Ruben Martinez and Katie Fussenegger Discuss The Changing Travel Industry With Social Media Expert Candice Georgiadis
The world of travel continues to change, just as much as one can imagine, and technology is a big driving force.
Candice Georgiadis sat down with Ruben Martinez, Co-Founder of GlampingHub.com, to discuss the changing hospitality industry and how technology is a major driving force. Copied below is a small portion of this interview:
Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
The innovation is accessibility to a new version of travel, were for individuals who tried ten years ago to go do glamping in a treehouse in Costa Rica was tough and challenging, and made it really hard to achieve the goal of booking a stay and having that experience. The innovation is very centered around the accessibility not just only to the types of accommodations and locations, but also to the experience, and the accessibility of being able to have different experiences, and differing price points. This allows us to get people outdoors more often, whether or not you have or have not experienced the outdoors.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
There are a few different “pain points”. One is accessibility, and under that, you have individuals who like the idea of going outside but the idea of traditional camping is daunting, expensive, and a lot of work. You have this group of people that now have a hurdle and can’t make that jump because of the process and where to start. On the other hand, you have these really unique properties and businesses and often because many of these are small locally owned and run businesses. They are the ones doing the day to day work, check-ins, maintenance, customer service for their sites, and the experience part then can get left behind due to time constraints. This is where Glamping Hub steps in. By driving the booking process and customer services, marketing their properties, and bringing exposure to the truly unique experience they offer, hosts are able to focus strictly on their property and the experience they want their guests to have. This allows them to do what they do best.
How do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
We are seeing within the industry now that there is a significant outside investment, and that these new businesses are not necessarily going through the hurdles that the earlier older businesses went through. Within the industry, the status quo has changed in that, our website has allowed people to have this accessibility and possibility of stepping outside their comfort zone. There are a new lens and mindset from many different angles. Whether it is the investment or the individual, there is a demand now for experience-based travel unlike ever before. It allows people to enter the market by starting their own property or site, insurance companies to come in and ensure these properties, outside activities and recreation to partner with these properties, manufacturers to provide tools and pieces and solutions to put the sites together, and more. We were able to break the status quo in that travel is one way, when really it has so much potential and find the way they want to travel. Read the rest of this exciting interview here1.
Katie Fussenegger, President and CEO of ShelbyKY Tourism & Visitors Bureau, and Candice Georgiadis discuss local community capital injection via tourism and underlying work that is done to continue to attract visitors. Read part of the interview below:
Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
Innovations might be a stretch; however, I do believe I continue to push the industry to think differently about the role of the DMO. Although our first purpose is to be advertisers and marketers of our local communities to the traveling general public, I feel we play a vital role in the economic vitality of our areas. Without new monies being injected into the local economy, we would stagnate.
I also feel we are community managers and destination developers as constant watchdogs for the perseverance of our identities and think-tanks for new ideas for the visitor to experience.
Furthermore, DMO’s must think larger than the polish we promote. Our organization regularly volunteers at not-for-profit and community organizations so that our small staff never lose sight of the realities of our area. A rising tide lifts all boats!
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation?
Certainly, a pain point in the hospitality industry, and, definitely in our area, is a lack of a qualified workforce. Many of the industry jobs are front-line and even part-time work, which makes it difficult to find employees. Add in the low unemployment rate and that makes for a major issue. By encouraging staff to volunteer at community organizations and understand issues at the ground level, they can think about this complex issue and make connections to fill those gaps. Additionally, the bureau is engaging with workforce coordinators in Kentucky to identify where our DMO can be of assistance. The complete interview is available here2.
Read up on travel and destinations here3.
About Candice Georgiadis
Candice Georgiadis is an active mother of three as well as a designer, founder, social media expert, and philanthropist. Candice Georgiadis is the founder and designer at CG & CO. She is also the Founder of the Social Media and Marketing Agency: Digital Agency. Candice Georgiadis is a Social Media influencer and contributing writer to ThriveGlobal, Authority Magazine, and several others. In addition to her busy work life, Candice is a volunteer and donor to St Jude’s Children’s hospital.
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1 https://www.candicegeorgiadis.com/the-future-of-travel-many-businesses-are-catering-to-outdoor-travel-with-ruben-martinez-of/
2 https://www.candicegeorgiadis.com/the-future-of-travel-why-the-voice-of-the-dmo-will-become-even-more-important-in-community/
3 https://amzn.to/2Tzwov7