SINGAPORE, 19 September 2018: TripAdvisor unveiled a new site and mobile experience, Tuesday, that will set it on a course to compete head-on with social media giant, Facebook, when it officially rolls out later this year.
Currently in a beta version, it takes TripAdvisor into the highly competitive social media environment with a slew of features similar to Facebook, Pintefest and TasteMade.
TripAdvisor describes its latest venture as a “personalised and connected travel community, inspiring and empowering individuals with tools to plan and book better with relevant advice and information from people and experts they trust.”
It will allow users to post and share photos, videos and trips plans with some similarities to Airbnb’s popular Playbook feature.
TripAdvisor says its new venture will also expands its community beyond travellers to also include brands, social media influencers, publishers and friends. Travellers can follow and connect with individuals or content creators who share information that is relevant to their interests.
Complementing more than 661 million reviews and opinions, TripAdvisor members will be able to create and view inspirational and helpful new forms of content including photos, videos and articles.
Members will also have the ability to create “Trips,” which can be in-depth travel guides, itineraries, or simple wish lists of things to do while traveling. Trips can be made private and saved for personal use or shared with the community to inspire and help others.
Powered by a “travel feed,” TripAdvisor members will be able to discover more relevant information faster when planning travel.
When a member logs on the TripAdvisor app or site, their homepage transforms into a personalised feed of information. When searching a particular destination, the feed automatically narrows the scope of the information displayed to that particular geographic location.
A members planning a trip to Paris may see a food critic’s article on the best restaurant in the city, an influencer’s travel guide of “must-do’s,” and a friend’s review of a new hotel near the Eiffel Tower.
“TripAdvisor is poised to disrupt the travel industry once again as we create a more personalised and connected community,” said TripAdvisor CEO & co-founder, Stephen Kaufer. “The new TripAdvisor is the one travel site that brings together social-assistive tools, amazing content and our existing booking capabilities to merge the joy of planning and discovery together into a single experience.”
While in beta, more than 500 social media influencers, well-known consumer brands, publishers and travel partners have joined the new TripAdvisor — with more being added every day. In addition to the many content creators joining the platform, TripAdvisor’s team of destination experts and TripAdvisor Media Group brands, including Smarter Travel, Cruise Critic and TheFork.com, will also contribute to the site experience.
The new TripAdvisor site and mobile experience is set to launch globally to the public later this year across all markets and languages where the company operates.
