It seems that every other website now has recommendations to stay here, travel there, eat here or whatever. And travel recommendations have been important as destinations, hotels, airlines, cruise companies all compete for your money.

Do you believe them?

We know that some have been written by owners or rivals themselves. We know that people who have a problem are more likely to be found in some websites than others. We know that you shouldn’t take much notice of just a few comments; thousands sifted by you are more likely to be representative of what people think. But are they?

Don’t these websites just reveal the thoughts of people who have internet access? What of all the others? What of the people who happily or unhappily stay, fly, visit and never make their views known?

I thought again about this subject when I saw that Visit Wiltshire has added a “Visitor Review” section to their website. There are 62 reviews on the site at the moment, pretty much all complimentary and dating back about six months. Which begs the question of how long a review should stay up? Things may have deteriorated or improved over time so the recommendation given could well be out of date. It could have new management which have affected the way it is run. It could have the builders in if it is a hotel or an attraction. How do you understand the context in which the review was written?

I still think that these reviews may contribute to expectations that cannot be delivered. Everyone is different and everyone views things in a slightly different way.
So are you influenced? Let us know and add your thoughts.