15 September 2009

New study reveals how travelers book trips

Travel consumers remain primarily influenced by an old-timer: price, says a new study.

"However, they also have additional information needs that change at each stage of the booking cycle," says Frommer’s Unlimited.

Other findings:

Ã¯Æ’Ëœ During planning, a written destination is the most important factor.

Ã¯Æ’Ëœ That is closely followed by information on activities, events and maps.

Ã¯Æ’Ëœ When booking, three pieces of information ranked as almost equally crucial are airport and transportation information, pictures of a hotel room and a guide to the city or resort.

"Finally, post-booking a map of the destination was the essential item of content, with travel, weather, events and activities information and local dining also ranked as important," says the study.

Half of all travelers have struggled with poorly constructed, confusing and inaccurate Web sites that don’t provide them with sufficient images and information.

The survey also showed that consumers were frustrated by out-of-date information, hidden fees and misleading descriptions, as well as technology-related issues such as slow downloads and broken links.

The global survey involved 1,200 people. More information is available at www.frommers.biz/contentsurvey.

By David Wilkening