TIA:
Online Travel Planning Grows
in Popularity
Looks like we won't
be out of a job anytime soon. More and more of you are heading
online to seek travel information, according to the Travel Industry
Association of America -- approximately 64 million Americans now
research their travel options online.
This
marks a dramatic rise from 1997 when just 12 million Americans
planned and researched travel options via the Net.
Around
42 percent of online travel planners say they now do all or
most of their trip planning online, up from 29 percent last year.
In
2002, over 39 million people actually booked travel using the
Internet, up 25 percent on 2001.
The
research also indicates that 70 percent of travel planners say
they now carry out at least half of their travel booking online,
compared with 56 percent last year.
Airlines
tickets continue to be the most frequently purchased travel
item with 77 percent of all online travel bookers having bought
a
plane ticket over the Net.
Accommodation
has been purchased by around 57 percent of online travel bookers,
while rental cars have been bought by 37 percent of online buyers.
About
a quarter of travel bookers buy tickets for cultural events
online, while a further 25 percent buy travel packages.
The
study also reveals that over 30 percent of online travel bookers
spent $2,500 (US) or more in the past year on Internet travel
purchases.
MORE
INFORMATION: www.tia.org |
