Research reveals keys to successful interactive tourism web marketing

March 2009

A new industry booklet from Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre (STCRC) has revealed the power of interactive web tools, or user-generated content (UGC), in influencing consumer's travel plans. New research has revealed that almost a third of people think interactive web tools such as blogs, reviews and star ratings are 'very influential' in their holiday planning, with a further 50% saying these tools have 'certain influence' on their travel decisions.

91% of the 12,500 Australian travellers surveyed still rate state tourism websites as being the most trusted source of travel information with 61% saying they felt these sites could be further enhanced with the addition of a UCG feature to capture the comments of 'real' travellers.

CEO of STCRC, Ian Kean says that the research provides options for tourism operators and destinations to develop more effective e-business solutions to maximise market share. "Tourism operators and destination marketing organisations shouldn't ignore the rising popularity of sites containing UGC content or the role that these sites are playing tin the trip planning behaviour of travellers," Mr Kean said.

"These sites provide information that can not only influence final booking plans but in fact can result in travellers altering their existing plans. User-generated content presents a great opportunity for tourism operators and marketing organisations to hear from and communicate with their consumers."