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Travel companies have been urged to make more use of the social media phenomenon and exploit the potential of sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo.

According to the 2008 Social Media Sectors report by search conversion agency Tamar, companies could be missing out by failing to engage with the large numbers of consumers who share their opinions and experiences online.

The study found that the leading organisations in the travel industry already have strong support from unofficial consumer groups on social networking sites.

However, it also revealed that the few travel sector brands with an official presence on social networks were the subject of on average 59% more supporter groups than those that are not officially represented.

Henry Ellis, head of social media at Tamar, said that the importance of online booking in the travel sector means that the industry already has a strong presence on the web.

He added: 'Travel brands are currently experiencing positive feedback on social networks as a result of the many unofficial consumer-led groups supporting brands in this sector.

'But where organisations continue to be slow to enter the volatile social networking arena they could be missing out on taking advantage of this support.'

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