National Eagle Center
The National Eagle Center in Wabasha took flight in its new home capping off a summer that saw the eagle removed from the endangered species list. Three eagles reside at the center in a special viewing area and are used in educational programs. Interactive exhibits explain the biology of the eagle. Eventually, additional exhibits will focus on the cultural history of the eagle, its significance as a national symbol and its importance to American Indian cultures. Minnesota has over 1,300 nesting pairs of eagles, more than any state except Alaska. Wabasha has one of the largest concentrations of wintering bald eagles in the nation.  About 30 nesting pairs stay year-round in the vicinity of the National Eagle Center. Vast windows in the new facility and a riverside observation deck enable visitors to watch eagles soaring overhead, perching in trees or fishing along the river. www.nationaleaglecenter.org
The International Wolf Center
The International Wolf Center, also located in Ely, advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wild lands and the human role in their future. The facility, opened in 1993, and featuring a resident wolf pack, offers a variety of educational programs for adults and families. Afternoon, weekend and week-long visits include howling trips, radio tracking, snowshoe treks, family activities, dog sledding, videos, presentations, flights over wolf country, demonstrations and hikes.
www.wolf.org
Denver 
Museum Of Contemporary Art
Now Open!
London architect David Adjaye designed the new 27,000-square-foot facility located in LoDo at the corner of 15th and Delgany streets. The shell of the new museum is a lighted glass and polypropylene curtain wall system. The museum features five intimate gallery spaces, three educational spaces, a museum shop, a garden pavilion and other spaces for people to engage with art. Be sure to catch the inaugural exhibition, STAR POWER: Museum as Body Electric.
National Western Stock Show & Rodeo
Jan. 12-27, 2008
Yee-haw! Grab your cowboy boots and head over to the world's premier stock show and one of the nation's largest rodeos. Features include more than 15,000 animals, rodeo performances, bull riders, horse shows and livestock competitions.www.nationalwestern.com
TOP OF PAGE
|
