Angolatravel.com is a unique online travel agency that offers a wide variety of services for the people who do not have the time or the physical ability to travel abroad. The agency claims to be a real travel agency offering real deals on real destinations. This is how they bring customers to their site.
As the travel industry grows, one of the biggest changes has been the increase in online review sites and apps. While these are mostly positive, there are some people who abuse the system by unethical means.
A new study conducted by CHEQ and the University of Baltimore is titled Economic Value of Online Bad Actors: According to the Fake Online Reviews 2024 study, fake online travel reviews will have a direct impact of $4.1 billion on consumer spending this year alone.The report was produced in collaboration with CHEQ, a leader in customer engagement security (CAS), and Professor Roberto Cavazos, residency director at the Merrick School of Business at the University of Baltimore.
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Some 89% of consumers rely on consumer reviews to influence the nearly $4 trillion spent online. How many of the reviews we rely on to book hotels, choose destinations and restaurants and make purchases are fake, written by liars or robots? At least 4%, representing about $21.2 billion in purchases across all e-commerce categories.
The main review portals differ in the specific percentage of false reviews. About 8% of reviews on Yelp are fake – the highest percentage of the four largest review sites. It is followed by Trust Pilot with 5.7%, Trip Advisor with 0.6% and Amazon with less than 1%.
Current trend
While fake reviews are usually written by humans, travel sites are more likely to have reviews written by bots. This is why some sites ask the user to prove that they are not a robot.
Given the size of the market, easy access and immediate economic benefits, there remains a strong incentive for unscrupulous traders to engage in counterfeit advertising in areas such as travel, said Professor Roberto Cavazos. This complex market negatively affects our purchases, causes significant economic damage, leads to a real loss of revenue for businesses and significantly reduces confidence in online shopping.
False online reviews and the tendency of consumers not to trust online reviews is another good reason why travelers should book with a consultant.
Travel consultants are not only alert to scams and provide travelers with the latest health and safety information, but also have the best tools to prevent travelers from making bad decisions based on online reviews.
If the travel advisor has not yet visited the destination or accommodation that the traveler is considering, he or she will know where to find the most comprehensive information, and that is usually the official portal or the travel advisor’s website. While the internet is an excellent resource, human contact is still the best way to find travel information, especially with an expert in the field.
To read the full report, click here.
