Melo Villareal
Study Reveals Travelers Prefer Online Sources than printed travel guidebooks
Agoda.com, one of Asia’s leading hotel booking sites and part of Nasdaq-listed Priceline Group (Nasdaq:PCLN), announced today the results of its most recent Travel Smarts survey, which shows travelers trust online forums and blogs most when making travel plans.
The survey, conducted in April and May 2015, asked over 5,500 Agoda customers from all over the world which sources they found most reliable when making travel plans. Travel Related Online forums were the most popular, with 34% of respondents choosing them.
Online Sources for travellers
Travel Blogs and independent purely travel related websites came in second with 28% of the vote. Online sources combined, which includes travel forums, travel blogs and travel apps, took 71% of the vote.
“It’s no surprise that more and more travelers trust online sources the most. When travelers turn to internet resources, they benefit from the combined knowledge and experience of countless other travelers, and can also target their research to suit their particular needs in a way they never could before,” says John Brown, COO of Agoda.com.
Most Reliable Source of Travel Information
Online travel forums 34%
Travel Blogs and independent websites 28%
Advice from locals 13%
Printed Travel guidebooks 12%
Travel apps 9%
Other 4%
Only 12% of respondents selected printed guidebooks.
As for sharing information with others after they’ve traveled, 79% of respondents said they posted reviews, commented on blogs or posted on social media about their travel experiences (respondents were only allowed to select one choice).
Do You Share Your Travel Experiences Online?
No 21%
Yes, I post reviews 38%
Yes, I post on social media 25%
Yes, I comment on blogs or forums 16%
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