QR codes land in tourism

With a little care is not difficult to realize that one of the most rapid and most dynamic affecting the tourism sector is undoubtedly that of all the promotion and communication tools available to intercept the supply demand. This evolution depends on several factors: first by the rapid development of information tools that led to a widespread diffusion of Internet and its accessibility through various communication channels, especially through mobile phones, in a few years smartphones have become capable of managing multimedia content becoming more complex, allowing access to information anywhere and anytime.

On the other hand is seeing a new cultural approach to tourism demand in terms of increasing sophistication in research, use and exchange of information related to the opportunity to meet their own motivations for vacation, not only before departure but also during and after. In just over a decade, from static web pages that flanked the traditional catalog, it went on to add dynamic content, something that has allowed the institutions responsible for promoting tourism and accommodation operators, real-time updating features offerings and prices, allowing the emergence of online booking and define strategies for promotion and marketing than they are based, as for Last Minute.

2.0 Tourists

In recent years, and through the sharing of information in real time on social networking sites, tourists have learned to give more importance to information received in the form of comments published in several virtual places other tourists who have experience vacation already made, and less to the information published by the operators, considered partisan and therefore less accurate. What we are saying is not difficult to see that these developments have given greater importance to information content and the change of use in the online channel, determining a kind of split between communications made from traditional tourist brochures, guides tourist role, television and radio, posters on the street corners, stands at fairs. and online communication.

Of course, this statement is not entirely true: the link is often represented by an indication of the websites through these traditional instruments (such as the institution's web address to promote tourism communicated through a screen printing television, and blog address printed on hotel brochures, etc..), giving access to your media promotion. But so far, but complementary, the world of online promotion and offline have not been considered fully integrated. Then, we can only ask ourselves one question: "What is the element that helps us to change this by opening new opportunities for tourism promotion?".

As often happens, the answer comes from another sector, and in this case the production and commercial distribution. In fact, we're talking about bar codes, marks on all products we buy, and which contain essential information on products, their characteristics and the reference of the production company. In 1994, an innovative Japanese company Denso-Wave has created a two-dimensional code (in the form of a square with a series of dots on the inside), called QR Code, QR = Response Quickly, ie Rapid Response it designed to give a fast decoding of content, and a storage capacity much higher compared with traditional ones, we all know. Although the technology exists now for 15 years, is just the latest evolution of phones equipped with digital camera and a freely available software that can decode the content, the potential of these codes can be used fully.

Pioneering

And, in particular thanks to the possibility of having an Internet address, for displaying text or play a sound file directly, its efficiency is particularly evident in the field of communication and promotion. The beer brand Corona Extra, for example, has decided to use the QR code in the journal "2 nights" to promote its winter competition "Corona Winter Island. Photographing the QR code that appears in all advertising campaigns based on the means of paper gets into the mini-contest site where you can register to participate in the final draw. Similar to this is the promotional initiative called "Cellulatte" of milk producers in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, in September-November 2009, has allowed newspapers to win great prizes instantly.

Buyers of milk bottles, to know right away if they had won, they only had to take a picture of the code. Even the Swedish company Ikea, has published the code in a series of booklets: the photographer receives a discount coupon to be presented to the cashier for a discount, similar to what makes McDonald's, which uses the codes printed on the packaging of hamburgers so who wants to know the nutritional information that is consuming the product should be only a click of the phone. Following the example of these cases is not difficult to imagine the impact this technology can have in the specific context of the promotion of tourism: hotels, for example, could send in your newsletter, e-coupons, once printed and photographed, may right to give gifts, promotions or up-grade of service purchased, or to organize a similar initiative for the guests present in their structures, even within the themed nights or proposed entertainment.

Also the tourism promotion organizations can organize similar initiatives within the organized events or themed events in its territory, giving both written materials, and through the placement of codes in the highest places of tourist flow. Beyond the direct promotional purpose, through the use of mobile phones connected to the Internet is easier to analyze the success of initiatives by tracking and monitoring visits to web sites generated by the QR Code. Another good way to use QR code technology is to provide customers with additional content, high added value through the mobile phone by creating the union between the "real" and "virtual" to ensure the full participation of the customer communications company.

This is what has begun to make the monthly magazine Panorama, by posting the codes near the relevant articles. The software on the phone reads the code and catapults the web client, so any investigative journalism comes to life on screen with audio-video insights, dragging the client into a true multimedia experience. Monthly Ciak also specializes in film, using the same codes, allows users to download the trailer for the film premiere of success. By the same logic also operates the Earthbound photographic guide, in which each photograph reproduced is associated with a QR code that provides the user with useful information on its location, the photographer who has taken the camera and the technique used, adding content interesting for the print publication.

From now on, also the accommodation facilities, institutions for the promotion of tourism and all other actors in the supply of tourism can supplement the content of its catalogs and brochures traditional multimedia information can improve the attractiveness of its proposal and perhaps replacing the now outdated CD and DVD, and making available their content online. Since the beginning of this year's Best Tour Operator Tour also has decided to add the codes to the offers displayed in travel agencies, and will soon be used in all the catalogs and advertisements on paper and increase the efficiency of its strategy promote and exploit the effect of viral marketing, the content displayed on the mobile can be stored, or communicated directly to users, either by mail or by sharing in social networks. The use of QR code is also useful to improve the content of the themed packages offered to guests, to transform a simple trip or a visit to the city in a multisensory experience. In short, an opportunity that can be exploited as a real tool for local marketing. One example is the pilot city in the province of Pontinia America, to celebrate 75 years of establishment, "in order to promote knowledge, values, culture, and strengthen the awareness of respecting and appreciating their territory through its history and curiosity that characterized, using the interaction between the phone and the Internet in an interactive and contextual use of the land, "as indicated on the website dedicated to the project.

The idea is just to inform and introduce the client directly in the territory, with value-added information related to the geographical context with which you can interact. The project summarizes the placement of 9 points, which corresponds to the most important from the standpoint of historical, artistic, near each of which stands a modern and elegant dashboard where, besides the presence of information tourism, there are two QR Code relating respectively to the competition website where visitors can download audio and video information on the monument we are seeing, or immediate access to the display of textual information, which complete the present description. Besides its value to the tourism project also intends to involve local people and, in particular young people of school age, thanks to the technological mode of "discovery" and interaction with the history of the city and its sights. And we know how important is the participation and support of the local population to tourism development in the territory. Another example, this time brought the United States, specifically the Department of Parks and Tourism Arkansas, which uses bar codes on the promotional posters for connecting customers to the Scenic Driving Routes, the most beautiful panoramic roads, adding value to the promotional material. But this is only the first step: the Department of Tourism also wants to add additional content to all the promotional tools: brochures, tourist guides, adventure guides, etc.. We have seen how the barcode can be used to create promotional strategies, as well as add additional content to the promotional tools. But another advantage of these tools is the ability to make more effective strategies for collaboration and co-marketing between companies that can help us to improve the quality and variety of our tourism.

We think, for example, sponsorship of various tourist events: to date, visitors flood the sponsors of gadgets and promotional material with the address of the website, hoping that once potential customers back to their home, connect to the web address to learn more about the company and its products, thanks to the QR code, simply by placing them in the points of greatest affluence, giving visitors the opportunity to raise directly with the mobile phone the information to communicate. Even the accommodation facilities that are, increasingly, developing forms of cooperation, commercial agreements with companies to promote themed offers, thanks to QR codes can develop more effective and coherent, and above all more attractive for companies and customers. For example, a hotel that offers a suite dedicated to the practice of Nordic walking, you can develop commercial agreements with companies that provide the sticks used for walking, encouraging them to make free use of its products to customers, as the sports play unambiguously identified as potential customers. With QR code printed on the sticks in the brochures in the lobby of the structures and the material, customers can instantly see the additional content, a video course for learning the discipline, movies, hiking, hiking hiking in the area, etc.., and so the supplier can directly involve the client in the vacation experience you are experiencing and convey a positive image and high perceived value of its activity with immediate economic benefits.

In summary, the use of QR code is becoming very pervasive, especially in the tourism and hospitality, while there are even some who use it as a true hotel concept: we're talking about a Dubai company, which has appointed an architectural firm in Vienna, Sohne & Partners Architects, the project for the realization of the first QR Code Hotel, a fully equipped black and white mosaic style where the only free space is the roof of the code, but if you think about it this criterion is somewhat surprising, because it is strange that the designers have not thought that through Google Maps or Google Earth is the first part of the roof shown on the screen of the browser in the act of exploring our planet and shooting with a mobile phone screen, could land directly on your website ...

5 TIPS FOR HOTEL

1. Transforming the entrance to our facilities in an information and promotional tool by placing a QR code in a specially designed totem, so we can give customers plenty of information on our hospitality while walking, without requiring you to go to ask, but not always is a great advantage.

2. Enter a QR code on the questionnaire that we in our rooms and customers with a simple photograph can tell us what you think of our hospitality, and have a real-time information on their perceived quality.

3. Convert our menu in a multimedia entertainment tool. Through the use of QR codes printed about our proposals, customers can download a movie where the protagonist is our chef preparing the recipe as well as download it in text format, or display the nutritional content.

4. Prepare a series of gadget for our customers with printed QR codes, such as hats, shirts, or other objects that can be used so that we can use for promotional purposes, enjoying the curiosity to many people to photograph the QR codes found.

5. Convert the elevator on the effective sales tool. Placing a QR code you can use travel times from one floor to another to deliver services to customers, new proposals and other information of interest.

5 TIPS FOR TOURISM PROMOTION AGENCIES

1. Convert the logic of QR Code all promotional material, through the preparation of videos, podcasts and other multimedia content that can be added to increase the attractiveness of the proposals in our territory.

2. We create innovative tourism products using QR Code logic: for example, we associate the map of a film shot in a particular city with a QR code for each location, so the customer can review the setting for the film almost as a protagonist and have additional information about how you shot, or see the interview with the director or actors.

3. Improve working relationships with sponsors, which suggests that their actions have the dual purpose of promoting tourism in our resort and at the same time to convey their image through the use of codes of mosaic.

4. Place in the events we organize in order to encourage guests to a more active and attractive, especially when customers are young.

5. Harnessing the power and effectiveness of viral marketing through the study of media content that, once activated via the mobile phone can be sent directly to other users via a mail, an MMS message, or even inserted inside a social network.

THE ADVANTAGES OF QR CODES FOR TOURISM OPERATORS

• Improve the quality of the information content of promotion and communication.

• Allow greater flexibility in the use of multimedia content, making more effective use of tools such as video marketing.

• Improve the possible co-marketing strategies and partnership development.

• Allow access to information anywhere and anytime, feeding real-time viral marketing.

• They allow the construction of tourism products with higher added value and improve the quality of existing ones.

• Improve terms of monitoring the campaigns, because the server reveals the source of the connection and the nation of cell phones.

• Increase the ability to create innovative access routes through the integration with GPS, present in every smartphone.

• turn the phone into a real business tool to push through the presentation of multimedia content and curious attractions, shopping on-line online package and proposals.

A report by Federico Belloni, belloni@tsmconsulting-barcelona.com