London will be the showcase to roll out a new online travel portal to bring travellers and the local community together onto a single platform. Visitors can access, purchase and share definitive information, experiences and advice about the destination and connected activities and accommodation.
TripTide’s transactional website will incentivise new visitors to London to visit the city’s lesser-known destinations and increase the footfall to the non-central boroughs. The company encourages local writers, photographers and independent vendors to produce a range of content which it then publishes through a number of different channels to new (mainly) international audiences planning a trip to London.
TripTide engages with local communities and although it is not a social enterprise the company provides training, management and mentorship to these contributors in subjects ranging from web site designing to creative online writing.
TripTide.London uses a revolutionary combination of technology, content and social media to create a multi-dimensional resource for both the travel industry in London and consumers
visiting or planning to visit the city. The TripTide concept is based on the premise that the immense, largely untapped resource of insider knowledge held by the local community and tourism suppliers, combined with the experiences and the powerful word-of- mouth from repeat visitors, gives new travellers the very best information on which to draw when putting together their trip to London.
Accommodation, activity and event providers will be encouraged to take up a free-of-charge membership of TripTide through a recruitment programme. Once a supplier’s account has been set up they will have access to alternative audiences of new and repeat visitors. The commission-based structure provides its supplier members with an array of features ranging from optimised product pages, multiple booking systems, digital marketing and additional promotional channels. The no-cost membership scheme offered by TripTide makes it accessible to any supplier from a small B&B to an international operator. Its global platform and connection via social media automatically opens up distribution channels that may otherwise have been out of reach, particularly to smaller suppliers and their only cost will be a commission made on a successful sale.
TripTide’s distribution channels allow users to share real time experiences and narratives supported by unique rich content on the website, including journals, articles, images and special interest groups.
Additional unique functions of the site include:
• An integrated and intelligent trip planner that allows visitors to pin a multiplicity of information
• Regularly introduced apps like the post card app. that allows visitors to turn their ‘selfies’ into postcards
• A one stop shop for visitors to make multiple bookings and purchases from different sources
• A connected view of the area or attraction linking ecommerce with published content
• Multiple payment systems for a variety of suppliers including accommodation, activities and events.
