In this terminally online world, bad reviews can sink a business. And tourism is no exception.
From underwhelming museums to excursions that don’t live up to the hype, travellers can be brutal when rating their experiences on platforms like Trustpilot, Google Maps or Yelp.
But a cave system in Kentucky, USA, is fighting back against the haters by turning negativity into viral marketing—and generating a flurry of responses from fans across the country.
Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest cave system in the world, received the dubious distinction of being ranked third on a list of the USA’s “most disappointing tourist attractions” behind the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Merritt Island, Florida, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland.
Clapping back
And while Mammoth Cave was perfectly within their rights to sheepishly ‘take the L’ and move on, they decided instead to lean into the criticism with aplomb.
“Experience what has disappointed millions of people for over 225 years!” they began in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.
“You can be disappointed by a ‘dry hole with very few stalagmites and stalactites’ or discover nothing ‘other than trees’ on over 80+ miles of hiking, biking, horseback riding, and water trails,” the post continued.
Among the more eyebrow-raising criticisms the national park staff highlighted were the fact that one visitor had deemed the caves “very dark” while another had complained that “cellular phone service is very spotty”.
And the Facebook post certainly struck nerve. As it stands, the post has been shared some 30,000 times, has generated more than 100,000 reactions and almost 9,000 comments, including such tongue-in-cheek responses as “I’ve been disappointed in the place since I was 6… I don’t know why I keep coming back”.
Other commenters, meanwhile, were happy to express genuine affection for the park with one writing “I personally think it’s awesome. Part of my childhood”.
But Mammoth Cave National Park isn’t the only business that turned negative publicity on its head through the use of social media.
Here are a few more of our favourites.
Worst coffee one woman on Trustpilot had in her life
Had a bad review? Wear it with pride, just like this café that turned a former customer’s claim of the “worst coffee she’d ever had” into a selling point. I mean, you’ve got to at least be curious, right?
https://x.com/LottaSurf/status/1618104035814559744/photo/1
Ryanair legroom and window seats
Ryanair’s social media feed often finds the funny in customer gripes over legroom or the lack of a window on a ‘window seat’.
Armed with only a sharp witticism (and presumably an understanding boss!), the socials team isn’t afraid to deal with criticism with a healthy dose of humour.
https://x.com/Ryanair/status/1825882331585908894
Glasgow’s Willy Wonka Experience
An attempt to recreate the technicolour splendour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in a Glaswegian warehouse brought widespread ridicule when visitors shared images online and branded the experience a “farce”.
Despite the negative reviews, members of its cast of unknown actors used the controversy as a springboard to further projects, including one ‘Oompa Loompa’ turning the viral experience itself into a show at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.
https://x.com/MorningBrew/status/1762528720965829105
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