TripAdvisor app awarded ‘Most Effective Mobile Travel & Tourism Solution’ at Effective Mobile Marketing Awards

TripAdvisor’s app has been crowned Most Effective Mobile Travel & Tourism Solution at the Effective Mobile Marketing Awards. 

Nathan Clapton, TripAdvisor Vice President of Mobile Partnerships said, “We’re thrilled with this accolade.  It’s well-deserved recognition for our mobile product and engineering teams who’ve worked tirelessly to create the best mobile travel app on the market.

“With more and more travellers now making travel decisions on-the-go, it’s a great honour for our app to be named Most Effective Mobile Travel & Tourism Solution.  We are the world’s largest travel website and our app provides mobile users with access to over 50 million reviews and opinions.”

TripAdvisor apps now have over 10 million downloads and are available in over 123 countries and in 20 languages.  The iPad app has reached number one in Apple’s free travel apps in 85 countries.

As well as allowing travellers to search for hotels, restaurants, attractions, and the cheapest airfares, the TripAdvisor mobile app also features the ability to see what’s “near me now” and use TripAdvisor ratings to pick the best of what’s nearby.  The app also means travellers can send in reviews while they’re on the road while their experiences are still fresh.

The Effective Mobile Marketing Awards attracted 154 entries across 17 categories from well-known brands all over the world and TripAdvisor was selected as the winner of its category by a panel of expert judges.

The TripAdvisor app was named ‘Best Travel App’ at the Appy Awards in April 2011 and ‘Best Travel & Tourism Smart Phone App’ at the British Travel Awards this week, where TripAdvisor was also named ‘Best Travel Information/Review Site’. 

Raise your glass to Britain's best nightlife destinations

According to TripAdvisor travellers, Liverpool is the UK’s best party spot.  It outclassed runner-up and North West arch rival, Manchester, in the party stakes to be crowned Britain’s best nightlife destination. London took third place, followed by Glasgow and Brighton in fourth and fifth places respectively.

“Liverpudlians should be thrilled their city has been crowned Britain’s best nightlife destination. The city boasts thriving live music and comedy scenes, along with great clubs, bars and restaurants,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, Emma Shaw.

Lively Liverpool reigns as Britain’s party capital

Already world-famous for its musical heritage thanks to its claim as home of the Beatles, Liverpool has much to offer visitors, whether Fab Four fans or not.

Alma de Cuba, a Latin-themed bar in a converted church should not be missed, while Newz Bar lends itself well to celebrity spotting.  Beatles fans can’t miss Ye Cracke, an old pub thought to be a favourite of John Lennon’s in his student days. The Royal Court Theatre is great for live comedy, while The Shipping Forecast, Cavern Club and Magnet are renowned for live music. 

Visitors coming to sample Liverpool’s nightlife shouldn’t ignore the city’s impressive daytime offerings either. Named the European Capital of Culture in 2008, Liverpool clearly offers something for every traveller - The Beatles Story Experience and Paul’s childhood home, as well as Albert Dock’s stories, Liverpool Cathedral and Walker Art Gallery have all proven popular with visitors. 

The North-South Divide

Laying claim to four of Britain’s best nightlife destinations (Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Blackpool), the north of England is clearly where the party’s at.  The south has only two destinations in the list (London and Brighton), while Scotland also has two (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and Wales (Cardiff) and Northern Ireland (Belfast) each have one. 

Lavish London misses top spots

Despite being world-renowned for its extensive club scene, endless pubs and great bars, and with celebrity haunts such as Mahiki regularly making tabloid headlines, London was beat out by the lively north in the nightlife stakes.  To be named Britain’s third-best nightlife destination is an impressive finish, but lovers of London may have expected it to place higher.

Britain’s best nightlife destinations:

1.    Liverpool

2.    Manchester

3.    London

4.    Glasgow

5.    Brighton

6.    Leeds

7.    Cardiff

8.    Belfast

9.    Blackpool

10. Edinburgh

TripAdvisor’s Best Nightlife Destinations is based on the average ratings TripAdvisor users gave each UK destination in the nightlife category when submitting a review during 2011. Rankings were taken based on reviews submitted between 1 January and 16 September 2011

What did we think of Channel 4’s 'Attack of the Trip Advisors'?

We’ve had a few questions about Monday night’s programme, here’s our thoughts:

The Channel 4 programme is clearly a portrayal of extremes intended for entertainment purposes. Nonetheless, we do appreciate the impacts that reviews can have on properties and for this reason we have numerous mechanisms in place to allow hotels and other businesses to address reviews they feel are false or unfair. 

For instance, we offer a management response tool that allows hoteliers to respond to specific traveller reviews.  This gives business owners the last word.  We strongly encourage business owners to take advantage of this feature; according to a recent Forrester survey commissioned by TripAdvisor, 71% of travellers think seeing a management response to reviews is important.

TripAdvisor’s Management Centre is another facility which provides information about how businesses can better use the site, as well as FAQs regarding review guidelines.

It is important to note that according to a recent PhoCusWright research commissioned by TripAdvisor, 98% of respondents have found TripAdvisor hotel reviews to be accurate of the actual experience and note that the average overall ratings for the featured properties are so good, ranging between 4 and 4.5 out of 5.

TripAdvisor was founded on a core set of principles - to give travellers a voice to share their experiences, promote consumer choice and encourage a level playing field for everyone in the industry – all within a free, open and honest forum. This remains our mission.

TripAdvisor launches free Mobile City Guides for Android

 

TripAdvisor has launched a series of free Mobile City Guides for Android. The new apps, available for 20 popular world cities, provide detailed destination information including traveller reviews on hotels, restaurants and attractions, as well as suggested itineraries and offline-accessible interactive walking tours.

The Mobile City Guide apps are automatically synced with the freshest TripAdvisor content available so users can access the latest traveller reviews and opinions on the go.  They also offer walking tours and insider tips that can be viewed on the app without a data connection, including in-depth information on neighbourhoods, history, culture, architecture, weather and transportation. Access to offline information is particularly useful for travellers abroad, who can download the apps before they go, sparing them from expensive roaming charges.

The Mobile City Guides’ interactive walking tours and suggested itineraries offer detailed city insights from TripAdvisor travellers as well as professional writers, publishers and destination marketing organisations.  For example, in Florence, a traveller can follow the best way to see artisan workshops of the historic Oltrarno Quarter, according to a local TripAdvisor Destination Expert, complete with a map, photos, tips and suggestions.

TripAdvisor Mobile City Guide apps are currently available for the following destinations: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Florence, Hong Kong, Hawaii, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Orlando, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, and Washington D.C.

“We think travellers are going to love the comprehensive information our free Mobile City Guides provide in popular world cities,” said Adam Medros, vice president of global product at TripAdvisor. “A tremendous complement to our popular TripAdvisor site app, these guides offer even more city detail, including itineraries and interactive walking tours.”

More information about the TripAdvisor mobile offerings can be found at www.tripadvisor.co.uk/mobile.

York beats London to be crowned the UK's best food destination

York and Edinburgh European Winners in TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Food and Wine Destinations

TripAdvisor today names the winners of its Travellers’ Choice Food and Wine Destinations awards, as decided by travellers themselves.  In a nod to the UK’s culinary prowess, two British destinations made the European top 10 – York and Edinburgh – placing fifth and tenth respectively, while London was conspicuous in its absence.

Italy dominates withfive of the top 10 spots, including Florence in first place.  Spain boasts two cities in the list, while the time-honoured food and wine capital of the world, France, only has one entry with Paris.  

“These awards recognise Europe’s best food and wine destinations according to millions of TripAdvisor travellers.  With tough competition from destinations renowned for their culinary expertise, the UK should be proud to claim two top 10 spots, with York now well and truly establishing its place on Europe’s gastro tourism map,” commented Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor spokesperson. 

York Flies Foodie Flag for UK

Taking fifth place in Europe, York claims Britain’s top spot in the gastronomy stakes.  Its annual York Food and Drink Festival, celebrating local food and good wine, this year brought in approximately half a million visitors, cementing York as a true foodie destination. 

Gillian Cruddas MBE, Chief Executive of Visit York said, “We are delighted by this news.  York really is a foodie haven with so many quality local producers, award winning restaurants and speciality markets.  We have just enjoyed the city’s most successful festival of food and drink ever, where we had everything on the menu from Yorkshire reared venison with chocolate sauce to mouth-watering Wensleydale cheeses.”

“We are delighted with this accolade which is a tribute to York and Yorkshire’s great food producers and chefs.”

Enticing Edinburgh

Proving that Scotland clearly has more to offer than haggis and deep-fried Mars bars, Edinburgh is officially named one of Europe’s ten best cities for food and wine.  Scotland’s capital is a foodie haven, offering cuisines from all over the world and good restaurants to suit any budget.

TripAdvisor’s 2011 Travellers’ Choice Food and Wine Destinations – European Top Ten:

1.    Florence, Italy

2.    Paris, France

3.    Rome, Italy

4.    Sorrento, Italy

5.    York, UK

6.    Siena, Italy

7.    Bologna, Italy

8.    San Sebastian, Spain

9.    Barcelona, Spain

10. Edinburgh, UK

“Britain can now lay claim to two of Europe’s best food and wine destinations. For years other nationalities have derided Britain’s gastronomic credentials so let’s hope this marks the demise of the outdated bad food reputation. With world-famous chefs, cuisines from all over the planet and restaurants to suit every budget, Britain has earned its stripes as a foodie haven.”

TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice winners are based on the millions of reviews and opinions from travellers around the world.  Winners were determined based on the most highly rated food and wine destinations by travellers in TripAdvisor reviews.

Nearly half of Brits hit by unexpected card charges abroad

Following the submission of a super-complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) regarding credit and debit card charges for overseas transactions, a brand new TripAdvisor® poll reveals that nearly half (48%) of British travellers have experienced unexpected card charges on transactions or withdrawals made abroad.

According to the poll of over 2,000 travellers, these unexpected card charges are a significant issue: 48%* of Brits say they’ve been hit with unexpected charges for their transactions and ATM withdrawals abroad. 

“These poll results show unexpected card charges are indeed a significant issue for British travellers, with many people confused about when, if and how they’ll be charged for their card use abroad,” commented Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor spokesperson. “As credit and debit cards have increased in popularity as the payment of choice on holiday, a whole new set of fees and charges have cropped up and travellers who have returned home to find their bank accounts lighter than expected will surely welcome further clarity from card providers.”

The super-complaint was brought to the OFT by Consumer Focus.  The complaint centres on concerns that consumers are being unfairly charged for buying holiday money in the UK by banks and credit card providers, that charge structures are presented in a confusing way, and that common phrases used in the UK holiday money market are misleading.

*Poll carried out on 2,163 respondents from 23-28 September 2011

Oktoberfest in Munich

Authentic Bavarian experiences when the beer tents are full

Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest is renowned for its beer, hearty food and traditional music, but also for its crowds. Beer tents in the Wiesn – where many of the celebrations take place – are often met with long queues, and even closures, to avoid overcrowding.

If you’ve packed the dirndl and lederhosen, and are beer-bound in Munich, avoid the crowds and closures but not the Bavarian experience - TripAdvisor has rounded up Munich’s best Bavarian bars and restaurants outside the Wiesn. 

These are Munich’s best Bavarian bars and restaurants according to TripAdvisor travellers and the sites’s Popularity Index:

Augustiner Braustuben – as one TripAdvisor traveller said, “Superb spot in Munich - The biergarten was packed with people out enjoying themselves and lots of local people dressed in traditional Bavarian garb”. 

Wirtshaus In Der Au – as one TripAdvisor traveller said, “Great beerhaus to discover Bavarian food”.  

Zum Alten Markt – as one TripAdvisor traveller said, “The restaurant serves good Bavarian food in a charming and atmospheric traditional setting that looked as if it had come from a film set”. 

Spatenhaus – as one TripAdvisor traveller said, “Great Bavarian meal”. 

Weisses Brauhaus – as one TripAdvisor traveller said, “Beer is the thing here. So many different choices it would make your head spin”.

“There restaurants are tried, tested and deemed by TripAdvisor travellers to be Munich’s best Bavarian haunts” commented Emma Shaw, TripAdvisor spokesperson.  If you find yourself stuck in endless queues, head out to one of these restaurants for Bavarian beer and hearty fare.”

For information on bars, restaurants, hotels, things to do and more in Munich, visit http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Search?q=munich&sub-search=SEARCH&geo=&returnTo=http%253A__2F____2F__www__2E__tripadvisor__2E__co__2E__uk__2F__