We all know good reviews are important, but what deeper insights can reviews give us about our tour businesses, and our industry?
To answer that, Anna Cashman, Head of B2B Brand & Insights for GetYourGuide, led an effort to analyze 3.1 million reviews with comments. Her team parsed the data to understand trends and takeaways for tour operators. She joins Peter, Chris and Mitch on the podcast to talk through what this all means for tour operators.
We were surprised by some of the report’s insights: What countries leave the most reviews? Who are the most critical reviewers? How many reviews ensures a successful product? Why are attractions so popular but so poorly reviewed? What kinds of tours get the best reviews?
- Download the Review Report
- GetYourGuide’s Spring 2025 Unlocked Release for Suppliers
- Join GetYourGuide as a supplier
- Anna Cashman on LinkedIn
1. Introduction & Guest Overview
[00:00:10 – 00:00:38]
- Mitch introduces hosts and Anna Cashman from GetYourGuide
- Anna gives brief hello and opening thoughts on the growing importance of reviews
2. Report Methodology
[00:00:45 – 00:02:59]
- Aggregated 3.1 million reviews with comments
- Focus on recency (2024 data only)
- Platform and product performance data layered in
- Validation with third-party and UX qualitative research
- Reason for focusing on comments, not just star ratings
3. Surprising Findings from the Data
[00:03:05 – 00:06:28]
- How critical reviews are for experiences (even compared to electronics)
- One-chance nature of booking experiences increases reliance on reviews
- 91% trust reviews as much as personal recommendations
- Influence of platform trust/differences between verified vs. non-verified reviews
4. Effective Tactics for Collecting Reviews
[00:06:28 – 00:09:19]
- Email requests drive more reviews than in-person asks, but both have value
- Context matters: Match strategy to experience type (e.g., adventure vs. attraction)
- Combine on-the-spot requests and email follow-ups
5. Impact of Review Volume on Conversion
[00:09:19 – 00:11:22]
- Getting 10 reviews increases conversions 4x vs. having zero reviews
- Diminishing impact as review volume increases (bell curve effect)
- Reviews boost visibility and trust across online marketplaces and algorithms
6. Leveraging Reviews for Pricing Strategy
[00:11:38 – 00:16:16]
- Many operators miss out by not adjusting prices based on review strength
- Exceptional reviews warrant higher pricing/value-based pricing
- Importance of recent, descriptive reviews and clearly communicating value/USP
- Issues with “value for money” feedback and the need to highlight unique/peak moments
7. Peak Moments & Emotional Resonance in Experiences
[00:16:29 – 00:21:12]
- Guests don’t rave about basics; standout, emotional moments matter most
- Most positive, descriptive reviews appear for guided/personalized experiences
- People review based on connection, stories, and memorable details—not logistics
8. Analysis of Review Sentiment by Activity Type
[00:21:12 – 00:25:57]
- Workshops, walking tours, adventure, and multi-day trips have highest net positive
- Hop-on hop-off buses and ticketed attractions get more negative sentiment
- Details on logistics complaints, lack of peak moments, and crowd management
9. Industry Perceptions: Expectations and Product Positioning
[00:25:57 – 00:31:33]
- Commodity products like hop-on hop-off compared to McDonald’s analogy
- Managing expectations: Some products are “just the job”
- Can still add moments of delight; live guides and personalization as possible game-changers
- Anna shares “hot take” on the genre based on her experience
10. What Makes a Great Guide (According to Reviews)
[00:31:33 – 00:32:58]
- Standout traits: Knowledge, personality, inclusion, pacing
- Pitfalls: Scripted delivery, superficial info, poor communication or audibility
11. Review Patterns by Nationality & Culture
[00:33:11 – 00:37:06]
- Germans most likely to leave detailed reviews, Americans least
- DMOs (Destinations) could benefit from competitive benchmarking
- Canadians have the highest % of five-star reviews, Spaniards and French the highest % of negative
- Type of complaints can vary by nationality (timeliness, language)
12. Strategies for Guiding Diverse Groups
[00:37:55 – 00:43:39]
- Adapting tours based on group’s background and experience
- Importance of flexibility: Trainer/facilitator skillset vs. scripted info
- Real-world example: Missed opportunities when not leveraging group’s knowledge/talents
13. Value of Negative Reviews
[00:43:52 – 00:47:15]
- Negative reviews as authenticating and expectation-management tools
- Not all negative reviews are equally damaging
- Growing skepticism towards only-perfect reviews; importance of realism
14. Leveraging AI to Analyze Reviews
[00:47:29 – 00:51:13]
- Operators should routinely scrape and analyze their own and competitor reviews (AI suggested)
- Learn from other sectors/domains and apply best practices
- GetYourGuide’s own review-synthesis tools
- Make review analysis a repeatable exercise and strategy-setting process
15. Closing Thoughts & Review Strategy Essentials
[00:51:13 – end]
- Reviews are essential to business performance in travel/experience sector
- Operators need to know their own review rates and set actionable improvement goals
- Final call to action and episode wrap-up