TripAdvisor accused of removing reviews containing ‘rape warnings’

Numerous reviews containing details about dangers posed to holiday-makers at some Mexican resorts have been deleted by TripAdvisor, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

The popular travel and booking website has been accused of removing posts in which travellers shared their experience of assault, robbery and rape, after multiple comments mysteriously disappeared from a forum earlier this year.

When planning a trip to the Mexican resort of Riviera Maya, a woman from Indianapolis used the online forum to ask other users if the destination was a safe place for her and her husband to travel to.

Within minutes, comments began to roll in, and within 10 days, the post had received 55 replies in total.

24 users assured that couple that there was no need for concern and even detailed some positive experiences from recent trips.

“Just got back on Saturday and never felt safer,” wrote one user.

Another said: “I live close to St. Louis and feel much safer in Riviera Maya then I do going to a Cardinals baseball game”

Four of the comments failed to answer the question at all, while the other 27 were hidden from the public.

Instead, users were greeted with messages from the company informing them the that comments had been deleted because they were “determined to be inappropriate by the TripAdvisor community” or not “family friendly.”

The website has yet to comment on the allegations.