In an effort to determine benchmarks for online marketing practices and organization structures, a new study surveyed 426 senior marketing executives in lodging and destination organizations.

"Each year well over 700 marketing executives gather for TravelCom, which is a high level marketing conference that was held this year in Las Vegas," said Verma. "One major theme this year was online marketing, but we realized that there was no overall knowledge of where the industry stands in this area. This study provides those benchmarks."

Using an internet-based survey, Verma and McGill polled senior marketers regarding budget levels, marketing strategies, and organizational structures. They found both a wide range of expenditure levels on online marketing and considerable diversity in organizational structures.

For social media campaigns, about 80 percent of the marketers said that they produced Twitter campaigns and social media promotions in-house, but such functions as search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising are largely outsourced.

Accommodation firms are more likely to outsource all social media functions, including pay-per-call, Twitter campaigns, and pay-per-click management. Destination marketers, on the other hand, generally handle more functions in-house.

Two-thirds of the entire sample said their 2010 e-commerce budgets had increased with respect to 2009. Sixty percent of accommodation marketers anticipated a further increase in 2011, and 71 percent of the destination marketers said their 2011 budgets would increase.

The report is available at no charge from the CHR at:

www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/reports/2011.html

The study, "2011 Travel Industry Benchmarking: Marketing ROI, Opportunities, and Challenges in Online and Social Media Channels for Destination and Marketing Firms," is written by Cornell Professor Rohit Verma, executive director of the Center for Hospitality Research (CHR), and Ken McGill, executive vice president of research for Vantage Strategy.

About Travelcom
The Travelcom Network (TCN) is an online platform where marketers within the travel industry can stay on top of trends, identify new solution providers and manage those providers over time.  In turn, the network provides the space for providers to better define and offer their services to the travel.

About Vantage Strategy
Vantage Strategy is an international consulting firm specializing in the travel and hospitality industry. We collaborate with our clients to create strategic solutions that accelerate market share gains by improving brand image, performance and competitiveness. Our approach combines deep industry experience with traditional and emerging research tools to inform our strategic recommendations.  We deliver implementation plans to intensify the focus on managing sales and marketing investments for the greatest return.  Results typically involve re-engineering marketing processes to provide increased product differentiation at lower marketing investment levels. We act as your trusted business advisor, to create and enhance customer loyalty, improve channel performance, maximize sales strategies, and provide the research and technology tools necessary for you to compete and win. All this translates into a unique ability to "take our clients to their next destination" by closing competitive gaps and building market leadership.

About The Center for Hospitality Research
A unit of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, The Center for Hospitality Research (CHR) sponsors research designed to improve practices in the hospitality industry. Under the lead of the center's 81 corporate affiliates, experienced scholars work closely with business executives to discover new insights into strategic, managerial and operating practices. The center also publishes the award-winning hospitality journal, the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly. To learn more about the center and its projects, visit www.chr.cornell.edu