Help! Ideas, Suggestions on an online directory website with 360s

    Hi,

    I am planning to put up an online directory of resorts and establishments website on one of the beaches here, Boracay Island. I'm doing this because my 360philippines.com seems to be going nowhere as it is too broad, Boracay seems to be where the money is. So my plan is the website will be somewhat like this

    http://www.boracayisland.org/

    but instead of just pictures I'lll have tons of 360s, virtual tours of the hotels and establishments. And I will also create a virtual tour of the entire island, the beaches, caves, activities, etc. which will be plotted on a google map. It will also have a search engine which will plot the establishment the user is looking for on the google map, or perhaps just filters on a map for restaurants, hotels, etc.


    Below are Some questions I am asking myself. I need your inputs, Ideas, Suggestions.

    -Do I go free. like go to all the hotels and shoot with no fee, maybe just ask for free accomodation (if hotel) and free lunch (if restaurant *g* ). so that I am assured of comprehensive content and I will eventually get good traffic? Earn on ads? Very tedious but I am sure my site will be content rich.
    -Do I charge the normal price for the 360 but won't expect all the hotels to say yes because the 360s is quite expensive. In other words Be arrogant and believe that the site will sell itself and they will come running to me to shoot their hotels.
    -Drop the fee so that all hotels would say yes and ask for an annual fee?
    -Another problem I am facing is that it would take a lot of time. I'd have to schedule a long vacation leave to accomplish this and the island is kinda far. Could I also just ask hotels to sponsor my travel and in return I'd shoot for free? Not sure if this is feasible.
    -What about the articles on the hotels? Do i need to write that? Or do I ask them to supply it?

    I don't have a good plan of attack so I am asking help from you guys. Do you have similar experiences? Please share *g* . I need to earn something from this! I'm getting frustrated! No money and no girlfriend! I don't have time to date! Too many krpano updates cant keep up if I did *tongue*

    Thanks,
    Milo

    Free??? No!

    It sounds like a nice place so you shouldn't have any problems shooting panos in the public tourist areas. Get a basic website online that looks as good or better than their website and then begin selling your services. It will be an easier sale for you if they can see what they're getting for their money.

    Giving them your service for free will get you no money...and no girlfriend. *g*

    Phil

    people that are so goodlooking as Milo have girlfriends anyway *g*

    He Milo, i have this same thing going on but in my case the touristoffice, a museum, and the community hire me to make this for the whole city. When i'm on the track and have the first, say 50, pano's online...they gonna ask all the shops, restaurants etc etc to hop inn. And the cash comes to me. *wink*

    The shops etc can get 1 pano and say two hotspots /link and their logo for a reduced price (say 280 US) and then they are in the big tour. It's also possible for them to get this small mini tour (1 pano ) for their website (costs a little extra) .. iF they like more then the bigger prices come.

    After this they can stay in the tour for just (say 80 US) a year... updates and changes cost extra.
    There will also be sponsors on it ... a few big ones i hope.

    I will publish when it's a bit further then now..

    don't go for free.. try the tourist office or the major/gouvenor..

    good luck

    Tuur *thumbsup*

    Phil,

    Thanks a lot you've been very helpful with the panoduino and with this. *thumbsup* . Seems I need to go their first, shoot the island, build the website and then sell website space hotels..

    Tuur,

    I wish that were the case. I'm just bald, not good looking I look like Mr.clean. $280?? I wish I could charge like that. This is a poorer country so I guess i'd have to make it smaller. Everybody is charging annual fees, So I guess i'd have to do that too.

    I will bounce ideas around with you just email me, that also goes for you Tuur and anybody else who is marketing to tourism as well because we are all starting out with a dream of making a living doing pano tours.

    Milo I will gladly buy some of your services if I need them do you have a paypal account ?

    I strongly suggest you target hotels,golf course and health and well being retreats and go for a low set up fee with a year licence fee

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boracay use this as research (what to target and when)


    http://www.boracay.travel/ use this to research hotels and acomadation some of these are charging $100


    for example :
    Boracay Tropics Hotel USD 1,120.00 Check-in: 12/06/2009 - Check-out: 19/06/2009 - On Request thats what it would cost me


    So get it out of your head that people can not afford $$$$$ for a pano tour let me also tell you that when you set your price and others want your services it will be hard to increase your price.


    You should look at a licence fee of around $200 per year


    dont forget you only have 76 hotels in Boracay


    do not undersell yourself *thumbup*


    Thanks Tim!

    Though I'm really keen on that boracay website. I'm working on one for a city where I work. It's easier to take panoramas here because I can do it during my breaks or before/after work. I can easily change the CSS design to adjust to the boracay website.

    http://www.360philippines.com/makati360/index.html
    http://www.360philippines.com/makati360/map.html

    Currently I only have 2 panoramas for makati *smile* Long way to go. I'm still eyeing that google street view type of panoramas. We're still working on the motorized pano head

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