Social Media is the future for the travel industry. The latest finding from Eye for Travel claims “79% of travel industry executives view social media as a long-term part of the online marketing mix.”

If you are in the travel industry, here are some tips for you:

• Online Photos— As people say “Pictures speak louder than words.” Hotels, condos and resorts could have an account with a photo sharing site and encourage guests to upload their own pictures and write their reviews.

• Blogs—Blogs or web boards are a great way for businesses to communicate with their audience.

• Online Videos— Online video is a great advertising piece for hotels and resorts to publish a story about their hotels/resorts. Given that Google just introduced video sitemaps, it also a good idea to create sitemaps for your videos to make sure they’re searchable on Google Video or YouTube.

• Custom Google Maps— Creating a custom Google map for a special location is a way to promote your region or city. A custom Google map could provide guests with a visual map of lodging, nearby attractions, shopping centers, restaurants, and other areas of interest.

• Twitter Updates—Twitter can be a way to update people of current promotions. Additionally, it is a way to promote events going on in the area. If this strategy is implemented, you should use caution regarding the frequency of updates and quality of the content.