VirtualTourist, among the initial brand names concentrated on offering on-line guides for visitors, is being axed by its parent firm.
TripAdvisor subsidiary Smarter Travel Media, the home of a variety of top-level web content websites, will certainly switch off the lights to VirtualTourist, the last quarter of 2017.
Members will be formally alerted of the closure in due time.
An authorities at Smarter Travel claims the website has actually seen “decreasing interaction” over the last few years, not the very least with the development of Facebook, leading it to earn the “tough decision”.
The firm will, rather, concentrate its “efforts and resources on the areas of our business that have stronger growth potential”, the authorities includes.
Prior to the current autumn in task, the numbers behind VirtualTourist had actually been fairly excellent.
The website had some 1.3 million participants, much of which had actually added to sharing 3.7 million pictures and also published 1.8 million traveling ideas for over 70,000 areas around the world.
It presently flaunts around 9 million distinct customers a month as well as helps with “lots” of online meet-ups weekly around the world.
Shedding ground to Facebook is an acquainted tale for those that originally had a fairly suitable neighborhood system of tourists that were prepared to send out in their very own referrals and also material, however quickly discovered themselves took over by the common social network that provided not only traveling yet every element of day-to-day life.
The brand name quit tweeting in the summer season of 2016 however was energetic on its Facebook web page till the end of the year.
Like Facebook, VirtualTourist had its origins in the dormitory of a college (Germany’s Karlsruhe) and after that made the relocate to Silicon Valley to expand its allure (as well as support).
TripAdvisor came in July 2008 and purchased both VirtualTourist as well as the travel comparison site OneTime for an unrevealed value – though rumours mention the value of $85 million.
Members of the website will certainly be urged to conserve any one of their individual material presently hung on the website as well as exchange call information with fellow participants prior to the door ultimately closes.
A company official states:
“Much of the rich, destination-based content found on VirtualTourist will be moved to SmarterTravel and we are hopeful that VT members will continue to stay connected via other travel communities, such as the TripAdvisor forums.”
Other brands included in the Smarter Travel Media portfolio include content sites CruiseCritic, AirfareWatchdog and HolidayWatchdog, as well as booking sites Tingo and Jetsetter.
Smarter Travel Media claims that no other web property included in their portfolio is planned to shut down.
