While the study was conducted for the Americal travel review giant, it shows the general trend. Almost three quarters (72 percent) of respondents admitted they systematically check reviews on accommodation, restaurants, or experiences when planning a trip. Comments and reviews on lodgings are considered especially useful.
79 percent of the surveyed audience said that they tend to choose an accommodation option with a higher rating even if initially they were attracted to another hotel.
78 percent believe that only recent comments should be taken into account as things change very quickly – a lodging that was regularly getting excellent reviews six months ago may no longer remain as good as it used to be.
55 percent never base their decision on one review or comment – they read at least a coupe of them to make their judgement.
In general, travellers read an average of nine reviews before booking a hotel or heading to a restaurant.
Interestingly, 39 percent of respondents surprised us saying they do not take the more extreme opinions into account.
The survey was taken in 12 countries – Australia, China, France, German-speaking countries, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Online Opinions Are Crucial for Making Travel Plans
News in Asia
A recent study by Ipsos Mori for TripAdvisor reveals that over a half of travellers planning their trip (52 percent) always rely on opinions posted online before choosing a hotel or a restautant. Venues with no reviews usually are not considered at all.