.travel is the new buzzword in the domain of internet travel and hospitality industry. This is a Domain Name extension designed specifically for the travel industry. Unlike .com, .net, or .org, .travel is the definitive domain name for anything that is related to the world of travel only. A business offering their travel services on the net can make use of this domain name to differentiate themselves from the millions of .com websites, thus establishing themselves as an authenticated and reputed travel company. This .travel feature shall also serve to set your company apart from your competitors and help you to draw more customers to your services.

The benefits of .travel ?

A .travel domain name allows you and your travel business great name flexibility for the main site all well as the strategic marketing site. So what are the benefits that attract them?

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This week’s .travel newsletter features Tom Nutley’s new project called The Travel Club.  This new industry exclusive club, located in London, will be launching at the end of September with http://www.TheClub.travel.  As always,  the .travel executive team would like to recognize our partners’ events and news such as ATTA’s and its Adventure Travel World Summit in October in Quebec with http://www.adventuretravelworldsummit.travel and NACTA President’s seminars at THETRADESHOW in Vegas.

As the final piece of the issue, we showcase a .travel business or destination with a video.  This week the .travel community member selected was http://www.Montenegro.travel with a video showing the great hiking and biking available in their unique country.

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With its clear branding and global recognition, travel businesses are making the decision to register and implement .travel domain names.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - August 10, 2009- More travel industry destinations and businesses are adopting the .travel domain and witnessing its clear benefits.  With such key industry players as the Ministry of Tourism of Argentina with www.Argentina.travel and the Colombian government with www.Colombia.travel, .travel is showing substantial growth globally and especially in Latin America.

As an industry specific domain name for travel and tourism, .travel is leading the evolution of the Internet into niche information verticals or channels.  Unlike the traditional and generic extensions of .com or .net, .travel is industry specific, thus, providing a clear message and brand security.  Only travel industry professionals can register a .travel domain name.  Each applicant for a .travel name is vetted to be a valid travel entity.  With this security, .travel is a sign of a true travel entity to the end consumer as well as B2B.

As this trust crosses linguistic and physical borders, .travel is globally recognized with destinations such as www.Poland.travel, www.SriLanka.travel, and www.Canada.travel using the .travel channel as their main marketing message.

Recently, both www.Ibiza.travel and www.Yucatan.travel adopted .travel. The web statistics are a clear sign of their success.  In 2008, www.Ibiza.travel received nearly 85,000 visitors.  For 2009, it is predicted to well surpass that number as the first quarter of 2009 had nearly 40,000 visitors.  Likewise, www.Yucatan.travel received over 194,000 visitors to its site.  In 2009, the organization expects to receive roughly 223,000 visitors, which would represent a 20% increase.

Knowing that travelers and the travel business community are looking for more specified information and more quickly, .travel provides this travel channel on the net.  To reap the benefits of .travel and receive more information about .travel, please visit www.travel.travel

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Celebrating two years of holding the .travel domain name, the Seychelles Tourism Board has said that its travel oriented portal has seen impressive online growth ever since adoption.

Launching in 2007 with the release of new tag line, “The Seychelles Islands… Another World”, the tourism board launched two sites simultaneously seychelles.travel and anotherworld.travel.

STB claims that both sites, which feature the .travel domain were an “immediate success”, and the spike of traffic has grown the site’s online presence ever since.

“As .travel is a global initiative for the travel industry, we felt it was necessary to adopt .travel,” said Karen Confait, Seychelles Tourism Board E-Marketing Manager

“We wanted to move away from the millions of .com websites; establish ourselves as an authenticated, reputable travel website; and differentiate ourselves from our competitors. It also provided more visibility on search engines.”

.travel websites are authenticated travel websites and is a domain only available for the tourism industry to use.

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The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) decided in 2007 to adopt and launch www.Seychelles.travel. “As .travel is a global initiative for the travel industry, we felt it was necessary to adopt .travel,” said Karen Confait, e-marketing manager of the Seychelles Tourism Board. “We wanted to move away from the millions of ‘.com’ websites, establish ourselves as an authenticated, reputable travel website, and differentiate ourselves from our competitors. It also provided more visibility on search engines.”

The Seychelles Islands, an archipelago of 115 islands in the Western Indian Ocean, features fine beaches, national monuments, Creole architecture, golf, horse-riding, and guided nature tours of national reserves such as the legendary Valle de Mai, a UNESCO World Heritage site and marine parks. The STB’s new brand, The Seychelles Islands… Another World was launched about the same time as the Seychelles.travel website. As a supplement microsite, the STB uses www.anotherworld.travel,  which highlights the 11 20-second TV commercials showcasing the natural beauty and diversity of the islands. For more information, visit www.Seychelles.travel and www.anotherworld.travel.

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Travel is BIG Business…More than 75 Million Jobs Worldwide*

With concerns about the bottom line, employment, and pinching pennies, it is clear that the world has a different mindset than previous years regarding spending, return on investment, and job security.  The travel industry must remind governments and the general public that travel is a BIG business providing not only great revenue, but also numerous jobs spanning various skill sets.

In an article published late July 2009, the Daily Sentinel wrote, “According to Alabama’s official tourism Web site, www.alabama.travel, over $702 million of state and local tax revenues were generated by travel and tourism activities in 2008. Without those taxes, each household in Alabama would have to pay $404 in additional taxes to maintain current services, according to the site. Nearly 170,000 jobs - 8.5 percent of non-agricultural employment in Alabama, the site says - were directly or indirectly linked to the travel and tourism industry in 2008.”

That example alone would illustrate the travel industry’s importance in this economic crisis.  To strengthen this claim, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimated that travel and tourism supplies more than 75 million jobs worldwide.  And, please note, that travel and tourism also promotes trade and enhances human understanding.

It is with this knowledge that .travel is proud to participate and plan a crucial role in the travel industry’s evolution to its next level.

What are you thoughts about the global economic crisis and the travel industry’s impact of the crucial times? Do you have other examples that you would like to share with the .travel community?

*According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) tourism is estimated to represent, directly and indirectly, 7.6% of the total workforce in 2009 (276 million jobs)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - July 16, 2009- .travel congratulates whl.travel on its continuing success and its recent announcement that it’s expanding into more than 100 countries worldwide. Catering to independent and experiential travelers headed off the beaten path, whl.travel is a network of grassroots tourism professionals who own and operate booking sites for accommodations and tours in their local markets. By only choosing whl.travel partners that clearly care about their customers, staff, suppliers and the destination, whl.travel provides travelers with real travel experiences that engage, enrich and inspire by connecting them to the special character of a place, unlike the “fast food” experience with many other travel organizations.

“We are growing a critical mass of .travel sites and seeing real success,” commented Ethan Gelber, Media Liaison for whl.travel. “These sites are part of one of the largest online booking networks that taps into the strengths of local tourism experts who, alone, are local leaders, but together have become a forceful global presence for the right kind of tourism, bringing to major markets all the local opportunities that can have such a positive impact on hosts and visitors. .travel provides whl.travel with a clear message and instant validation of being a global travel provider.”

With destinations from South Africa to Brazil to Greece and Indonesia, whl.travel is not only a powerful network of great breadth and depth, but also award winning. whl.travel was recently revealed as one of five winners of ‘Globetrotting for Good - The Condé Nast Traveler Challenge’, as well as a finalist in the Responsible Travel category of TravelMole’s Web Awards 2009. With attention drawn through these contests and clients’ reviews, whl.travel and its new affiliate in Santa Marta, Colombia, will be featured in the September 2009 ‘Power of Place’ issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine.

For travelers who want to connect with a destination while booking with locals who really care about their compatriots, communities, culture, and environment, visit www.whl.travel or subscribe to its blog via RSS at http://www.whl.travel/blog/.

For more information on registering your .travel domain name or news on other .travel community members, visit www.travel.travel

Ole! Travel is expanding beyond its U.S. client base to a global audience and is using www.ole.travel to do that. Olga Alexander, president of the company, said that .travel identifies the company as a global operator. Ole! Travel itineraries combine a vast array of exotic, adventure, eco, historical, and cultural vacations. From white water rafting through jungles and volcanoes, shopping in Indian markets after snorkeling amongst coral reefs, and learning colonial heritage without missing time well spent on a pristine beach, Ole! Travel offers everything. For more information, visit www.ole.travel.

With over twenty years in the business of selling travel, OLE! TRAVEL is well known as a travel seller with a focus of making fantasies become reality. OLE! TRAVEL believes in “leaving it to the experts” as this puts the relaxation back into vacation for its clients from even the first planning stages. With established relationships among the travel industry and providers, OLE! TRAVEL pairs low airfares with individualized itineraries including handpicked local tour companies from all corners of the world. It is with such great service and track record that the OLE! TRAVEL team wanted to expand from its mainly US client base to a global audience. Thus, the decision was made to launch OLE.TRAVEL.

When asked about going global and launching with .travel, president of OLE! TRAVEL, Olga Alexander stated: “.Travel identifies Ole as a global operator. The biggest advantage of .travel is the recognition and position it gives us as a global enterprise and not just a local one.”

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Ibiza’s dedicated travel website is continuing to attract visitors, receiving nearly 85,000 visitors last year.

Ibiza is located off the east of the Iberian Peninsula and its website, launched in 2007, is a part a marketing campaign to boost destination’s profile.

The number of visitors to www.ibiza.travel this year is expected to surpass the 2008 numbers according to Ibiza’s Consell Insular d’Eivissa.

The first quarter of 2009 has already attracted up to 40,000 visitors with an estimated 75 percent accounting for unique visitors.

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