8 Jul 2009 Business Wire
The Travelocity Roaming Gnome Continues “Summer of Possibilities” Tour
The Travelocity Roaming Gnome is continuing to coin this the “Summer of Possibilities” and from a recent vote, it looks like Las Vegas locals are doing the same. Not letting a tight budget stop him from experiencing a one-of-a-kind summer adventure, the Roaming Gnome is taking advantage of all the amazing deals and hopping on a plane to one of the most popular summer vacation destinations – Las Vegas. Hoping to inspire others, the Roaming Gnome is letting his fans and followers map out his summer tour and follow his journey online, so they too will choose an adventure of their own.
TOUR DETAILS
On June 26, the Roaming Gnome started a six week summer adventure relying heavily on the social media networks of Facebook and Twitter to spread his message. Each week, the Roaming Gnome's fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter vote between two rival summer destinations to decide on where he travels to for his great adventure. There are six different legs to his “Summer of Possibilities” trip, and the popular summer travel cities are paired as follows:
Chicago vs. New York City (Winner: Chicago)
Atlantic City vs. Las Vegas (Voting started July 1 / ended July 8 at 12 p.m. EDT)
Grand Canyon vs. Yellowstone (Voting starts July 8 / ends July 15 at 12 p.m. EDT)
Cancun vs. Hawaii
Seattle, Washington vs. Washington, D.C.
South Beach vs. Venice Beach
Atlantic City and Las Vegas was the second pair of rival destinations up for voting and today it was announced that Las Vegas was the winner in the neck-and-neck race, taking 51 percent of the vote.
VOTING DETAILS
Through his Facebook fan page, as well as the Travelocity (@Travelocity) and Roaming Gnome (@RoamingGnome) Twitter pages, the online travel agency announces when a city pair is up for voting. Voting lasts approximately six days and the winning city is revealed on the Wednesday of each week. There is also a separate polling site where consumers can go to vote on the Roaming Gnome's adventure – http://www.votetravelocity.com/.
Immediately following the results of each week's contest, the Roaming Gnome travels to the winning city and visits friends and locals, poses for pictures and participates in some of the hottest summer happenings that city has to offer, showing followers what they could also experience on their own summer adventures. Events the Roaming Gnome might enjoy while he is traveling include festivals, dining, museums, parks, sporting events and much more.
While in Las Vegas this weekend, the Roaming Gnome will take a helicopter ride over the Las Vegas strip and do some cabana pool hopping but is also asking locals to suggest some additional hotspots for him to check out. Throughout his adventure, the Roaming Gnome posts photos and comments about his experiences, allowing fans and followers to keep up with his journey every step of the way.
There is also a Facebook community photo contest wherein the Roaming Gnome invites his friends to submit photos of their favorite travel moments with him. Winners will receive prizes including Roaming Gnome lunchboxes, t-shirts and more, as well as the opportunity to have their picture displayed as the Roaming Gnome's profile image on Facebook. As with all celebrities, the Roaming Gnome has a “personal assistant” that guides him throughout his adventure.
Making the possibilities even greater, Travelocity also launched a summer travel sale to coincide with the Roaming Gnome's summer adventure. The “Summer of Possibilities” sale features amazing hotel deals and vacation packages to fantastic destinations, including those featured on the Roaming Gnome's tour, with prices now up to half off compared to this time last year.
More information on Travelocity's “Summer of Possibilities” promotion can be found at http://www.travelocity.com/sale. There is also a separate polling site where consumers can go to vote on the Roaming Gnome's adventure http://www.votetravelocity.com/.