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Food for travel reviews

March 26, 2008 | Hospitality Industry

While the focus of travel reviews has historically been on hotels, travel communit IgoUgo saw the number of restaurant reviews jump to nearly one-third of all reviews submitted to the site in January of this year, up from less than 20% in January 2006.

A recent poll from Travelocity also showed that 75% of people consider food an important part of their travel plans. An increasing number of travelers are looking to travel review sites for great tips from real travelers on where to find food that’s worth the trip.

To celebrate this new trend, IgoUgo today launched the IgoUgo Community Table, a page highlighting the community’s great food content and celebrating the search for the perfect vacation meal. The Community Table features Q&As with foodie members and celebrity chefs, links to thousands of member food and restaurant reviews, and roundups of local restaurant secrets.

In addition, IgoUgo editors have planned a celebration of restaurants, local flavors, and everything related to the joys of food and travel throughout the month of March. In addition to highlighting IgoUgo’s member-submitted restaurant reviews, the community’s editors are calling in some experts. Famous foodies and chefs like Andrew Zimmern, Ming Tsai, and the Food Network’s latest stars will be participating in special Q&As throughout the month. Gourmet editors have also contributed some special features.

The main purpose for IgoUgo’s Community Table and March food celebration is to gather traveling “foodies” together, make new friends, and help travelers share and find the best food experiences around the world.

“Food has always been an important part of people’s travel experiences, but we’re now seeing them sharing more and more of their opinions with fellow travelers through reviews,” said Cameron Siewert, content and community manager of IgoUgo. “Online travel communities like IgoUgo are becoming the new place to find out where to eat both across the ocean and across the street.”

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