Research shows TripAdvisor’s growing influence as booking tool

Webloyalty research shows TripAdvisor’s ‘book now’ feature has become popular among holiday customers.

Webloyalty research shows TripAdvisor’s ‘book now’ feature has become popular among holiday customers.

According to the marketing company 9% of people used the site as a booking tool for their last holiday.

The ‘Digital Destinations’ research, undertaken by TNS, surveyed 1,000 people.

For holiday research purposes Webloyalty found that TripAdvisor is nearly twice as popular as sites such as Expedia and more than three times as popular as Skyscanner.

Guy Chiswick, managing director of Webloyalty Northern Europe, said: “By becoming a booking tool as well as a review site, TripAdvisor are taking market share away from companies like Expedia.

“Already, one in ten of us are using this new feature. As a key touch point in the holiday journey, more and more consumers will begin to use the entire range of tools offered by TripAdvisor.”

The research also found that 43% of people in the UK now use TripAdvisor as their main source of inspiration prior to booking a big holiday, rather than taking suggestions from peers – which 26% of people did.

Less than 25% of us now look at travel brochures, with only 15% visiting a travel agent, according to the research.

However, the study also found that travel agents are still popular when it comes to package holidays, with 37% of those who booked one in the last two years heading ‘offline’ – either in person or over the phone.