Internet Marketing for Your Tourism Business: Proven ... (ISBN 1885068476)

One for the Bookshelf:
Marketing on the Internet can lead you down a series of complicated and confusing paths. But, if you're in charge of marketing a destination or lodging, gain the upper hand by reading Susan Sweeney's "Internet Marketing for Your Tourism Business." As soon as you begin thumbing through this 562-page resource, you¹ll want to begin highlighting important passages. Whatever you do, resist that temptation. Why? Because if you start highlighting the important stuff, the entire book will be yellow before you know it! Sweeney discusses basic marketing principles, web site design, the importance of search engine placement, targeting tourism newsgroups and mailing lists, building web site traffic, using e-mail effectively, developing link strategies with complementary businesses, advertising on line, accepting online reservations, maximizing media relations, and determining if webcasting is right for your site. I love the fact that Sweeney uses real world examples from the travel industry to illustrate her points throughout the book. You¹ll learn how the Expedias of this world made it to the top. "Internet Marketing for Your Tourism Business" is packed with tips that any tourism professional can use to enhance his or her company's presence on the web. Even if you don't have time to read the book thoroughly, it's worth the cover price for the massive Appendix. It¹s got a great section defining web terms, as well as a comprehensive list of Internet marketing resources.

A Classic for all Travel Related Businesses:
I am in the process of starting my own specialized tour business and brought this book out of hibernation for review. I had purchased it a couple years ago and it has just been marking time. The author has done a superb job of guiding someone through the minefield of travel marketing --- and her advice still holds up to date. I'm sure someone can find fault with not being 'up to date' since 9/11, yet this is flawless strategy that one only needs to update by adding a Google Adwords program, and possibly some eBay listings. Reminds me of buying a mint 5 year old Porsche, which still offers all the amenities, yet one could upgrade the sound system if you wanted. If you are going into the travel business, or almost any business for that matter, this is a classic that you can use and adjust accordingly to fit your niche. Well worth it.

well worth every cent I paid:
Our family is opening a modest Inn in Bangkok, Thailand later this year, so I decided to purchase this book after reading all the rave reviews. I started browsing through this book today and boy am I impressed! The title of this book seemed rather generic at first, but it more or less covered everything I wanted to know about how to market for my inn on the WWW. Topics that were of most interest to me included: increasing hits for your site on popular search engines, tips for creating great websites, how to issue press releases and how to get listed on pertinent directories. The author obviously put in ALOT of research before putting pen to paper to write this book. The recommended websites alone (at the end of each chapter) are well worth the money spent. My only complaint is that many of the recommended links are outdated or broken - but this is by no means the fault of the author... A must buy!

Great Read:
This is an excellent book for hotel and travel managers as it contains tons of useful information and practical advice. Wheather you have an inhouse webmaster or are outsourcing the task (like I do), it will help you market better on the internet. I read it along with Heads In Beds-Hospitality and Tourism Marketing, and have improved my marketing activities ever since. Now I'm annoying my colleagues by telling them to read both. But those who did were grateful. A must read.

Full of Practical Information:
I have really enjoyed this book. It is chock full of ideas for anyone wanting to jumpstart or improve their online business success. This is a book you can reference like a manual because it has so much to offer. The author is obviously knowledgable and her writing style is not complicated.