In today’s digital age, online reviews have become an important element in the decision-making process for travelers all around the world. Potential customers rely heavily on the opinions and experiences of others, when choosing their next travel destination or when booking a tour. Tour reviews are usually posted on online platforms such as TripAdvisor, Google or Booking.com, this are the same platforms potential clients consult before making their informed decisions. Tour reviews are essential for both, travelers and tour operators, as they valuable information, insights, and opinions about the service, the quality and satisfaction. For tourism companies, obtaining more positive reviews can be a game changer, they drive into more bookings, to increase customer trust and ultimately boosting revenues. In this article, we will explore the significant impact of positive reviews for tourism and provide actionable strategies to leverage them into business success.

According to some statistics, online travel market size worldwide was estimated at 475 billion US dollars in 2020 and is projected to reach 1.1 trillion US dollars by 2030. Plus, the share of online sales in the global travel and tourism was 68% and is expected to be 81% by 2027.

The Importance of Positive Tour Reviews

There is a psychology behind how Positive Reviews influence in potential customers. Customers will trust experiences and recommendations of their peers, they serve as a social proof and they reinforce the credibility and reliability of the company, specially if it is a service, you are about to purchase. A Positive Review will also create an emotional connection with potential customers, they generate excitement and anticipation about the travel experience. When there is high volume of positive reviews, there is a suggestion that the tours or destinations offer a quality experience and there is an increasing of the perceived value for customers.

Having Positive Reviews not only help the potential client into their decision making, also the company is greatly impacted. First, there is an increase in bookings, Positive Reviews will directly act as a strong motivator for potential customers to choose a particular tour or destination. The reviews will also give a competitive advantage when gaining a strong portfolio and a competitive edge, they are perceived as more reputable and reliable. When there are satisfied customers, there is a likely higher chance that they will become loyal advocates, leading to a repetition of bookings and referrals to their contacts.

Strategies to Leverage Positive Tour Reviews

It is one thing if the customer is happy and it is another that they write it down in a platform that will help the company and their potential customers, there are some strategies that help to increase the number of reviews in platforms. It is very important to encourage and incentivize the reviews, prompting happy customers to leave them and making it easy for them to do so through various channels with e-mail follow-ups, dedicated platforms or direct links to leaving the reviews, there is also the option of offering incentives, with discounts or exclusive perks to motivate them.

After the customer has left a review, the company must act on it by monitoring and responding them. When there is a regular monitorization of reviews in the different platforms, the company can be alert of any negative feedback in order to act on it, staying vigilant and actively monitoring will help. Whenever the client leaves a review, whether it is a positive or negative, there must be a response with authenticity. Craft personalized response to reviews, acknowledging the customer’s feedback, thanking them for their support and addressing any concerns raised if there were any, and using them to improve the service’s quality and performance. Demonstrating genuine care and engagement fosters trust and shows potential customers that their satisfaction is a top priority. Instead of monitoring every online review platform, Tour Review® will help to get all the reviews in one easy-to-use platforms where any person of the company can see the statistics of the customer’s satisfaction (CSAT), see every review that has been left and respond to them directly, easy and quick.

After customers have left their reviews, one of the best practices a company can do is to showcase the reviews on the website and social media platforms. One of the ways of showcasing the reviews is by creating a “Testimonials Page” and highlight a collection of positive reviews on it, organizing them by category, destination or tour type to make them easily accessible for potential customers. For the Social Media display, there are many options and formats, for example sharing snippets or screenshots of the positive reviews in the platforms to create buzz and show the positive experiences of previews customers, even if it is on an Instagram carrousel or stories.

Good reviews also give a leverage for marketing and SEO. For the marketing collateral, positive reviews can be featured in brochures, email newsletters and promotional materials, this will help to reinforce the company’s credibility. Moreover, the reviews will help to optimize SEO-friendly content by incorporating relevant keywords, phrases and location-specific information found in the positive reviews and it will improve the search engine rankings and visibility, helping the attraction of more potential customers.

Channeling the power of positive reviews can significantly impact a tourism company’s success. By understanding the psychological influence of positive reviews and implementing strategies to leverage them effectively, business and boost reviews, gain a competitive advantage, and foster a long-term customer loyalty. Remember, every positive review is an opportunity to create trust, build customer relationships and to establish your company as a go-to destination for exceptional travel experiences. To summarize, some tips for getting more reviews are:

• Provide excellent service and memorable experiences to your customers.
• Ask your customers for feedback after their experience.
• Make it easy and convenient for your customers to leave reviews on different platforms.
• Monitor and manage your online reputation regularly.
• Use Tour Review to manage and respond all the reviews in one place.

Manage your company’s reviews with Tour Review®, see the satisfaction level of your clients, respond to their reviews, and help your company improve with this all-in-one platform, visit us now.