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The internet is changing everything, from how we shop, to where we go on vacation as well as the way we interact with businesses and services around us. Picture this scenario; you are looking for the best bus tours of Washington DC, but since there are hundreds of companies offering Washington DC bus tours, making a decision becomes difficult. Where do you start? One word, TripAdvisor.
Trip Advisor is a travel website that provides reviews on content related to travel. It’s hard to believe that the website has been up and running since 2000, however, over the past couple of years, Trip Advisor has topped the list of online travel agencies (OTAs) with over 60 million reviews. Just last year, a record 2 billion travelers visited TripAdvisor to read reviews on tours, destinations, hotels, etc.
So why is TripAdvisor such an important tool for vacationers in this day and age?
The Numbers. The numbers are remarkable, to say the least. According to research that was conducted on 12,225 travelers who use Trip Advisor, a staggering 67% check reviews on Trip Advisor at least several times a month. An even bigger percentage, about 80%, will look at the newest reviews on the travel site. 80% of travelers will read about 6-12 reviews on, say Washington DC private tours or the best bus tours in Washington DC, before they proceed to book.
The Reviews. Trip Advisor reviews have the power to turn several bookings in a week into dozens, if not hundreds. Research into hotels listed on TripAdvisor has shown that visitors are 3 times less likely to book a tour that has 3 or 4 stars. Further research has shown that 53% of vacationers are less likely to book a tour if it has no online reviews, which means, that for a tour company to survive in this competitive environment, it has to have online reviews, and not just anywhere, but on Trip Advisor.
To put the numbers and reviews into perspective, using the same tour bookings statistics, the number of total bookings in a calendar month for a tour ranked number 1 as compared to one ranked 40th was at 56%.
From a business owner’s perspective, TripAdvisor is changing the way customers find businesses and their services. Whether it is reviews of bus tours in Washington DC or hotels and other tourist destinations, consumers most likely have looked up reviews about the business on Trip Advisor before they made a purchase. Whatever a business offers, it must make sure it’s listed on Trip Advisor.
USA Guided Tours Blogging Team