Comparing Google reviews and TripAdvisor to help researchers select the more appropriate information source
Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality
ISSN: 2752-6666
Article publication date: 28 October 2024
Issue publication date: 20 November 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to identify not only the potential but also the limitations of Google reviews compared to TripAdvisor that may help researchers select the more appropriate information source.
Design/methodology/approach
The 10 most visited museums and theme parks in Europe were selected for this study. A total of 23,756 theme park reviews and 22,750 museum reviews were extracted from Google and TripAdvisor in November 2022 using the Octoparse tool. In a second round of data collection, reviews on Easter week 2023 were collected for the same destinations.
Findings
TripAdvisor offers a more comprehensive and accessible source of information compared to Google. However, the findings clearly indicate that Google has greater potential to accumulate reviews. The data also confirms that destinations tend to have higher ratings on Google than on TripAdvisor.
Practical implications
The research identifies a critical limitation in Google’s review system – a cap of 1,140 viewable and downloadable reviews per destination – posing a significant hindrance to researchers.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study providing a reasoned explanation for the limited scientific literature in tourism that uses Google reviews as a database. It offers a balanced comparison between TripAdvisor and Google that allows researchers to make a more reasoned decision regarding which information source to use depending on the study focus, the method and the data to be collected.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Grant PID2022-138564OA-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF/EU”.
Citation
Mellinas, J.P. and Sicilia, M. (2024), "Comparing Google reviews and TripAdvisor to help researchers select the more appropriate information source", Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, Vol. 19 No. 4, pp. 646-655. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-01-2024-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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