The number of airports around the world that are using bluetooth marketing campaigns in order to approach travelers is starting to pick up pace.

Not long ago I was writing about the exciting services over at the Athens International Airport.

A few months back it was the Duty Free Shops in Bristol International Airport.

Last October I posted about the New Orleans Airport.

This time round it is the Jože Pučnik Airport in Ljubljana, Slovenia, that is also now sending tourist information and other mobile marketing promotion material, such as mobile coupons, to tourists' mobile phones.


Here's more information from the Mobiz article:

At the baggage claim area of Jože Pučnik Airport in Ljubljana, Slovenia, travellers can pick up more than just their luggage. Using the Bluetooth feature on their mobile phones, they can download tourist information and coupons for their stay in Slovenia.

Through a campaign devised by the Slovenian Tourist Board in cooperation with Aerodrom Ljubljana and Creativ Interaktiv, arriving passengers riding on the airport's buses from plane to terminal are invited to turn on the Bluetooth feature on their mobile phones. That invitation is repeated as they pass through customs to the baggage retrieval area. Within baggage claim is the so-called Bluetooth Zone, where users who have turned on Bluetooth are asked if they want to receive information about Slovenia. Users who say yes receive a free SMS text message with instructions on downloading the information, which is presented in both Slovene and English and includes tips for a hassle-free stay in Slovenia, recommended tourist attractions and events, and mobile coupons from partner organizations. Following the positive response to a test in December and January, the Bluetooth service is in place at least through the end of this month.

While Bluetooth proximity-marketing efforts elsewhere have met with mixed success so far, the fact that travellers are already accustomed to receiving text messages from local phone providers when they land at a foreign airport makes this one seem like more of a natural fit. Tourist destinations and other airports should consider doing this campaign.

Needless to say, it's really exciting to be seeing the number of airports implementing bluetooth advertising techniques increase, because airports, as places, are ideal candidates for running such proximity marketing campaigns. As a large space that is also usually very busy, with lots of people passing through every day, it gives a unique opportunity to the mobile marketer to address such a large and diverse audience. An opportunity you won't often come in many other areas.