Twitter can help you plan your holiday

It's more immediate than blogging, less frivolous than Facebook, more social than SMS or instant messaging – and suddenly it's everywhere. Sometimes known as micro-blogging, Twitter is simple: write what you like in up to 140-character chunks, then send it to everyone in your network.

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But it is far more than simply an outlet for those with a dubious compulsion to share. Twitter has already broken major news stories, for example. Indians caught up in November's Mumbai attacks tweeted (that's the verb) well ahead of news media.

Now it's being taken up by business, and travel is in the vanguard. Almost 200 destination marketing organisations (DMOs) in North America use Twitter – and what happens in the US usually comes to the UK soon after. According to Martin Stoll, CEO of tourism consultancy GoSeeTell Network (www.goseetell.com), "the advantage for a visitor is that they can use Twitter to get answers without picking up the phone or sending an email, and best of all the conversation with the DMO will be public. Chances are that other people will chime in as well."

Those chiming in might include a hotelier offering a deal, a real person at the DMO with this weekend's festival programme, or a resident keen for you to try their favourite restaurant.

Chicago (@VisitChicago) and Arizona (@ArizonaTourism) lead the way, listening and interacting as well as broadcasting local updates. User numbers are small but growing fast. Europe is a bit late to the party. VisitBritain has "no plans at present", though VisitScotland (@VisitScotland) occasionally tweets. This week, the Netherlands (@VisitHolland) launched a serious Twitter presence.

As you contribute to conversations and grow your own Twitter network, you'll also find a far less official crowd willing to share their travel wisdom. Even if none of your followers can help locate a child-friendly hotel in Florence, "re-tweeting" of your message by others might get you a trustworthy recommendation eventually – now you're crowdsourcing.

Twitter excels in creating connections with people you've never met. That, combined with the asymmetric nature of following – not everyone I follow follows me back – gives it massive knowledge-farming power.

Crowdsourcing is being taken to extremes by "Twitchhiker" Paul Smith (www.twitchhiker.com) Starting next Sunday, he'll hitch from Newcastle to New Zealand relying only on the support and resources of his 3,000-strong Twitter community. The closer he gets within 30 days, the more money he raises for charity (www.charitywater.org)

"I think there's enough goodwill to carry me all the way," he says.

Online travel agents, too, have been quick to spot an opportunity. Over half of Twitter users are aged 35 or over, just the customers agents want.

"When we secure great last-moment deals we often only stream them on Twitter because they are so time sensitive. Customers following us have access to the best bargains we offer," explains Andy Washington, Director of Sales at lastminute.com (@lastminute_com).

There's a two-wayness with Twitter that's impossible for companies to duck: "There have been a couple of instances already where we used Twitter to respond to a customer complaint and resolved it almost immediately."

Twitter's announcement, last week, of plans to charge brands to use its service is unlikely to deter more agents from joining.

There's more to come from Twitter. This week TravelPortland (@TravelPortland) launched their virtual "Twisitor Center", to field questions from potential visitors to the Oregon city. Looking for a sandwich shop with free Wi-Fi? Tweet them. Stoll expects more Twisitor Centers to open soon, and keeps track of tourism bodies on Twitter at www.twisitorcenter.com.

Kevin May, editor of online travel industry magazine Travolution, is also bullish about the future for Twitter.

"I can see it working better than mainstream media as a channel for travel companies looking to get information or deals out there fast. And it's already the ideal tool for a monitoring what's going on in your destination right now."

We might only have scratched the surface of Twitter's potential for travellers. Its flexibility gives it the ability to morph continually. But even now, look closely enough and you may just find your favourite city, airline, hotel, winery – or even travel writer – on there, waiting to hear from you.