At least one million reviews from tourists provided in 2020 were forged. Such statistics were presented by the Tripadvisor service. According to experts of the service to the Daily Mail, fines were imposed on 34,605 properties for fraudulent activities, 20,299 participants were banned for non-compliance with community standards in 2020, and 372 sites with paid reviews were blocked. The service also presented its criteria for real feedback.
In total, 3.6% of the 26 million submitted reviews turned out to be fake. At the same time, 67.1% of counterfeits were noticed and were not displayed on the website. In addition, 46,145 reviews were removed from the platform that did not comply with the new rules for publishing reports about Covid-19 – including reviews of tourists who are “at war” with the mask regime in hotels and other anti-coronavirus security measures.
In total, more than two million submitted reviews – 8.6% of the total – were rejected or removed from the platform either manually or through the Advanced Review Analysis System. According to the service, there are a number of reasons why reviews are rejected or deleted, “ranging from violations of community standards, such as the use of profanity, to false reviews.”
At the same time, as experts of the service assure, the features of this review are “recent”, “first hand”, “relevant” and “respectful and impartial”. An example of a true recall is given by them as follows. “I enjoyed a fantastic meal here last week. The food is very tasty. The chef clearly emphasizes fresh local ingredients, even for me as a vegan, there were many options to choose from. The waiters were very friendly and hospitable, and although the service was sometimes a bit slow, this was understandable given how busy it was. I really liked the atmosphere and decor (the restaurant was recently renovated). I will definitely be back!”
Over the years, consumer feedback has become an important resource for millions of people who help them make informed decisions. On the other hand, false reviews harm businesses and mislead consumers. We urge all platforms to behave transparently and diligently. That’s why we appreciate the latest Tripadvisor report, which shows the work done behind the scenes to protect travelers from misrepresentations,” said Marie Audren, CEO of HOTREC (Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Cafes in Europe).