The annual MMGY Global/Harrison Group 2013 Portrait of American Travelers is a good source of insights into the habits of American travelers, and one of the data points that caught our eye: the top online travel communities used by American travelers. These include blogs, travel forums, or online services in general.
Among leisure travelers who used the internet to obtain travel information and/or prices for one or more leisure trips during the past 12 months, four in ten (38%) visited an online community, travel forum or blog to seek and/or review information about a destination or travel service supplier, according to this survey.
Some interesting and rather random names in this list, and beyond the top 10, frankly, it is tough to draw any large conclusions from. (Trazzler & Trippy? Don’t even exist anymore.)
To be expected: TripAdvisor was the most frequently visited advisory site, mentioned by nearly seven in ten leisure travelers (67%) who have visited online communities, travel forums, or blogs. Facebook followed distantly, mentioned by three in ten leisure travelers (32%).
Methodology: in-depth online interviews with 2,511 U.S. adults who took at least one overnight leisure trip of 75 miles or more from home during the previous year.
| Online Community, Travel Forums or Blogs Visited on a Regular Basis (Last 12 months) | 2011 % | 2012 % | 2013 % |
|---|---|---|---|
| TripAdvisor.com | 61 | 67 | 67 * |
| Facebook.com | 31 | 34 | 32 |
| YouTube.com | 18 | 22 | 19 ^ |
| Frommer’s | NA | NA | 14 |
| Google+ | NA | NA | 13 |
| Fodor’s | NA | NA | 13 |
| LonelyPlanet.com | 13 | 16 | 12 ^ |
| NA | NA | 9 | |
| NA | NA | 9 | |
| NA | NA | 6 | |
| Tumblr | NA | NA | 4 *^ |
| Travelblog.org | 7 | 9 | 4 *^ |
| VirtualTourist.com | 6 | 9 | 3 *^ |
| Nat Geo Intelligent Travel | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| Johnny Jet | NA | NA | 2 |
| Oyster | NA | NA | 2 |
| Trippy | NA | NA | 2 |
| BootsnAll | NA | NA | 2 |
| Gadling | NA | NA | 2 |
| Trazzler | NA | NA | 1 |
| Jaunted | NA | NA | 1 |
| Other | 12 | 20 | 15 * |
* Denotes statistically significant difference from 2011.
^ Denotes statistically significant difference from 2012.
NA Not asked in the survey.
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