The world’s largest travel platform, TripAdvisor, has announced a new social user experience on its website. According to experts, the live version will be available later this year.
Currently available in beta, TripAdvisor aims to be the most personalized and connected travel community with a new look and functionality. With the changes announced last week, TripAdvisor will expand its community beyond travelers. The goal is to include brands, social media influencers, media and friends in the future. Travelers could then follow those individuals or creators of content who share exactly the information that is relevant to their interest.
Complementing the more than 661 million reviews and opinions, the members of the travel platform will be able to see and create new forms of inspirational, helpful content, including photos, videos and articles, all in one media release.
Members can also create “travel”, including detailed travel guides, itineraries, or simply wish lists of activities they would like during their trips. These trips can be created privately and saved for personal use or shared with the community to inspire and help others.
With the “Travel Feed”, TripAdvisor members should be able to find and discover more relevant information faster during travel planning. Throughout the travel planning process, members could be advised and inspired by their friends, family and trusted experts.
As soon as a member signs into the TripAdvisor app or website, the homepage will be transformed into a personal information feed. When searching for a specific destination, the feed automatically limits the amount of information displayed for that particular location. For example, members planning a trip to Paris might see an article about the city’s best restaurant. Or an influencer’s travel tip or a friend’s rating about a hotel near the Eiffel Tower, for example.
“TripAdvisor is ready to rejuvenate the travel industry in a sustainable way. We are creating a personalized and connected community,” said Stephen Kaufer, CEO and co-founder of the company.
“The new TripAdvisor is the one travel website that brings together social-based tools, great content and our existing booking features. Thus, the joy of planning and discovering is united together in a single experience. We support our members every step of the journey, as TripAdvisor becomes more personal, inspiring and useful.”
More than 500 social media influencers, popular consumer brands, media and travel partners are already connected to the beta version and are active, according to TripAdvisor. In addition, the TripAdvisor team of TripAdvisor Media Group destination experts and brands – such as Smarter Travel, Cruise Critic and TheFork – will contribute to the new website experience with their respective profiles.
These partners have already started to create hundreds of travel postings. This increases the number of followers. They also give valuable feedback to improve the user experience, according to the travel platform.
Members can follow brands they are interested in, such as National Geographic. “National Geographic aims to reach our customers wherever they access content. We want to be available on all platforms. We want the consumers to interact with our brand and content anytime, anywhere,” said the company’s vice-president.