A majority of consumers support a brand responding to consumer generated reviews, according to a study, Consumer Generated Content (CGC) in Travel, by Compete, Inc.

Travelers are increasingly turning to their peers as a valued research source and encourage travel marketers to join them in this dialogue, according to the company.

Compete examined consumer generated initiatives from Sheraton Hotels, TripAdvisor and Southwest Airlines to help travel marketers understand how to balance creating exposure with maintaining control of the conversation.

Compete estimates that CGC influences over $10 billion a year in online travel. With consumers finding CGC more credible than they do professional reviews or information from travel companies, CGC has emerged as a critical source of travel information.

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