Customer reviews from TripAdvisor are to be added to firstchoice.co.uk in 2008.
Thomson.co.uk, which is also owned by TUI Travel, already features the reviews and the operator is using them to discuss “quality issues” with hoteliers.
The reviews have also led to the introduction of a premium product range based on traveller feedback rather than star ratings.
Thomson.co.uk new media director Graham Donoghue said: “Customer choice and technology is blowing away traditional ways of communicating to travellers.”
This winter thomson.co.uk will be adding a live weather service, allowing holidaymakers to check temperatures and view a five–day forecast before travelling.
In the long term, Donoghue predicted holiday bookers would be able to transfer brochure pages to their mobile phones and preview holidays in Star Trek–style ‘holodecks‘with simulated sounds and smells.
People at home will soon be able to track the location of their friends and family abroad on a dedicated website, he predicted.
“It‘s about using technology to inspire you about a destination.” he said. “A lot of people no longer go on holiday to lie on the beach, they go because of the destination.”