Fake online travel reviews will directly influence $4.1 billion in consumer spending, a new study from the University of Baltimore and CHEQ shows. Consumers rely heavily on reviews when making decisions, making the influencer industry worth about $4 trillion.

Many reviews are written by humans, but at least four percent are written by liars and bots. Such reviews are common on travel sites.

“Given the size of the market, the ease of entry and the immediate economic benefits, bad actors remain highly incentivized to engage in fake reviews in sectors such as travel,” said University of Baltimore professor Roberto Cavazos.

This dilemma caused many travel sites to include software requiring users to prove that they are not a bot.

A Destination Analysts webinar reports June American travel sentiment through weekly tracking surveys of adult travelers. The report is intended to reveal insights into trends for tourism companies and organizations.

Here are some takeaways:

• Traveler sentiment improved this week with nearly 75 percent of people saying they are ready for traveling.
• Adult traveler vaccinations have slowed, with 69.4 percent saying they have received the vaccine.
• More travelers are anticipating leisure trips and over 63 percent expect to take at least one in the next three months.
• Travelers are improving their work-life balance in the post-pandemic period.

Tourists may begin long-awaited travel to European countries as the European Union encourages its member countries to gradually lift travel bans on U.S. tourists, NPR reports. National governments have authority to require test results or vaccination results upon entry requests.

While the EU does not hold border or tourism policies, they are moving forward in efforts to develop and approve a digital travel certificate for travelers who have been vaccinated, tested, or recently recovered from COVID-19. Along with EU citizens, qualified Americans can also request the certificate.

A comprehensive marketing strategy is key to finding donors and foundations you need to get your project off the ground. A strategy shows funders that you have a plan to attract people to your destination, adding an important layer of legitimacy to the hard work you’re doing.

In this webinar, Bull Moose Marketing’s VP of Business Development Joshua Sherretts talks with Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation’s Director of Development & Membership Will Prince about using a marketing strategy to prove your destination’s sustainability and credibility and how to incorporate it into your fund-finding endeavors.

Some topics the webinar will cover include:

• Heritage tourism marketing strategy and how it’s connected to funding goals
• Determining your funding goals and plans to reach them
• Identifying small wins and assets to include in your marketing plan
• What donors and grant institutions are looking for
• How to merge off- and online efforts to show capacity and innovation