Prospective UK tourists are increasingly turning to the internet and away from travel agents in order to organize their holidays.
According to new research by research firm Lightspeed International on behalf of website boo.com, only 13 per cent of respondents trusted travel agents ahead of reviews they had read online.
The survey conducted on 2,000 British consumers, also found that 71 per cent of respondents consult online reviews by other travellers before they decide to make a booking.
And 90 per cent were happy with the service the Internet provided, and reported that their online research before going on holiday had been helpful.
About one in six of all travellers will post a review of their travels once they get back, making for an ever increasing database on information of the best places to travel.
But the chance for fake reviews also exists, as unscrupulous hoteliers and other interested parties post rave reviews to increase interest.
Ray Nolan, CEO of boo.com, told the Daily Telegraph that they were hoping to counteract this trend by having reviews of reviews, asking users to rate how useful they had found those that they read.
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