We’ve just launched CountryBrands.org which aims to be the definitive resource for logo identities.

It’s a little project we’ve wanted to do for a while and found the time in recent weeks.

We’ll build the database up over the coming month and each logo entry will include a downloadable file – we’ll try and find the best quality in each case.

We’re keen for feedback so please let us know what you think.

[UPDATE] Alex Bainbridge has posted a short review about CountryBrands.org on his blog

The Tourism Society are hosting an event in Cardiff on the 18th April. Titled ‘What is Digital Marketing?‘ three guest speakers will discuss digital marketing from the tourism practitioner’s perspective and its role in tourism. More details at the Tourism Society event calendar.

Nomao allows you to share your favourite places on a customised map (e.g. best restaurants, holiday spots) and for each you can add pictures/videos along with a widget to your blog.

A freelance journalist at the Guardian is spending the next three months putting a number of travel networking sites put to the test. She also includes a list of these sites towards the end of her article. I’ve included these below:

For meeting a local

couchsurfing.com
hospitalityclub.org
yoursafeplanet.co.uk
globalfreeloaders.com
stay4free.com
bewelcome.org
joomla.servas.org
lghei.org (gay and lesbian)

For meeting other travellers

wayn.com
addictedtotravel.com
doyoutravel.com
thelmaandlouise.com (female only)

For upmarket networking

asmallworld.net
yacht6.com
quintessentially.com

For tip sharing and advice

Ivebeenthere.co.uk
tripadvisor.com
43places.com
virtualtourist.com
lonelyplanet.com/thorntree

For older travellers

sagazone.co.uk

For meeting someone on a flight

Flight-club.org
triplife.com

For getting a date

Travelhotties.com

For practising languages

friendsabroad.com
voxswap.com

For letting people know where you are

twitter.com
facebook.com
dopplr.com

For community blogging

bootsnall.com
travelpod.com
globenotes.com
travelblog.com
realtravel.com
mytripjournal.com

For special interest

warmshowers.org (cyclists)
tejo.org (Esperanto speakers)

For creating your own social network

ning.com
crowdvine.com

Zicasso aims to save time and remove the hassle when researching and planning a trip. The site is not live until the 10th March but a preview at Techcrunch has more details on how it works and the problems it aims to solve.

A traveler sends an outline of what they plan to do and where. Zicasso distributes this basic info to 100 service providers and within two days, four proposed itineraries and costings land in your inbox. Zicasso offers this service for free and takes a cut from the agents and operators. The service will appeal to those planning more complex trips or simply at those who do not have the time searching multiple travel agencies and search engines.

How would you feel about receiving bids from agents you don’t know?

There is a more in depth review at Profy who believe Zicasso has a model that could define the future of online travel booking – Zicasso: The Potential Future of Online Travel Planning

“Twitter for Location” from Yahoo’s Brickhouse – Fire Eagle. “Fire Eagle is the secure and stylish way to share your location with sites and services online while giving you unprecedented control over your data and privacy. We’re here to make the whole web respond to your location and help you to discover more about the world around you.”

Follow Techcrunch coverage
Dopplr post announcing integration

Limited functionality but aimed at developers to start building applications before a full launch.

Best Geek Hotels in the World 2.0 from Hotel Chatter

Simple translation tool - Jesse Gardner posted this tip on how to offer your site in many languages. The translation is automatically done by Google Translation and is by no means a replacement for human translation. But it may be useful to those with little budget as a way to give international visitors a basic understanding of the site content.

TourismROI is a global B2B networking and information service for tourism destinations around the world.

I met up for a coffee with Richard Miller and Don Montague during the World Travel Market to find out more about the site.

Richard worked at the World Travel & Tourism Council for over 16 years culminating in a role as the Executive Vice President. In 2007 he joined MMG Worldwide, a NYC based firm specialising in marketing for the travel and hospitality sector and where Don is Chairman and CEO.

There is a holding page at www.TourismROI.com and downloadable brochure. They are beta testing the site at the moment with a number of destinations and plan to soft launch early this year. TourismROI has ambitious plans to be the world’s largest collection of tourism information and research for more than 6,200 destinations whilst providing a b2b networking platform that offers real value to destinations. The idea for the project was conceived early last year and was met with plenty of interest from investors and destinations. I’ve listed below a few of the problems that the site aims to solve and how they plan to do it.

[Read more →]