NEEDHAM, Mass.—This week, TripAdvisor announced that later this year, it will be launching a new site and mobile experience that includes a social feed. Currently in beta, the site is evolving towards becoming a personalized and connected travel community, enabling individuals with social assistive tools to plan and book better with relevant advice and information from people and experts they trust.
The new TripAdvisor expands its community beyond travelers to also include brands, social media influencers, publishers, and friends. Travelers can follow and connect with individuals or content creators who share information that is relevant to their interests.
Along with more than 661 million existing reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor members will be able to create and view new forms of content including photos, videos, and articles. Members will also have the ability to create “Trips,” which can be in-depth travel guides, itineraries, or simply wish lists of things to do while traveling. Trips can be made private and saved for personal use or shared with the greater community.
When a member logs onto the TripAdvisor app or site, their homepage transforms into a personalized feed of information. When searching a particular destination, the feed automatically narrows the scope of the information displayed to that particular geographic location. For example, members planning a trip to Paris may see a food critic’s article on the best restaurant in the city, an influencer’s travel guide of “must-do’s,” and a friend’s review of a new hotel near the Eiffel Tower.
A New Audience for Brands and Publishers
While in beta, more than 500 social media influencers, well-known consumer brands, publishers, and travel partners have joined the new TripAdvisor, with more being added every day. In addition to the many content creators joining the platform, TripAdvisor’s team of destination experts and TripAdvisor Media Group brands, including Smarter Travel, Cruise Critic, and TheFork.com, will also contribute to the site experience through unique profiles.
These partners have already started to create hundreds of pieces of inspiring and helpful travel content, grow their followers, and provide feedback to improve the experience.
Members will be able to follow favorite brands like National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel Channel, Business Insider & Insider Guides, PopSugar, Great Big Story (CNN Travel), Pandora Music, GoPro, Goop, NYC & Company (via their consumer-facing tourism website, nycgo.com), Nashville Music City, and The Knot, among many others. Members will also be able to follow leading social media influencers like television personality and restaurateur Giada De Laurentiis, as well as travel bloggers, like TravelBabbo.
“National Geographic wants to reach our customers wherever it is they are consuming content. We want to be available on all platforms allowing people to engage with our brand and content wherever and whenever they choose,” said Chris Thorman, vice president community products and growth, National Geographic. “We’re excited to be among the first publishers to join the new TripAdvisor, further expanding our travel footprint. As a global media company, we’re always seeking new opportunities to share our awe-inspiring articles, photos, and video content, and a partnership with TripAdvisor allows us to do just that.”
The new TripAdvisor site and mobile experience is set to come out of beta and launch globally to the public later this year across all markets and languages where the company operates.
Photo: Steve Kaufer, CEO, introduced the new TripAdvisor travel feed on Sept. 17, 2018 in New York City.
