Trip Advisor

MRJ

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Premium Member
I'm wondering if Zoochatters use TripAdvisor.

Do you use it to decide which zoos to visit?

Do reviews and ratings match your experience?

Do you write reviews after a visit to a new zoo?
 
I'm wondering if Zoochatters use TripAdvisor.

Do you use it to decide which zoos to visit?

Do reviews and ratings match your experience?

Do you write reviews after a visit to a new zoo?

1. Yes, I am a ... I forgot what it's called, but basically I have reviewed so many restaurants, tours, zoos etc that I have the highest 'rank' of a reviewer.

2. Australia and the few capitals that I visit, do not have that many zoos to begin with. So no, I don't use Tripadvisor or online reviews to decide which zoos to visit - I just google what zoos are in the area and visit anyway.

3. I ALWAYS book hotels as per Tripadvisor rankings, and with the exception of the Holiday Inn in Darwin (which I mixed up because there were two next to each other) the website has never let me down in booking the last 50 or 60 hotel rooms.

4. I always write zoo reviews on Tripadvisor, and when the zoo was not on the website, I requested that it be listed, which they always did. Addressing your third question, I would say that zoo reviews seem to be 'touristy'. "Saw some cool animals, fed a kangaroo, kids loved it, had a great day".

I should point out that many many people use the website for "things to do" on a weekend or holiday etc. What this means, of course, is that it is in your interest for your zoo to be highly ranked for things to do in Victoria, Melbourne, and the Mornington Peninsula. People doing a day trip could put it on their itinerary. I know that some zoos in Australia actively monitor the feedback there and respond to posts, which is a great touch; a couple zoos advertise their Tripadvisor ranking on their zoo websites. Indeed, I believe it was (so don't quote me!) Gorge Wildlife Park that had a sign in the gift shop asking visitors to leave a review on Tripadvisor. Long and short, I think that managing and promoting your Tripadvisor page is a good idea.
 
1. While I have never reviewed anything on Tripadvisor, and don't think I have ever used it, I can certainly see its use, and imagine I may use it for accommodation options in the future. I wouldn't use it for attractions (well certainly not zoos).

2. I wouldn't necessarily expect the reviews to match my perceptions.

3. I write my zoo reviews on ZooChat, as I think this is a much more useful place for them, and this is the place I use to get ideas about which zoos to visit.

Tripadvisor is becoming a more regular feature of zoo brochures, and very regular on zoo websites. While I don't use it, I imagine a very large (and growing) proportion of people do, and utilising it will only become more important for zoos (as nanoboy said).
 
I don't write reviews or let the reviews persuade me on a zoo to visit(I'm tired of the people who take pictures of animals in some of the few out-dated facilities and say 'this place should be closed down' or something of the sort), but I do look at pictures and reviews of a zoo I'm going to
 
I use tripadviser mainly for hotel reviews. I wrote a review and uploaded pics of Tokelau but for some reason it all disappeared.

:p

Hix
 
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