Fairfax Media's newest travel offering, Traveller.com.au, has surpassed daily traffic projections since its launch two weeks ago, according to Melina Cruickshank, group director of Fairfax Life Media.
Speaking last night at the site's official launch, Cruickshank said the offering is well on its way to cracking one million unique views in its first month because of the its unique positioning in the market.
“It became evident during our product research there was a clear gap in the dreaming and planning phase in research and travel and as such we've positioned our new Traveller site to sit between destination information and reviews phase.”
Initial research found that despite an already crowded travel space, Australians visit up to 13 different travel websites before booking a holiday.
With Traveller, Cruickshank said Fairfax Media's Life Media aimed to create a place for Australians who love travelling, aspire to do it more and do it smarter.
“Our audience told us they wanted one credible source of travel information from one view point, and experienced writers they respected and believed,” she said.
As part of the launch of the site, Fairfax worked with The Lab Strategy, a qualitative research business, to find out what Australians really want from holidays and those findings were broken down into four groups: belonging, excess, potential and mindfulness. Paul Labagnara, strategy director at The Lab Strategy, explained to marketers that each one provides brands with "numerous" opportunities. “Whether it's an experience a brand develops or the ways in which they communicate to try and establish a position for a specific type of holiday, whether a winery in the Hunter or a vast place in China or an airline, you can apply these findings,” he explained.
At the site's launch Fairfax announced a partnership with TripAdvisor, which sees user reviews put up against writers reviews so audiences can get a full picture of the quality of a destination.
Other brands currently advertising with the site include APT, Destination NSW, AVIS, Tourism Canada and Captains Choice Tours.
A campaign to further promote the site kicks off mid-October and will include print, radio and digital elements.
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