Social media set to drive next frontier in travel industry

Social media is increasingly becoming an essential communication tool for the travel industry, according to Abacus International. The recent Icelandic volcanic eruption demonstrated the power and reach of social media tools such as Twitter.

During the six-day calamity, travellers who were stuck in airports tweeted about their predicament to their friends and family and turned to social media to find alternate ways to get home. ‘getmehome’ and ‘roadsharing’ are examples of key tags used to unite travellers’ alternative ways to get where they needed to be. Airlines used Twitter to keep their passengers updated in real time and to instruct them on how to change their booked seats. United Airlines and British Airways employed Twitter to resolve customer issues, while German carrier Lufthansa posted updates such as ‘Lufthansa will resume its flights tonight’. The Changi Airport Group used its Facebook and Twitter accounts to enlist help from its fan base to offer hospitality to stranded passengers.