Online reputation management is a fundamental strategy for running a successful tourism business in the twenty-first century. 70% of consumers look at up to 20 reviews in their holiday planning process (Tnooz), 33% will change their choice based on reviews and (World Travel and Tourism Corporation) and 53% of consumer won’t book a hotel with no reviews.
You need to take proactively manage your online reviews
Most accommodation, tour and hospitality operators are aware of the impact of their online review ratings on major platforms like Tripadvisor, but many operators are not taking advantage of online reviews in a proactive way to maximise the opportunities for their businesses.
Tourism businesses need to implement a review management plan that commits themselves as managers or assigns responsibilities to team members to monitor all review platforms including Facebook, Google My Business and relevant online travel agency platforms like Expedia. As a tourism business owner or manager you need to be aiming for above an average of 4 star ratings across all platforms, so no matter where their potential customers checks you out, they are seeing a story of quality and a culture of customer service in your business. Your ranking in online reputation platforms is driven by algorithms that focus on the quality of ratings about your business, the number of reviews and the recency of those reviews. So to appear at the top of the page you need to be applying tactics to encourage reviews on relevant websites.
Other strategies for turning online reputation management into a positive for your business include responding to every review and knowing the steps to respond to the rare negative review.
What is being done in Queensland, Australia
In Queensland, Australia, the State tourism organisation, Tourism and Events Queensland is leading the way in the industry through the Best of Queensland Experiences program and encouraging operators to achieve a quality standard in their online reputation. It is a mandatory requirement to achieve above an average of four stars to participate in the Best of Queensland program. Tourism Tribe can help Queensland businesses to achieve this standard and to be part of the program.
Online Reviews management in the Tourism Tribe online community
Tourism Tribe has a wealth of resources to help Tourism businesses learn about how to manage their online reputation and online reviews. Tools we recommend are TripAdvisor, Google Local, Bing Local, Facebook, Yelp etc etc. These resources include tutorials, presentations, webinars and support forums.
