Travel Leaders Group is planning a viral "Thunderclap" campaign on social media and inviting both the travel industry and those customers they serve to participate between now and June 15.
The social media initiative was announced at a media briefing in Washington, D.C. at the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) Legislative Day and will wrap up at Travel Leaders Network's international conference in Las Vegas.
According to Travel Leaders, the goal of this Thunderclap campaign is to "combine crowdsourcing and social media to share one message simultaneously across social networks."
It works like this: If a travel agent or their customers choose to join in, that person's friends and followers on social media receive a notification asking them to participate too. Then, on a specific date and time, Thunderclap releases one final message on all participants' social channels at once. At that point, the hope is that the reach of the campaign is sufficient to make the Thunderclap a trending topic on various social channels.
Travel Leaders Group is asking everyone to post pro-travel industry messages between now and the end of the campaign. The final message will be shared at 4:30 p.m. Eastern on June 15.
"We want to share the message far and wide that, increasingly, travelers are reconsidering the DIY approach and, instead, are recognizing the value of a travel agent," said Ninan Chacko, CEO of Travel Leaders Group.
"A trusted travel professional makes all the difference in the world in the quality of a travel experience and in providing personalized care when travel disruptions occur. Additionally, careers in the travel industry, which the U.S. Travel Association says accounts for 8.8 million jobs in the U.S., are growing and becoming a travel professional is an exceptional employment opportunity."
Those wishing to participate can do by visiting YearoftheTravelAgent.com to find ideas, graphics and social media images to use on social channels along with other information and resources.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
