Perhaps it is fitting that Italy, which gave the world navigators such as Christopher Columbus, Giovanni da Verrazzano, and Amerigo Vespucci, is now the most active non-English-speaking nation on the international tourist forum TripAdvisor.
Its third-place global standing may be due to the efforts of TripAdvisor’s most prolific contributor, Rita Gavagnin, who has to date published nearly 8,000 reviews this year.
‘I am truly excited to be the most active contributor to TripAdvisor in 2014 internationally,’ said Gavagnin, 50, who lives in Trieste. ‘I love travelling, taking photos and good food, so it’s a pleasure to be able to help other travellers, sharing my experiences and enthusiasm with them.’
Italian hotelier trade union, Federalberghi, does not share Gavagnin’s enthusiasm for TripAdvisor, however. At the recent 13th European forum held in Naples, Federalberghi levelled a scathing attack at TripAdvisor, along with Booking and Expedia, blaming failure in their booking and reviewing systems, which ‘have long since attracted the attention of antitrust authorities in numerous European countries, including Italy.’
Rome, Milan and Florence all placed in the top 10 most reviewed cities globally.
