UFO invasions and backfiring twitter campaigns
Social media was in a stir this week as Instagram and Facebook were flooded with images of a spectacular natural phenomenon that covered the skies of Cape Town. It wouldn’t be ridiculous for residents of Cape Town to think they were under invasion from a faraway species as the bizarre UFO-shaped clouds appeared overhead. However, meteorologists explained it was in fact a type of cloud called ‘stratocumulus standing’ (or Lenticular Clouds) caused by disruption to the airflow along the surface of the earth.
An Australian cab company has unofficially been awarded the worst social media campaign of the year after its most recent Twitter campaign backfired to epic proportions. Your Taxis tweeted out to its followers asking for their #YourTaxis story, and were met with over 4,000 replies with taxi horror stories from users in the first day of the campaign alone. While the fallout from this social media ‘disaster’ continues to roll out on Twitter, it’s a good time to remind everyone to ‘think before you tweet’.
Moaning about feeling ill on Twitter could actually be beneficial to everyone. The Food Standards Agency has conducted a pilot study to pick up early indications of issues surrounding food poising and outbreaks. Tweets can help prepare hospitals and monitor general health. So next time someone is moaning about #foodpoisoning on Twitter, don’t get annoyed at the public self-pity, think about how they could be helping prevent other people get ill.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events