Travelers have discovered that social networking not only allows them to discover new destinations and things to do on their vacations, but it also allows them to provide useful feedback to others who may be looking to book a trip. For tour operators, online reviews are necessary to developing trust and increasing brand recognition amongst your target market segment. While there’s lots of places to leave and receive online reviews, TripAdvisor is perhaps the most powerful medium for tour operators.

What is TripAdvisor?

TripAdvisor is an online review site for travelers. It is widely used amongst globetrotters who love to see and explore new destinations, and it is inherently trusted by many prospective travelers. In fact, more than 7 million different restaurants, tour businesses, accommodations, and activity providers are listed on the site, and users have posted more than 500 million reviews. According to TripAdvisor, there are 415 million unique site visitors that visit the social networking platform each month.

With statistics like this, it’s hard to ignore the sheer power of this online review platform. To put it simply, if your tour and activity company is not on TripAdvisor, you’re missing out on significant opportunities to increase your bookings, showcase your customer service skills and build trust in your brand.

Why Should You Be on TripAdvisor?

There are several reasons to consider using TripAdvisor to generate online reviews for your tour and activity company:

  • First and foremost, it is one of the most trusted travel websites amongst both domestic and international visitors. People rely on TripAdvisor for objective information about the travel businesses they intend to use during their stay in a specific destination.
  • It allows you to market your tour products. You can create a profile on TripAdvisor that not only showcases your online reviews and your ratings, but also includes photographs and videos. There’s even a “Book a Tour” button that you can add to your TripAdvisor page, allowing you to drive bookings directly through the site.
  • You can interact with your customers on TripAdvisor. By thanking those who offer positive feedback and offering solutions to those who may have had a disappointing experience, you prove that you are committed to customer service. Your responses on TripAdvisor are not only necessary to retaining current customers, but also showing prospective travelers that you will do what it takes to ensure they are satisfied.

Noteworthy TripAdvisor Features

Beyond the reviews and photo-sharing capabilities, TripAdvisor offers a few unique features that can help your tour and activity company. They have useful widgets that you can add to your own website, allowing you to create a seamless user experience. In addition, the Review Express feature is an automatic e-mail feature that encourages your customers to leave TripAdvisor reviews. TripAdvisor’s Review Express is Rezdy’s official review collection partner.

Developing a presence on TripAdvisor is a pivotal component of your online marketing strategy. To learn more about the best way to promote your brand online and drive direct bookings through your website, download the Rezdy online marketing ebook today.

Tour Operator eBook