We’ve heard it before, the notion that mobile web is the “next big thing”.  However, multiple sources, including PhoCusWright and Nielsen Online, this week have come out with reports indicating that now just might be the time for mobile web’s heyday, especially for tourism.  A few key reasons for now really being the time are given, including the growth/adoption of smartphones (can you say iPhone?), the rise in unlimited data plans for said smartphones, and the improved 3G (and even 4G) networks that allow for better internet access.

Perhaps more compelling than these reasons is the statistic that Nielsen has in its latest research.  The U.S. mobile internet market grew by 74% between February 2007 and 2009, with nearly 50 million Americans now accessing the web from their cell phones.  That’s a significant number, and growth has definitely been helped by the popularity of the iPhone.
How marketers engage in mobile web effectively remains to be seen.  It’s important to understand that there are privacy concerns with this medium, so any mobile web strategy requires thought and care. For tourism destinations, finding ways to provide utility to mobile web users, be it through apps or mobile web sites designed to provide key travel information may be their best way to enter this medium.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 11:30 am and is filed under Marketing, Tourism, Branding. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.