Are you listed on TripAdvisor yet?

Online Marketing • April 14, 2014 • Shubham Satyarth

You now have your New Year’s resolution!

First things first – why should a tour or an activity operator be listed on TripAdvisor? Isn’t it meant for Hotels?

True. We all know that TripAdvisor is an undisputed platform for listing and reviews of Hotels. However, what many of us still don’t know is the fact that TripAdvisor is well on its way to achieve a similar standing for tours and activities as well.

A recent article in Skift talks about TripAdvisor’s plan to become an in-destination travel concierge – not just help travelers pick hotels for their stay but also help them with “things to do” during their stay. No wonder then, that in the last 24 months, TripAdvisor has tied up with the three largest aggregators of tours and activities around the globe – Get Your Guide, Viator and Expedia.

If you still have doubts, consider this – TripAdvisor currently has 360+ tours and activities (along with 7,000+ reviews) listed for Phuket alone.

So if you thought TripAdvisor was only for Hotels, think again!

So why exactly should you be listed on TripAdvisor?

Because user generated content is the most important marketing tool in your arsenal

In our last post, we discussed that 93% of travelers worldwide say that their booking decisions are impacted by online reviews. This in itself is a big enough reason to be listed on TripAdvisor. But wait, there is more!

Reviews also serve as an important feedback channel (perhaps the most important one). In all likelihood, a public forum like TripAdvisor will yield much more candid feedback from your customers than your own closed-door channels. Your travelers can also upload photos, make recommendations, give specific travel tips, and so on. What better way to generate awesome content for your tours than to have happy customers do it for you.

A word of caution though – the keyword here is “happy”. User generated content can be a double-edged sword. So if you are not sure about the quality of your operations yet, you are better off staying away from TripAdvisor for now.

…and then it helps your business get discovered

With over 260 million visitors per month, of which 60+ million are unique, TripAdvisor is by far the largest travel website in the world. And it’s not just limited to hotels. Consider any high-volume search term related to in-destination tours and activities and you will invariably find TripAdvisor right up there in the top 3 results.

So if you are not yet listed on TripAdvisor, you now know what your New Year’s resolution should be! But before that, do read our next post which will help you get started with TripAdvisor.