Taking photos to keep travel memories alive has always been popular, but travellers from Asia Pacific are now taking holiday snaps to the next level – revelling in “food-fies” or selfies with food. This reaffirms the importance of dining as an essential ingredient in any hotel stay, and suggests that travellers use food photos as a way of bringing their family and friends to the table when they are not with them.
According to the 2014 Accor Hotels Asia Pacific Social Media Monitor, 77 per cent of travellers took photos during their last trip. Interestingly, respondents from Southeast Asia are most likely to have taken photos, with those from the Philippines (54%), Indonesia (51%) and Thailand (50%) making the top three. The survey also found women (82%) to be more snap happy than men (74%).
Travellers were more likely to have been pointing their cameras and smartphones at food (44%) than anything else. This is followed by landscapes (42%) and destination landmarks (39%). For 38% of travellers, pictures of the hotel’s views and rooms (37%) were important keepsakes.
The selfie trend is alive and well among travellers – 21% of respondents confessed to taking selfies during their trips and travellers from the Philippines (33%), Indonesia (30%), Vietnam and Malaysia (28% each) were most likely to have taken snaps of themselves while overseas.
When asked why they posted photos on social media during their trips, 61% of respondents said it provides them with a record of what they did, while more than half (56%) wanted to share beautiful visuals. Almost half expect validation in the form of “Likes” (47%) or positive comments (46%).
The survey found social media usage to be prevalent among Asia Pacific travellers. Seven in ten said they used social media during their last trip, with respondents from China (84%), Vietnam (83%) and Indonesia (82%) being the most active.
To celebrate the love for “food-fies”, Accor has launched a “Savour, Snap, Share” social media campaign across Asia, aimed at bringing together social media, food and selfies. Hotel guests and visitors alike are encouraged to share “food-fies” of themselves enjoying culinary delights at any Accor property around the world.
The contest will run from 10 February 2015 to 9 March 2015 and is open to those above 21 years of age and legal residents in Singapore, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Spanning various social media platforms, namely, Facebook, Instagram and Weibo, participants stand the chance to win weekly prizes including dining vouchers and Accor Advantage Plus memberships, as well as the grand prize of a two-night stay at a participating Accor hotel of their choice.
A Top Accor Chef Panel has been assembled to determine the weekly winners. Daine Gilbert (Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua), Sakal Phoeung (Sofitel Saigon Plaza), Paul Smart (Sofitel So Bangkok) and Anne-Cécile Degenne (Sofitel So Singapore) will take turns to pick the best submissions each week.
At the end of four weeks, a grand prize winner will be selected based on the number of ‘Likes’ accumulated over the campaign.
More information about the “Savour, Snap and Share” campaign can be accessed via the following Accorhotels.com social media platforms: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Accorhotels; Instagram: http://instagram.com/accorhotelsapac;
