White-label UGC platform wows show visitors

A white-labeled user-generated content platform developed by online video specialist Digital Visitor attracted huge interest at the Travel Distribution Summit in London.

Available for less than GBP1,000 a year, Visitor Review offers hotels, destinations and other leisure businesses their own branded application to publish user-generated content on their site and attract more online visitors.

"It's very much a business-focused solution," said Digital Visitor Founder Anthony Rawlins, who delivered a seminar on video marketing and user-generated content at the show, organised by Eye for Travel.

"There are other products in the market but many people in the leisure industry are wary of directing people to them because they can redirect revenue from themselves.

"Businesses also need to give themselves more protection against unfair, inappropriate or malicious content that cannot be removed from external sites".

Rawlins added: "Visitor Review offers that protection: it doesn't remove the requirement for hotels and destinations to reflect the visitor experience - establishing credibility and trust with customers is as important as ever - but it's a better balance.

"Furthermore, we allow businesses to harness the power of user-generated content on their own branded sites, building their own online communities".

Hosted by Digital Visitor, Visitor Review sits on the provider's own website, the screen customised to reflect brand colours and logos.

It captures text, pictures and video of online visitors' experiences.

"One of the problems with other solutions is that it's far too easy for the potential customer to be distracted from the task at hand," said Rawlins.

"And while our solution uses a familiar layout, potential customers are not given other options to be directed away from your website".

Although the Travel Distribution Summit represented a 'soft launch', Visitor Review excited interest from the US and Africa as well as attractions in the UK.

The Bristol-based company has already won contracts with a number of high-profile UK companies including Brunel's SS Great Britain, which was the first visitor attraction to embrace the technology, Chester and Cheshire Tourist Board and City Sightseeing.

The product has also generated interest in other industries and negotiations are well under way with a major international automobile association and education provider.

Affordability was clearly an important selling point.

The costs of set-up, a year's site hosting and management together with licensing and automatic upgrades run to under GBP1,000 for a basic application.

Rawlins added: "Of course, Visitor Review provides revenue generating opportunities for our clients too, by offering banner advertising space controlled by the business - directing to whichever addresses they wish such as an online shop, other attractions or local events".

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