Travel Website Owners ('TWO' for short) is a group of travel writers who publish up-to-date travel information on destinations throughout the world on the web. The group has banded together to agree on a common set of principles for travel web sites that will ensure consumer confidence in the information presented, and to raise the awareness of internet sites within the travel sector.
To qualify for membership in TWO, a website must be owned and operated independently by one or a few people, and must concentrate on travel. The primary focus of the site must be on providing useful, up-to-date, information to help visitors to the site plan their travel, or otherwise assist them in visiting or staying in a foreign locale. Sites may be focused on any destination, whether it be as all-encompassing as 'Europe' or as specific as 'Paris'; or, sites may be focused on special interests, such as train travel, over-60, single parent, etc.
The point is that TWO sites give personal guidance, something more than the database mentality of the big travel sites. Our sites reflect our personalities, and provide more than just facts.
Sites that do not qualify include corporate travel sites -- sites that 'exist to sell' rather than 'sell to exist', personal travelogues and single-point destinations (hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc.)
Why did we feel the need to organize? Consider the following:
When travelers were asked what media they used in the past year to plan their vacations, 40 percent said they used an Internet web site for travel planning, making the Internet the most used source for travel news and information. .... The survey found that of all the types of travel media available, Internet web sites were considered to be the most useful.
In the world of public relations, the World Wide Web is like Rodney Dangerfield: Its motto could be "I don't get no respect." Too many PR counselors underestimate the Web's value as a publicity medium for their clients. To find our more, read about the PR Power of the Web by veteran web travel writer and TWO charter member Durant Imboden.