Good new year for travel websites
UK visits to travel websites in the first week of January were up 14% against the same week in 2004.
According to online competitive intelligence service Hitwise, travel websites have received a significant boost in traffic as Britons look to escape the dismal winter weather.
Traffic to the travel sector claimed 4.71% of all visits in the week ending January 8, an increase of 22% from the previous week. This time last year, visits to the travel sector were just over 4%.
The monthly Hitwise data reveals that December 2004 was also a strong month for the sector, with traffic up 20% from the same month the previous year.
Based on this year-on-year growth, the travel sector could reach 4.9% market share in January 2005 and equal the record month previously set by the travel industry in August 2004.
January also looks set to be a “bumper month” for EasyJet, according to Hitwise.
Hitwise data reveals a sharp rise in online traffic to the budget carrier’s website for the first week of January.
Traffic to the site dipped slightly during the holiday period from December 25 to January 1, but the week ending January 8 saw a 20% increase in traffic, with the website’s market share increasing from just over 10% to more than 12.2% in the Travel – Transport sector in the space of a week.
Ryanair also increased its traffic by 18% in the first week of January, with Hitwise weekly data revealing a leap from 5.9% to almost 7% market share of the Travel – Transport sector between January 1 and January 8.
Spain continues to be the top holiday destination for Britons – with Tenerife, Lanzarote and Majorca in the top five most searched-for travel destinations.
TOP 10 DESTINATIONS SEARCHED FOR: (Based on data for four weeks ending January 8, 2005)
1 Tenerife
2 Spain
3 Greece
4 Lanzarote
5 Majorca
6 Ski holidays
7 Disneyland Resort Paris
8 Gran Canaria
9 Fuerteventura
10 Cyprus
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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