It is now two years since the internet community started banding around the – let’s be honest here – geeky sounding expression, Web 2.0.

Since then the clever residents of Silicon Valley and elsewhere have argued endlessly as to what the concept actually means as industry has twiddled its thumbs, waiting for some practical benefits to emerge.

In the last six months, however, there has been massive upsurge in interest.

And in travel – a sector of industry some would argue is ideally suited for the various tenets of Web 2.0 – there is the potential for great things.

In the same way as those who coined what is fast becoming an omnipresent phrase, most of the Web 2.0 functionality being built for travel is coming straight out of the US.

Some argue that no single website can be considered a complete Web 2.0-style operation, but there are a string of sites using technology and concepts in the US that will have a massive impact on how consumers search for products and interact with travel brands.

Social networking is probably the easiest and most tangible Web 2.0 concept that consumers in the UK are already starting to get to grips with through sites such as MySpace, Bebo, Del.icio.us, Digg and Reddit.

Triphub.com, Triporama.com, Travelpost.com, Meetup.com and Travelbuddy.com are also fine examples of how social networking can be applied to travel. The popular Wayn.com, based here in the UK, is already making a big impression in this area.

But Travel can easily make use of other Web 2.0 principles: tagging, multimedia such as podcasting, and, of course, user generated content.

In vertical search, sites such as Farecast.com, Farecompare.com and Flyspy.com are leading the way with the use of Ajax and graphs to illustrate trends by consumers, ultimately to help consumers make the right choices.

Mash-ups, the clever use of one application with another to create a new experience, are probably the one of most visually compelling uses of Web 2.0.

Meanwhile, combine the Ajax-driven mapping technology, created by the likes of Google and Yahoo!, with hotel and resort information, video and consumers reviews, and a website has a very strong proposition.

It is perhaps difficult to emphasise how important Web 2.0 will be to travel. Indeed, the US research powerhouse PhoCusWright has started using a phrase of its own, Travel 2.0, to drive the message home.

It would be fair to say that, in the early days, developments on the web were mainly driven by innovative businesses trying to reach customers in a different way, alongside the desire by technology egg-heads to showcase what they and the internet could be used for.

This is no longer the case. Web 2.0 should be and eventually will be driven by consumers who want to take control of their browsing and purchasing experience.

The travel sector cannot afford to let the massive opportunities ahead pass it by.

Kevin May - Editor Travolution Magazine