By feature writer Frederic Gonzalo: Did you know Canada was once part of the world's top 10 most visited countries? Back in 2002, Canada held the 7th position in this highly coveted ranking, but it's been a slow but gradual downfall ever since, closing in 16th position a decade later.

By Frederic Gonzalo: Just returned from Toronto where I attended TBEX 2013, the Travel Blogger Exchange. While there were many great insights shared during the two-days event, I wanted to share with you some of the highlights from William Bakker's session, called "Lessons Learned: Working with Bloggers & Destinations". It was interesting to see that, just like women are from Venus and men are from Mars, there are similar contrasts between travel bloggers and destination representatives.

By feature writer Frederic Gonzalo: In the travel & hospitality industry, perhaps even more so than in any other verticals, the increasing power of web interactions, social media and mobile is affecting how customers will make decisions regarding an upcoming trip, from the destination website all the way to transportation options, accommodations, things to see and do, where to eat and, more importantly, where to book it all. Google Think Insights recently released an interesting tool shedding light on exactly how different channels affect the customer along the decision-making journey. This journey is made-up of four classic stages.

By Frederic Gonzalo: The folks from the Quebec City Tourism Bureau, together with their ad agency Cossette, recently unveiled its most recent campaign in order to generate some buzz about the destination. On a new microsite, locals (and anyone who's been to Quebec City, really) are invited to share their secrets, hidden gems or favorite spot, activity or restaurant in the city. It's an innovative way to embrace collaborative platforms, simple and user-friendly, which ought to ensure success as it's also time-bound. Here's what they did.

By Frederic Gonzalo: I don't believe there is one clear, cookie-cutter approach or silver bullet solution to spark innovation. Experience, however, has taught me these four important ingredients to bear in mind in order to innovate and succeed at it.

By Frederic Gonzalo: A January 2013 study by Adobe looked at how various industries performed across various devices and how these industries’ websites performed in certain specific categories, including site stickiness, smartphone and tablet traffic, among others. In the travel and hospitality industry, we tend to focus and compare ourselves between transportation companies, i.e. airlines, car rentals, trains, etc. hotel chains and perhaps destinations (DMOs). But how do we compare with financial services, retail, high tech or perhaps even media & entertainment? That’s where this study becomes enlightening.

By Frederic Gonzalo: Regardless of your religious affiliation or beliefs towards the Catholic religion, the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28 and the imminent start of the next conclave could potentially represent a tsunami in the world of Canadian tourism. How are the election of the next Pope and the Canadian travel industry related? Well, what if the next pope was Canadian, for example?

By Frederic Gonzalo: In the travel industry, for example, more and more brands understand the need to monitor and respond to comments on Tripadvisor, yet only 32% actively manage their page, answer comments or upload photos and relevant bio details about their venue or attraction. But claiming your venue and managing reviews on Google Places, Foursquare, Tripadvisor or Yelp is only one aspect of managing a brand's e-reputation. Here are seven steps that should help companies managing their online presence, whether it's a multinational brand or a mom & pop shop!