The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI) has announced the release of “The Lifecycle of Visual Assets in Hospitality and Travel.” Produced in partnership with Libris by PhotoShelter, the report offers a clear picture of how hospitality and travel professionals source, share, access, use, and measure return on investment of 
visual assets, such as photography and video.
A total of 210 hospitality and travel professionals representing hotels, destinations, suppliers, agencies, and travel organizations were surveyed for this special report. Visual storytelling is becoming increasingly important and pervasive in the hospitality and travel industry, with a striking 89% of respondents reporting using either staff or freelance professional content creators (or both). The majority of brands have increasingly massive visual media collections, but many are held back by the inflexible systems they use to organize and access assets.
Important Trends
- Demand for visual assets continues to grow, with 86% reporting that the volume of new images and video combined has increased in the last year.
- Almost one-third of respondents (32%) invest more than $50,000 annually in visual assets.
- The majority of hospitality and travel brands are using images and video for a wide range of purposes, led by website use (96%).
- Content created by consumers infuses visual communications with authenticity. User-generated content (47%) and social media influencers (38%) are a growing source of visual assets and hot topics in the hospitality and travel industry.
- Nearly half of hospitality and travel organizations (48%) have massive visual media collections with more than 1,000 visual images.
- The majority (63%) of hospitality and travel organizations rely on a folder structure to search and find images and video. This trend shows that teams depend on inflexible systems to organize visual assets, which can make it difficult to find assets quickly.
- Demand for access to visual assets is high. 72% said the frequency to access their organization’s visual assets has increased in the past year.
- Visual assets are critical to social media, with 93% of respondents using images and video on social media. Many use imagery across several social media platforms.
“The Lifecycle of Visual Assets in Hospitality and Travel” also offers practical advice on how to manage visual assets. The report features strategies for sourcing high quality visual assets, storing your visual media, and organizing images and video with metadata. It also includes examples of brands to watch.
“HSMAI thanks Libris for participating in this special report that clearly demonstrates the importance and impact of visual storytelling,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president & CEO of HSMAI. “We also appreciate Libris supporting the 2016 HSMAI Adrian Awards as a benefactor partner.”
“Visual storytelling is becoming increasingly critical for brands in the hospitality and travel industry. We are grateful to work with HSMAI and their members to educate brands on managing their visual asset workflow behind the scenes,” said Andrew Fingerman, CEO of PhotoShelter. “We are also excited to honor exceptional visual storytelling at the HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala.”
Libris will present the first ever Pioneer in Visual Storytelling Award at the 2016 HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala on February 21, 2017, at the New York Marriott Marquis. Honoring travel marketing excellence, the Adrian Awards recognize hospitality brands and agencies for excellence in advertising, digital marketing, and public relations.
Access The Lifecycle of Visual Assets in Hospitality and Travel in the HSMAI Foundation Knowledge Center.
