BBC investigates tripadvisor versus guidebooks

Rajan Datar investigates the rise of travel review websites compared with the advice of guidebook writers for the BBC World News' 'fast:track' programme.

Steve Kaufer, CEO of Tripadvisor, says in the programme that the rise of travel review websites "is really a testament to the power of the democracy that the web has brought to travel. Instead of a recommendation from a single travel agent, you've got reviews from hundreds - or in some cases thousands - of individuals on a single property."

Rajan Datar says "Covering more than a million destinations, hotels and restaurants, and with 25 million posted reviews and opinions, tripadvisor branded sites boast they constitute the largest travel community in the world. With more than 11 million registered users, it all adds up to the emergence of an unusually powerful marketing tool, but there are persistent worries about their disproportionate influence and legitimacy."

Rajan also interviews Simon Nixon from simonseeks.com, a new travel review website which "encourages people to write longer passionate articles about destinations they've visited. As with youtube, users then rate and rank the reviews and the cream rises to the top. The reward for that is the writer than gets a share of the commission of any click through or booking."

Next up is yours truly as a spokesperson for guide book writers. "Richard Hammond has been a travel writer for 10 years contributing to the world famous Rough Guides strand, among others. He feels this lends his reviews more authority than a consumer comment in a feedback forum..."

Here's the blurb: "Over the past decade, travel review websites have become a primary source of travel information, especially as the web has grown. Rajan Datar investigates this trend and looks into their vulnerability to deception. Fake posts, biased reviews and intentionally negative comments to rivals have become common, as well as questions about the kind of people who post reviews. fast:track talks to industry professionals including a traditional guide writer and the Director of Trip Advisor."

Watch the five-minute programme here on the BBC website.