The Travel Tech Track 2018, an initiative by OTM Mumbai and TravHQ to celebrate the growth of travel-tech industry in India, witnessed a panel discussion between some of the top travel bloggers in India on how influencers are helping companies operating in the travel industry use different digital marketing tactics.
The panel featured Roxanne Bamboat, food and travel features writer and blogger at The Tiny Taster; Kaushal Karkhanis, digital expert and travel blogger at Exotic Gringo; Divyakshi Gupta, freelance travel writer and blogger at The Quirky Wanderer; and Ajay Awtaney, founder of Live From A Lounge that is an international network of frequent flyer writers.
From L to R: Roxanne Bamboat, Kaushal Karkhanis, Divyakshi Gupta, Ajay Awtaney and Daksh Sharma.
The future of influencer marketing in India looks bright, given the country’s growing digital infrastructure. According to Divyakshi Gupta, barriers to technology have become non-existent as Indian influencers are beginning to connect with more and more foreign bloggers. “However, the point of differentiation is diversification, which has not really set in for Indian influencers. For a long time, they thought partnerships only meant sponsored trips and freebies. Right now, brands and influencers are realising that diversification is key. Brands are partnering with influencers to create content not just for the latter’s page, but for themselves as well.”
At the event, the panel also discussed some of the issues and trends involved in both affiliate and influencer marketing. One of the biggest requirements is disclosure, where influencers are now letting consumers know they’re receiving compensation for posting about a particular brand or product, irrespective of the format of the content or the kind of compensation. Commenting on another major trend for the year, Kaushal Karkhanis stressed on the rising importance of ‘short-form content’ with videos. “These are really interesting, captivating bite-sized videos that tell a story in the most authentic way, because you can’t really fudge something you’re doing in a video format. Video is going to be a key-player going forward, in the content space.”
The panel also presented their opinions on a plethora of ways of operating in the travel domain – from talking about the rise of the micro-influencer, to zeroing down on the significance of having a certain number of followers, from discussing the changing landscape of the travel industry, to creating a niche and negotiating with brands to create the best value for both parties.
Watch the full video here:
