Blockchain-Based Global Travel Review Framework

An online review system is an important part of almost every e-commerce platform, especially a tourism e-commerce. However, various problems exist in the current online review systems. The review content is stored in a centralized database of each individual platform. Each platform differs in review management methods. In some cases, the review score of the same product disagrees across different platforms. Moreover, a centralized system has low transparency because it is difficult to trace individual actions within the system. As a result, some users are skeptical of the reliability of online reviews in centralized systems. This work proposes a global travel review framework based-on the blockchain technology. The incorporation of blockchain helps improve an online review system. The best practices for online review management from popular platforms, and the guidelines from trusted sources are used to develop the new system. The use of blockchain improves an online review system through its unique features of high transparency, security, and reliability. Additionally, the proposed framework relies on a community-driven environment. The accessibility level of users is controlled by using the smart contract. There is no single authoritative owner of the system. All participants in the system can exert controls on the system equally. This work illustrates the details of a blockchain-based global travel review framework. The advantages and disadvantages of such a system are discussed. The proposed framework can be easily integrated with any existing platforms since it can be accessed publicly.