Good service on holiday? Shout about it!

I've just returned from a short trip to Cyprus and it got me thinking.

How many of us have gone to another country or continent, forgotten to buy our Lonely Planet or Rough Guide before departing, and have suddenly been faced with questions such as:

• Where's the best place to eat?
• Which local dish should I make a point of trying?
• Who does the best coffee?
• Which beach is best for windsurfing?
• Which shops won't rip me off or railroad me into buying a fridge magnet or "my brother went to (fill in the blank) and all I got was..." t-shirt?
• Where's a great local night club? What type of music do they play on different days of the week?

I was faced with a lot of these questions whilst travelling around Cyprus, but I didn't worry too much as I thought a quick trip to a wi-fi spot and a little Google project would answer pretty much all my queries.

I was wrong.

Unlike the UK, the States, and many other countries around the world, the internet hasn't yet been recogised by many small business owners in Cyprus. Despite the quieter tourist trade, most of the restaurants and bars I came across didn't actually have their own website, and there was very little evidence that these businesses even existed when I scoured the search engines.

Several of the business owners I talked to whilst away were quick to tell me that they didn't actually need a website, as they received a lot of passing traffic via tourists and obviously the locals. But what they hadn't considered is the importance of word of mouth advertising, online testimonials, and customer feedback to ensure that people new to their region actually make a point of visiting them.

And this is where we can all do our bit. If you're on holiday and come across a great place to eat, drink, shop, etc, then make sure you tell the world about it when you return home. Go online and search for forums and directories for the area you visited, and then add your recommendations or reviews. Be as descriptive as you can, and add directions and pictures if at all possible. A great place to do this, for example, is Trip Advisor.

Remember that if you don't, you might well find that the restaurant you loved so much no longer exists next time you return to your favourite holiday destination. Now that really would be a shame.

P.S. If you're visiting Aya Napa in the near future and looking for a lovely old, family run taverna, I would recommend the Andreas Limnara Tavern, between Aya Napa and Cape Greko. But to prove my point, this is one of their only web entries.