Brits place travel trust in 'virtual' strangers

Over three quarters of UK consumers now research and book holidays on the internet

New research from recently relaunched travel site Boo.com claims that that Brits prefer to place their trust in complete strangers when it comes to researching and booking their holidays.

The Travel Trust Index Report of 4,500 people from the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada was conducted by Lightspeed International.

Peer reviews are becoming increasingly influential, the survey found, with one in six posting a review after a holiday and 71 per cent letting their fellow travellers be their guide.

Donna Dawson, a psychologist specialising in personality and behaviour, said: "We no longer need to meet face-to-face in order for trust to develop; we can follow the reports of one or more fellow travellers over time to see whether their priorities are the same as ours.

"The conclusion we then reach is that we would rather put our trust in someone who appears similar to ourselves, than a travel agent who may have a hidden agenda."

UK residents have spent around £7bn on online travel in the past 12 years, making travel the largest category of online consumer spending.

Over three quarters of UK consumers now research and book holidays on the internet, and it seems that trust in travel agents has ebbed.

Some 90 per cent of survey respondents said that their pre-holiday online research turned out to be accurate, and only 13 per cent put more trust in travel agents and brochures than online reviews.

"Peer reviews have rapidly changed the travel booking process," said Ray Nolan, chief executive at Boo.com.

"Our trust rating index enables reviewers to earn the trust of the rest of the community based on the number of reviews they submit and how useful these were considered. This takes some of the risk and anonymity out of the whole decision making process."

Going on holiday is something Brits cherish; almost half of us admit to saving for 50 weeks of the year for two weeks in the sun, and a further one fifth save for at least six months.

Boo.com was one the highest-profile dotcom disasters. The site began life as a fashion retailer and was resurrected in May this year as an online travel site.