Most travel brands nowadays track how social media marketing impacts their bottomline. And while brands are investing millions of dollars in creating content for social channels that would inspire travelers, the value of user generated content, or UGC is still largely underestimated.

If you analyze the current trends in the industry, it is apparent that travelers today trust information shared by fellow travelers more than the content put out by advertisers. It is therefore important for anyone interested in social media and its implications to understand how user generated content helps convert leads into customers.

There’s large panoply of travelers depending on the web 2.0 applications which has generated numerous online user reviews. Even though these have helped raise the sale and revenue of travel services in some markets, the influence of UGC in the tourism industry is still largely unknown both to tourism practitioners and researchers. The rapid growth of the online user-generated review has allowed a two-way information communication in travel and tourism industry.

Intent and attitude are considered as central mediators of behavior when it comes to understanding traveler’s minds. The prevalence of smartphones and tablets has now made it a bit easier for both brand marketers and consumers to use UGC for creating building brand loyalty and engaging with each other.