User generated content isn't just negative reviews, edgy opinions and often poorly put together multimedia - contrary to the still reasonably popular belief of many travel companies.
But while text reviews of products and destinations are now pretty much a given, with relevant protocols and checks in place, open and unedited video reviews on travel sites are far less popular.
This is an interesting challenge for travel brands and tourist boards: firstly, they often want to be seen to embrace the openness of the web and user-led technology, but control is arguably more important because video has a greater impact than words.
One interesting idea is the concept of citizen journalists producing video content which is then tightened up and edited into shape.
William Bakker, director of eBusiness at Tourism British Columbia, spearheaded a programme similar to this in the summer of 2008, using what it called a series of field reporters to take footage of different areas in BC.
The footage was edited and branded, and then hosted on individual BCReporter channel pages on YouTube. Tourism British Columbia's branding is almost minimal, but that's probably the point - visitors would know instantaneously that BC is THE place to go.
This example has attracted around 23,000 views.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vOaqC_hzd0
NB: Bakker explains here how the project performed over the 12 months.