Travel businesses are overwhelmingly concerned about their online reputations, as well as how well they’re equipped to meet a mobile audience, a new study from TripAdvisor shows.
The 2018 Hospitality Sector Report, conducted in partnership with Ipsos MORI, surveyed more than 2,000 TripAdvisor-registered restaurant, accommodations and tours and activities business owners and found that 97% of respondents in the United States say online reputation management is important to their business.
Some 98% say online reviews are important, and 92% cite their social media presence as vital in engaging with current or potential customers.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
Of U.S. hoteliers, restauranteurs and experience operators, 87% say having a mobile-enabled website and app is necessary, and 71% say accepting online bookings is important.
In order to direct consumers to mobile channels, 89% of hospitality business owners say they need to keep up with online marketing trends, and 80% express the need to work with an online marketing service that fits their objectives.
Other findings in the report: The top three areas of focus for hospitality businesses this year are customer service and retention (27%), staffing (25%) and marketing efforts (20%).
The main three forces expected to have a positive impact on the travel industry include hiring the best staff (43%), global economic conditions (30%) and overtourism (29%).