It's not such a big surprise, but nevertheless, useful proof of how consumers trust each other rather than industry or professional views when it comes to booking holidays online.
Nielsen//NetRatings asked 863 Brits which online source they most trust, 21% said user review sites like TripAdvisor, while 15% plumped for professional review sites, 15% for official tourist board sites, 12% for travel agent sites, and 11% for search engines.
"This research shows that user reviews are not just one of the factors that consumers use to decide between different holidays, but are the most trusted information source of all," says Mike Teasdale of Harvest Digital, which commissioned the research.
He goes on to cite new sites like the Guardian's new travel portal and WAYN as proof that the travel industry is "waking up to the importance of consumer opinions to travel choices". Which is true, but I wonder if a parallel trend will be an upsurge in travel companies trying to game sites like TripAdvisor, either by posting positive reviews of their own products, or rating down rivals.
I'm sure this happens already, of course. Perhaps the onus in future will be on the UGC sites to stress what they're doing to combat this – and thus hold onto the most-trusted status for their users.
The survey also says that UGC sites are most trusted by 25-34 year-olds, with women more likely to see them as trustworthy than men. And also that the most frequent travellers are even more likely to rely on user review sites for guidance.