Welcome to the August edition of our Travel Digital Digest. As you can imagine, a lot has taken place since July, with many people heading on holiday. It is now more important than ever to keep updated with industry news, and with the travel world constantly changing, you should ensure your content marketing strategy reflects this. From travel strikes to new technology and wildfires, we take a look at the industry news you should know.
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Greek wildfires force evacuation
Hundreds of tourists have been evacuated from hotels and beaches in Greece due to an outbreak of wildfires. The BBC reported how residents and holidaymakers on the island of Samos were forced to evacuate while firefighters dealt with the wildfires, which have spread due to high winds and dry conditions. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has updated its travel advice, and has warned of a high risk of fires breaking out on other Greek islands, such as Crete.
BA announces strike dates
Anyone who is planning to fly with British Airways in September may be affected by strike action. The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) has announced that its members will walk out on 9, 10 and 27 September – with members voting 93% in favour of striking. BA has described the short-notice strikes as ‘completely unacceptable’ with the disruptions expected to cost BA around £120m.
‘Arrogant’ Ryanair slammed by customers
From a Which? poll of 100 brands, Ryanair has been rated the worst for customer service. The survey asked 4,000 customers to rate their experiences with the 100 companies, and asked questions such as how well they handle complaints and the helpfulness of staff. Half the respondents gave Ryanair the lowest-possible rating for complaint handling. Customers were presented with 50 words to describe their experience – and ‘greedy’, ‘sneaky’ and ‘arrogant’ were by far the most popular.
3D airport scanners to be launched by 2022
The Government plans to introduce 3D baggage scanners at all major UK airports by 2022. The technology – similar to CT scanners found in hospitals – are currently being installed at Heathrow Airport, and could improve security and speed up pre-boarding checks for passengers. The scanners could also mean an end to liquid restrictions that were first introduced in 2006 for UK airports.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson commented: ‘The new equipment will help boost the vital role our airports play in securing the UK’s position as a global hub for trade, tourism and investment.’
Late summer bookings on the rise
Travel analyst GfK has reported an increase in late summer-holiday bookings. Sales sales in the week beginning 10 August were up by 15% compared with last year. Family and all-inclusive holidays continue to drive the travel market, with all-inclusive bookings up 7% and family bookings up 21% in the same week.
Bookings for this summer are up 1% overall. David Hope, senior client insight director at GfK, says: ‘This is a strong 1%. The season has recovered from where it was.’
August has seen the introduction of many developments in the travel industry: from new 3D scanners to an increase in late summer bookings – the travel industry is constantly moving forward. As a travel SEO agency, get in touch with Ad-Rank and we can ensure your content is relevant and SEO-optimised. Don’t forget to check back next month where we’ll have all the latest travel news for September.
The post Travel Digital Digest: August 2019 appeared first on Ad-Rank Media.
