We came across an interesting article on the internet highlighting the importance of content – herewith is an extract from it….

The survey suggests that consumers are showing an appetite for more interactive visuals in their shopping and purchase paths. Nearly three in five online travelers (59 percent) say 360 degree virtual tours would be “useful” or “very useful” in helping them select a hotel that matches their preferences and expectations, while nearly half (48%) believe a short video showing a property’s features and amenities would be “useful” or “very useful.”

“We know price and location play the most important role in consumer shopping behavior and decision making, but we were particularly intrigued to see that factors such as loyalty programs and hotel brand were rated so far behind visuals in importance by online travelers,” said Paolo Boni, president and CEO of VFM Interactive, which commissioned the study. “With still image and rich media visuals rated so highly on consumers’ importance and usefulness scales for influencing their selection of one hotel over another online, hoteliers should re-evaluate their online presence – particularly how they are being represented through online travel agency sites — to address the lower consumer satisfaction visuals found online today.

Please click here to view the whole article.

Click on the following link to view some of our 360 degree virtual tours that we embedded into Facebook: www.facebook.com/smartguide