I was at a travel conference recently where the speaker disparaged TripAdvisor, saying that it was untrustworthy because of review manipulation. We also recently came across this article by Caitlin McDevitt that also echoes the trust issues with crowdsourcing sites.

What is a travel business to think? We hear of the impact of TripAdvisor all the time and client businesses see both the benefits of traffic from good reviews and the damage control necessary for bad reviews.

Are this article's or travel industry specialist's implications that a travel business doesn't need to worry about TripAdvisor because travel businesses are manipulating reviews correct?

We have counseled clients that TripAdvisor is a great opportunity, and we stick to this idea. Is there review manipulation and some outright fraud? Yes. Is TripAdvisor having problems effectively combating it? Yes. Do these things make TripAdvisor useless to consumers? No.

As some who commented on the article state, those who have used TripAdvisor state that yes, it is possible to manipulate, but it is also very easy to read through the garbage and make an educated decision.

I think it is important for travel businesses who are managing their reputation on TripAdvisor to speak to the educated consumer.

There are always going to be abuses on crowdsourcing sites like TripAdvisor or Yelp, but they are too effective on the whole and valuable to the consumer to go away, in my opinion.

Have you used TripAdvisor to plan travel? Did your resulting experience match the impressions you got on TripAdvisor? Share your experiences!

If you are a tourism business, then it is likely that you pay a lot of attention to what people write about you on TripAdvisor. Reviews can have a tremendous impact on a business, both good and bad.

I heard from TripAdvisor today a nifty tip -  they have a new tool for businesses to share with customers - basically, you can download a flyer that urges your customers to review you.

You can easily grab this on your owner's page,  print it out, and distribute to guests at whatever point you feel it is appropriate. Or, grab it here.

Have you used this flyer to help promote review for your business? Let us know!

The Anchorage Daily News published an article yesterday with interviews on the Alaska tourism season, but for anyone in Anchorage who has been downtown in the past few months, the report is no surprise: there are fewer tourists in Anchorage and Alaska this year. Some areticle highlights:

Anecdotal reports also speak to the tourism industry's initial fears becoming a reality:

• A local restaurant is contacting loyal local customers to tell them they don't have to avoid downtown this summer - it is not crowded.
• A recent visitor to Fairbanks described it as "very quiet."

What can businesses do to prevent the year from being a loss? Apokrisis has been counseling the following strategies since the economic downturn began:

 

1. Keep marketing. If you cut back on your marketing budget too dramatically, you lose any chance of reaching those visitors that do plan on coming.
2. But make sure that marketing is targeted and focused. Gather as much information as you can on what is working and what isn't.
3. Review your target audiences - which of your customer types are likely to continue to travel? Who may back off? Focus on those you think will come.
4. Your strategy needs to focus on gaining more share. A higher share of visitors could keep you close to previous levels of business. It is a reality when fewer people are visiting.

All indications are that the economic climate will continue at least into 2010. Start planning for next year now.

Do you have any stories about your observations on tourism in Alaska? Your own community? Please share!