Small Business Blog

Why are reviews also important for travelers and tourists?

With the evolution of the online world being the primary way to book your travel, we are doing more and more research into the places we go, hotels we stay in and attractions we see.

That research includes not only write ups by the companies that own them but the reviews from travelers' actual experience is what’s the most important. Here’s why reviews are important for not only local customers but also travelers and tourists trying new places and why your business gets their business even if you may not realize it.

Reviews are the new word of mouth for travelers.

Before the internet we all depended on our friends, television or the newspapers to tell us the new and best places to go and things to see. Many times, the best way to find out where to go was by word of mouth from your friends.

Reviews are the new way of getting word of mouth from people may not even know. It helps save you time by hearing from hundreds of people in just one click. It also shows the popularity of a business. If a customer sees no reviews, they will usually ignore those selections.

They generate feedback to help the businesses improve.

While reviews are helpful for travelers, another great benefit is for the business to improve. While negative feedback isn’t what a company wants to hear, it’s a great way for them to know what’s actually happening on the ground so they can make changes needed for improvement.

This unintended feedback mechanism is a great way for travelers to see where the business is lacking and over time if the business makes changes for the better, the reviews will reflect that in a higher percentage of positive reviews.

It creates stories and experiences that sell.

Businesses owners always tell the story that the customers want to hear. "Great location," "Incredible views," "Friendly staff," etc. While these are always great to hear and as customers we want to believe that the place they're going is perfect, we also want to know the full story.

It’s the customer’s feedback of their experience that really sell a place because visitors reading their reviews can always relate to a real-life experience. Everything isn’t always rainbows and sunshine and that’s OK. Customers quickly see through negative reviews that aren't really negative for them.

Reviews help a customer decide.

At the end of the day, a review is what will make or break a place. As customers will see many different businesses in searches and they all will seem equally amazing, but it’s the reviews at the end of the day that will make the decision for you.

Are the reviews primarily negative? Are they primarily positive? Do they speak to your interests and likes? A great review that tells the story that you’re looking to experience is what will sell that business to them.

That is why reviews are extremely important for locals and travelers alike. Just don’t forget to leave your own reviews to help others make their decisions easy as well.


Tagggly Blog