EyeforTravel’s report sees industry shift towards digital investment for 2012.

London, UK, March 1 2012, Social Media ranked as the top area of investment in February 2011; however, no longer. Travel marketing budgets are expected to shift towards web and online advertising from mobile and social media. According to eyefortravel’s updated Travel Social Media & Mobile Report 2011, the unheralded channel of web design is the top area of investment.

Travel Executives slowed the pace of their investment in mobile and social media marketing channels towards the end of 2011. In February 2011, Social Media 61% of travel executives expected their investment in social media to increase, this eased slightly to 57% in September 2011.

The numbers of Travel Executives expecting to increase their social media budget rose by a modest 1% to 48%, from February to September 2011. This along with website design and email marketing was the only marketing channel that had more travel executives in late 2011 increasing their budgets.

These figures are based on eyefortravel’s updated Travel, Marketing and Distribution Barometer, which were compiled in late 2011. The Barometer is a global survey of Key Industry executives.

The best selling eyefortravel Travel, Social Media & Mobile report 2011, has been updated for 2012 to provide travel executives with a review of 2011, with new sections on:

• Mobile in Travel – 2011 industry sentiment revealed
• Mobile’s importance in Travel: a review of 2011
• Investment in mobile apps in 2011
• Marketing Budget allocation: 2011 review
• Social media in Travel – 2011 industry sentiment revealed
• Location-Based Services marketing activity – 2011 review

The updated report will include 9 new graphs comparing travel executives’ survey responses in February and September 2011, including:

• Did any of your marketing activities include location-based marketing?
• Attitudes towards mobile in travel
• How important has the mobile channel been in the last 3 months
• Mobile app existence by marketing budget
• Attitudes towards social media in travel
• Do you as a company have profiles created in the following social media sites?
• Marketing budget allocation

For more information see EyeforTravel's Social Media and Mobile Strategies for Travel Report