Death of the Travel Brochure As Holidaymakers Opt for Online Reviews
They have been a staple of travel agencies and dental surgeries since the beginning of the package holiday, but the glossy travel brochure has become the latest casualty of the internet era, according to a survey.
Holidaymakers are now booking trips based on online travel reviews rather than glossy publications.
Reviews written by strangers on independent websites such as TripAdvisor, search results on Google and word of mouth advice from family and colleagues are more influential than brochures, advertising, media reviews and advice from travel agents when it comes to booking holidays, according to the study.
The survey of 1,375 consumers found a quarter now used online reviews by strangers to determine their travel plans, compared to 13 per cent who used travel programmes and 11 per cent who used magazines and newspaper supplements.
The results found that almost 50 per cent of travellers over 45 are using websites to recommend or warn fellow travellers by posting a review of their travel experiences online.
Nick Oram, director of media agency Total Media, who commissioned the report, said: “There has been a decline in the traditional glossy brochure in favour of the internet and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The traditional glossy brochure was expensive to produce and the travel industry has embraced e-commerce as a way of making the booking process far more cost effective.
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