CHICAGO—More than three quarters of travelers use review sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor to conduct research prior to booking services, according to a survey conducted by The GO Group LLC, an international ground transportation provider. More than 150 people responded to questions about site usage for accommodations, activities, events, and ground transportation.
When asked about use of sites for hotels and other accommodations, 13 percent of respondents said they always check sites; 31 percent said they do so frequently, 34 percent said sometimes, and 22 percent said never.
Fifteen percent said they always check sites for reviews about tours and activities; 25 percent and 34 percent said they do so frequently and sometimes, respectively. The results for checking on attractions and venues were similar. Fewer people use review sites for ground transportation. Only 10 percent said always they did so, 23 percent said frequently, and 40 percent replied sometimes.
The survey also asked how many people post on review sites. Just 3 percent said they always posted on the sites, 9 percent do so frequently; 40 percent post sometimes, and 26 percent responded they have never posted on a review site.
“In addition to or even in lieu of obtaining information and referrals from close friends and family, more people are opting to use content generated by strangers as a guide for booking travel experiences,” says John McCarthy, president, GO Group. “As reliance on online review sites continues to grow, it behooves all of us in travel-related industries to regularly review and respond to posts, and monitor them for potential customer services issues.”
