TripAdvisor vs. Travelpost...Or Is It?

The war of words and Web sites has made the world of traveler reviews an exciting place in 2009. TripAdvisor is being painted as the "Goliath" of reviews, and Travelpost as the young "David" trying to take him on. Many consumers, however, do not seem to be as preoccupied with this drama as they are getting their user reviews elsewhere - from online travel agencies to be more precise.

Phocuswright's Consumer Travel Report finds the collective power of the average traveler now greater than any other online information source - Travel 2.0 has overtaken expert editorial and even photography. More specifically, consumers are looking to online travel agency (OTA) user reviews the most - representing a critical component of OTAs' dominance as the traveler shopping tool of choice. Seventy one percent of online shoppers typically use OTAs when selecting travel products, and they are reading the reviews where it is most convenient for them.



Phocuswright's Consumer Travel Report unveils the most important consumer trends shaping the industry today in two parts. Part One addresses travel behaviors, trip frequency, annual spend, channels and sources of information by demographic segments such as age and household income. Part Two focuses on traveler psychographic attitudes and values, examining how travel fits into consumer lifestyles and how that translates into their behavior.

The industry's freshest take on consumer trends will arm executives with comprehensive strategic insight into the U.S. traveler, an undeniable need for today's furious pace of change.