Curious how Google+ can work for Travel brands?

We're pleased to announce a new case study for how LateRooms.com has found success with Google+. A few of the top highlights from the study include: Approaching 600k followers Several posts have been re-shared over 2,500 times and have received 500 comments A 9% CTR uplift with social extensions on their Brand campaign. Take a look at the blogpost here and download the full case study to see more results and quotes from LateRooms.com! Posted by Erica Trittschuh, Industry Manager UK.

More travel research for you to explore

Want to understand how search drives travel purchases? To compare mobile and desktop use? To understand more about the ROPO effect: research online, purchase offline. Or perhaps you want to deep-dive into the travel market in a particular country? Think Insights is home to the latest insights from a wide range of industries including the travel sector. The site houses case studies and thoughts from leaders to help you develop your travel digital strategy. And now the site has expanded to cover 21 different countries, across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. You can now search our expanded library by country and by sector, making the latest travel research even easier to find. Plus, there are new tools and videos for you to explore, including: two videos on the consumer journey looking at ROPO and attribution. Check out this video to see how the newly expanded Think Insights website can help you. And follow Think on Google+. Posted by Claire Martin, Product Marketing Manager, Google UK

London Olympics 2012

We are pleased to release our latest travel whitepaper, "London Olympics 2012". This paper analyses the impact of the Olympic Games and other major sporting events on the UK Travel Industry.

The objectives of this paper are to study the impact of the Olympic Games on both UK inbound and outbound tourism. In addition, the paper also considers some of the factors around the legacy of the Games. We have made recommendations based on the analysis and identified the key trends that we are seeing in the market

You can access the whitepaper here.

Many thanks!

Posted by Anish Acharya, Industry Analyst, UK.

“Saya Belum Bersedia Jadi Mentor” – Faizal Tahir

“Sebenarnya saya berada di Sri Pentas pada hari ini adalah untuk membincangkan mengenai Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) dan tidak sangka pula selepas itu saya menyertai sidang media ini kerana saya sejujurnya belum membuat keputusan sama ada bersetuju atau tidak menyertai Mentor,” ujar penyanyi Faizal Tahir yang nyata terkejut apabila namanya diumumkan sebagai salah seorang daripada enam mentor bagi program relaiti Mentor musim keenam yang bakal berlangsung tahun depan.

Pengumuman tersebut dilakukan pada sidang media khas pelantikan enam mentor bagi musim terbaru di Sri Pentas TV3 petang semalam yang turut menyaksikan Ramlah Ram, Fauziah Dato’ Ahmad Daud, Ella, Adam dan Ferhad tampil sebagai mentor baru.

Meskipun pada mulanya enggan menyertai Mentor 6, Faizal akhirnya menerima pemilihan ini dan menegaskan penerimaan tawaran ini bukan terpaksa. Sebaliknya dia berjanji akan buat sebaik mungkin.

Menurut Faizal, dia pada mulanya enggan melibatkan diri dalam program ini kerana mengenangkan dirinya yang kurang berkeyakinan mengajar protege baru selain merasakan, untuk mengasah bakat seseorang bukan satu perkara mudah dan ia memerlukan tahap kesabaran yang tinggi juga perlu ada strategi.

“Tahap keyakinan saya untuk mendidik seseorang agak kurang kerana saya sendiri masih lagi berlatih dalam bidang muzik ini. Saya selalu meletakkan satu tahal yang tinggi untuk diri sendiri setiap kali membuat persembahan, inikan pula mengasah bakat baru.

“Apa yang saya risaukan ialah bagaimana sekiranya saya tidak dapat mencari protege seperti yang diinginkan. Saya mahu cari seseorang yang lebih dari seorang juara,” ujarnya.

Bakal memulakan pencarian di tanah borneo terlebih dahulu, uji bakat Mentor 6 akan bermula di negeri Sabah pada 13 Januari depan di Hotel Promenade, Tawau, 15 Januari di Hotel Promenade, Kota kinabalu manakala ujibakat di Sarawak akan diadakan pada 20 Januari di Hotel Imperial, Miri dan 22 Januari di Hotel Merdeka Palace, Kuching.

Uji bakat bersama setiap mentor yang akan diadakan di Sri Pentas TV3 membariskan barisan mentor Fauziah Dato’ Ahmad Daud adalah pada 4 Februari, Faizal Tahir (5 Februari), Ramlah Ram (11 Februari), Ferhad (12 Februari), Ella (18 Februari) dan Adam AF pada 19 Februari.

No related posts.

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Bakso in Bali

Bakso is a dish of noodles, meatballs and other assorted stuff served in a soup. It’s usually served on the streets – this particular variant comes with a *huge* fist size beef ball. It’s homemade and the meat is slightly pink and tender on the inside. IDR 7,000 which is about RM 2.40 – it’s worth it for the gigantic homemade beef ball alone. :)

However, the best bakso that we had was outside the Legian beach – it’s one of those portable stalls that allows the vendor to carry his wares behind his motorcycle and literally set up shop there.

We had just had a very chill afternoon of swimming and lounging on the beach before it suddenly started raining. Anyway, the guy who owns the stall was quite pleased to have our business and took several photos of us with his stall. He insisted.

The setup is pretty similar but the stall had run out of noodles and egg so it’s just plain bakso (meatballs).

The meatballs are held in a side area which is constantly heated but surprisingly retains the tender and juiciness of the meatballs.

You can choose whether you want it spicy or regular (highly recommend the spicy) and it comes to you in a piping hot steaming bowl of goodness.

We sat down on a little nook right on the sidewalk just like the locals did – it was that and the cold, wet and drizzling weather offset with a nice bowl of heartwarming spicy bakso that made this the best one we had in Bali. IDR 5,000 (RM 1.70).

Fresh raised a very good question though – where does the guy wash the bowls? :)

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Elly Suriaty Keguguran Di Lokasi!

Kerisauan aktor Azri Iskandar terhadap keadaan isterinya, Elly Suriaty yang terlalu aktif meski dalam keadaan berbadan dua seperti yang diluahkannya sewaktu kali terakhir bertemu di sidang media filem ‘Penanggal’ terjadi jua apabila pelakon dan pengarah filem itu mengalami keguguran ketika sedang sibuk mengarahkan filem sulungnya, ‘Penanggal’ di Kuala Kangsar, Perak semalam.

Memetik kenyataan Azri menerusi laman mStar berkata, kejadian tersebut berlaku kira-kira pukul 12 tengah hari, semasa isterinya hendak membuang air kecil dan tiba-tiba berlaku pendarahan.

“Penggambaran filem habis lewat sehingga pukul enam pagi tadi kerana Elly ingin menyiapkan babak malam untuk filem itu. Dia menyedari dirinya keguguran ketika hendak membuang air kecil dan mendapati berlaku pendarahan. Kami terus ke hospital dan doktor telah mengesahkan dia keguguran,” ujar Azri.

Azri turut memaklumkan bahawa isterinya kini berada di Hospital kuala Kangsar dan akan ditahan selama beberapa hari sehingga tahap kesihatannya stabil.

Elly sebelum ini telah mengumumkan dirinya sedang hamil empat bulan sewaktu sidang media filem ‘Penanggal’ baru-baru ini. Pasangan ini telah dikurniakan tiga orang cahayamata namun anak keduanya telah meninggal dunia.

Azri turut memberitahu kelasakan isterinya dilokasi penggambaran mungkin salah satu sebab keguguran itu berlaku. Walaubagaimanapun, dia menganggap semuanya adalah suratan takdir Allah SWT.

“Buat masa ini, Elly dalam keadaan tertekan dan banyak menangis kerana sedih dengan keguguran itu, jadi saya perlu memberikan sepenuh perhatian kepadanya,” tutur Azri.

Walaupun dirinya dalam pada masa yang sama turut bersedih dengan kehilangan anak mereka, Azri redha dengan ketentuan takdir dan menganggap ia bukan rezeki mereka.

“Ia bukan salah sesiapa tetapi ketentuan Allah SWT, saya terima dengan penuh redha,” ujar Azri.

Menyentuh mengenai perkembangan filem ‘Penanggal’ yang turut menampilkannya sebagai pelakon utama, filem tersebut akan dihentikan selama beberapa hari sementara menanti keadaaan Elly kembali pulih.

Tambahnya lagi, adengan-adengan ringkas di Kampung Sayong Ulu, Kuala Kangsar juga mungkin akan diambil alih oleh Penolong Pengarah.

‘Penanggal’ adalah filem arahan sulung Elly yang berkisarkan manusia yang mengamalkan ilmu hitam dan boleh menyerupai makhluk seram tidak bertubuh hanya berkepala. Selain Azri Iskandar, filem ini turut dibarisi barisan pelakon hebat seperti Umi Nazeera, Fasha Sandha, Datuk Sharifah Aini, Normah Damanhuri, Zul Ariffin dan ramai lagi.

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Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir flood relief programme

Proton has announced a nationwide ‘Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir’ flood relief programme to assist victims whose Proton cars have been damaged by rising waters. The programme starts today (29 Dec) and will run till 29 February 2012.

Basically, Proton I-Care Prihatin Banjir offers affected Proton car owners free inspection and assessment of damage, free towing within a 5km radius of selected Proton authorised service centres and a 20% discount on Proton Genuine Parts.

“We understand how difficult it can be for people who are affected in flood-prone areas. Year after year they face the same problems and damages to their property and belongings, which may include their Proton cars. For most families, it can be one of the biggest spending of their household,” said Ahmad Suhaimi Mohamad Anuar, CEO of Proton Edar.

“Previously, flood was a common occurrence in the East Coast but nowadays it happens all over the country, even in KL, when you least expect it. With this programme and customer care being our top priority, we hope to do our part in helping to relieve the burden of our valued customers,” he added.

This is part of Proton’s community outreach programme, which will see roadshows in Kelantan, Perlis, Pahang and Johor. The tour started last week in Kelantan and Perlis. Upcoming dates and venues are as follows:

At the road shows, Proton technicians will share with owners how to handle flood-affected vehicles. Proton owners are also entitled to a free 18-point safety check and free rear seat belt installation. The latter is the last chance to do so before the regulation is enforced by the government beginning 1 January 2012.

Customers are also invited to forward queries regarding flood affected cars or show up in person at any Proton service centre for guidance. For towing services and related enquiries, one can call Proton I-Care at 1300-880–888 or 1800–888–398.

Future roadshow venues and dates will be announced in due course.

© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Wed, 28 Dec 11 19:38:11 +0000.

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