The EU’s New Online Rating Code: A Verifiable Future for Travel Reviews

In an era where online reviews heavily influence consumer decisions, the integrity of feedback on travel platforms has become paramount. As of September 2025, a significant stride has been taken to bolster trust and transparency within the European tourism sector with the endorsement of the Code of Conduct for Online Ratings and Reviews for Tourism Accommodation. This initiative, spearheaded by the European Commission and co-created with industry stakeholders, including major players like Tripadvisor, Expedia Group, and Booking.com, aims to combat the pervasive issue of fake reviews and ensure that travelers can rely on authentic guest experiences when making booking decisions.

The Pervasive Challenge of Fake Reviews in the Travel Industry

The travel industry, perhaps more than many others, relies on user-generated content to build consumer confidence. Online reviews serve as a critical touchpoint, influencing a substantial portion of booking decisions. Studies have indicated that online reviews impact approximately 82% of accommodation bookings and 70% of restaurant decisions. However, this reliance has been increasingly exploited by fraudulent practices, leading to a significant erosion of trust.

Historical Context and Escalating Fraudulent Activities

The problem of fake reviews is not new, but its sophistication and volume have escalated over the years. The period between 2020 and 2025 has seen a notable surge in deceptive tactics:

Review Boosting: This common practice involves businesses or their affiliates posting artificial positive reviews to artificially inflate ratings and rankings. In 2024, Tripadvisor identified this as the source of 54% of the fake reviews it removed. Businesses often incentivize customers or employees to write these reviews.
Member Fraud: This refers to reviews posted by independent users that violate platform guidelines, often deviating from genuine experiences.
Paid and Sponsored Reviews: A direct form of deception where payment is exchanged for positive feedback, undermining the impartiality of the review system. These are explicitly prohibited under the new EU Code.
AI-Generated Reviews: The advent and widespread accessibility of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as those powering large language models, have introduced a new and formidable challenge. These AI systems can generate human-like text, creating reviews that are increasingly difficult to distinguish from genuine ones. In 2024 alone, Tripadvisor flagged and removed 214,000 AI-generated reviews, a figure that underscores the growing threat posed by automated content farms. Other platforms have also reported similar trends, with AI-generated reviews accounting for significant percentages on sites like Amazon and G2 in 2023.
Vandalism Reviews: These are reviews created with the intent to harm a business’s reputation, often through baseless negative feedback.

Impact on Consumers and Businesses

The proliferation of fake reviews has profound consequences:

Erosion of Consumer Trust: When travelers cannot distinguish genuine feedback from fabricated content, their confidence in review platforms wanes. This skepticism can lead to indecisiveness and frustration during the booking process.
Distorted Competition: Businesses that engage in fraudulent practices gain an unfair advantage over those that maintain ethical standards, distorting the market and penalizing honest operators.
Financial and Reputational Damage: Consumers who make booking decisions based on misleading reviews can have disappointing travel experiences, leading to reputational harm for businesses and potential revenue losses. For businesses, especially smaller establishments, a surge of negative fake reviews can be devastating.

The European Union’s Response: The Code of Conduct for Online Ratings and Reviews

Recognizing the critical need to restore confidence in online reviews, the European Commission, in collaboration with a broad spectrum of tourism stakeholders, has developed and endorsed the “Code of Conduct for Online Ratings and Reviews for Tourism Accommodation.” Unveiled in early September 2025, this initiative represents a coordinated effort to foster greater transparency and reliability.

Development and Stakeholder Involvement

The Code of Conduct is the product of extensive collaborative discussions, involving:

Online platforms that host reviews
Associations of these platforms
Accommodation providers and their representative associations
Consumer organizations
Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs)

This inclusive process, facilitated by regulatory authorities and the European Commission, ensured that the Code addresses the challenges faced by all parties involved while establishing shared principles and commitments. The Code of Conduct signifies a collective responsibility to ensure that online ratings and reviews remain an accurate and trustworthy source of information.

Key Principles and Provisions

The core objective of the EU Code is to ensure that online reviews genuinely reflect the experiences of actual guests. Key aspects and commitments include:

Authenticity Verification: Platforms are encouraged to implement robust practices to confirm that reviews originate from guests who have actually experienced the accommodation or service. This may involve requiring confirmation of a booking or stay before a review can be posted.
Transparency in Display: Websites and platforms must clearly communicate how reviews are collected, processed, and displayed to users, demystifying the review system.
Rapid Removal of Fake Content: Procedures are to be enhanced for promptly flagging and removing fake or suspicious content to minimize its exposure to consumers.
Prohibition of Fake Review Brokers: Signatories commit to refraining from generating fake reviews or engaging third parties for such activities, including those targeting competitors. Accommodation providers also commit to informing their members about the illegal nature of such practices under EU consumer law.
Time Limitations and Expiry: While not universally applied, some approaches discussed in relation to review systems suggest that reviews may have limited validity periods or expire after a certain timeframe to ensure recency.
Combating Paid and Sponsored Reviews: The Code explicitly prohibits paid or sponsored reviews, ensuring that feedback is not influenced by commercial arrangements.

Scope and Relationship with Existing Legislation

The EU Code of Conduct operates as a voluntary framework, open to participation from hotels, short-term rental operators, digital platforms, trade associations, and other relevant stakeholders. It is designed to complement, rather than supersede, existing EU legislation. Notably, it does not fall under the broader transparency obligations outlined in Article 45 of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). This voluntary approach stands in contrast to some more stringent legislative measures being considered or proposed by individual member states, such as Italy, which has explored mandating proof of identity and visit evidence for reviewers.

Industry Collaboration and Major Endorsements

The endorsement of the EU Code by leading travel companies and industry bodies underscores the industry’s commitment to tackling review fraud collaboratively. This collective action is seen as essential for rebuilding and maintaining consumer trust.

Major Endorsing Companies and Their Roles

Several prominent industry players have officially endorsed the Code of Conduct:

Tripadvisor: A long-standing advocate for review integrity, Tripadvisor has consistently invested in combating fake reviews, removing millions annually. In 2024, the company removed over 2.7 million fraudulent reviews, up from 2 million in 2023 and 1.2 million in 2022. It also actively removes AI-generated content. Tripadvisor emphasizes its multi-faceted approach involving automated checks, human oversight, and community input, ensuring that a high percentage of reviews are authentic.
Expedia Group: Expedia Group utilizes advanced technology not only to detect fake reviews but also to validate their integrity and transparency. Its participation in the Code and related initiatives highlights a commitment to providing travelers with reliable information, recognizing that authentic reviews are crucial for booking decisions.
Booking.com: Booking.com has voiced its pride in endorsing the Code, emphasizing that authentic guest reviews build trust and empower consumers. Many of the principles enshrined in the Code align with Booking.com’s existing practices, reflecting a shared understanding of the importance of transparency in the travel ecosystem.
Eu Travel Tech: Representing EU travel technology companies, Eu Travel Tech has been instrumental in fostering collaboration. Its secretary general, Emmanuel Mounier, stated that the Code promotes trustworthiness and benefits all stakeholders through collaborative development.
HOTREC (Confederation of National Hotel and Restaurant Associations): HOTREC, representing the hospitality sector across Europe, has endorsed the Code, viewing it as a critical step towards a fairer and more reliable tourism industry. The organization notes that fake reviews distort competition and directly impact business revenues.

The Coalition for Trusted Reviews

Beyond the EU Code, many of these companies, alongside other major online platforms like Amazon, Glassdoor, and Trustpilot, are part of the “Coalition for Trusted Reviews.” This global initiative, active since at least October 2023, aims to establish industry-wide standards and foster cooperation to combat fake reviews. By sharing information on fraudulent actors and methodologies, the coalition seeks to make it more challenging for bad actors to operate online, irrespective of geographical jurisdictions.

Mechanisms for Ensuring Review Authenticity

The credibility of online reviews hinges on the effectiveness of verification mechanisms. Platforms are employing a combination of technological and human-centric approaches:

Verified Stays: Major platforms like Expedia and Booking.com implement systems where only guests who have booked through their platform and whose stay has been confirmed by the accommodation provider can leave a review. This is a primary method for ensuring that reviews come from actual customers.
AI and Machine Learning Detection: Sophisticated algorithms analyze thousands of data points, including account relationships, sign-in patterns, review history, and linguistic anomalies characteristic of AI-generated text, to identify and flag suspicious content before or after publication.
Automated and Manual Moderation: Platforms utilize automated systems for initial screening, complemented by human moderators who review flagged content. Community input and user reporting also play a role in identifying potentially fake reviews. Tripadvisor, for instance, moderates millions of reviews annually, with a significant percentage being filtered by technology and human oversight.
Reviewer Profile Analysis: Experts suggest examining reviewer profiles for patterns, such as an unusually high number of reviews (potentially indicating a paid reviewer or bot) or generic profile pictures, as red flags.
Cross-Platform Verification: Consumers are advised to read reviews across multiple sources, as consistent trends across different platforms can lend credibility, while significant discrepancies might suggest manipulation.

Broader Implications and the Future of Online Trust in Travel

The EU’s Code of Conduct, supported by industry-wide collaborations, signals a new era for online reviews in the tourism sector. By prioritizing authenticity and transparency, the initiative aims to achieve several crucial outcomes:

Restored Consumer Confidence: Travelers can make more informed decisions with greater assurance that the reviews they read reflect genuine experiences, thereby enhancing their overall travel planning process.
Fairer Competition: The Code levels the playing field by penalizing fraudulent practices and rewarding businesses that provide authentic, high-quality service.
Strengthened European Tourism Brand: By ensuring reliable feedback, Europe reinforces its image as a trustworthy and appealing travel destination, potentially boosting its appeal to international visitors.
Promotion of Sustainable Tourism: Authentic reviews that accurately reflect service quality and customer experience can indirectly encourage sustainable and responsible tourism practices, as businesses are incentivized to provide genuine value.

While the EU Code is a voluntary framework, its broad endorsement by key industry players and its alignment with broader EU consumer protection goals suggest a significant shift. The ongoing efforts to combat sophisticated fraud, including AI-generated content, and the collaborative spirit demonstrated by major platforms indicate a sustained commitment to preserving the integrity of online reviews. This concerted push towards verifiable feedback is not just about cleaning up online platforms; it is about rebuilding the foundational trust that underpins the global travel industry.