Travel Web sites continue to do well: study
Travel Web sites are performing well in the midst of the broader travel industry downturn, says industry researcher PhoCusWright Inc.
Their new study conducted in partnership with Compete Inc., shows that monthly traffic and conversion is up in almost all travel categories in the second quarter of 2009, compared to the same quarter of previous years.
“Despite the downturn, transactional Web sites (i.e., suppliers and online travel agencies) showed strong growth in June monthly visitors year-over-year, with cruise lines up 19 percent and hotel chains up 13 percent,” says PhoCusWright.
Online travel agencies (OTAs) also showed slight increases in hotel and car rental visitor volume in the first half of 2009 compared to 2008 and 2007.
The only category to show a decline in traffic from 2008 through 2009 was the OTA air category which is down 15 percent. This is not reflective of weak performance however, as OTA air conversion has increased significantly over the same time period, says the travel site.
"The reliance that consumers have on travel Web sites has not weakened one bit," said Carroll Rheem, director, research at PhoCusWright, adding:
"Online channels are attracting, engaging and inspiring travelers who recognize that this year is actually a fantastic time to take a trip. Consumers are certainly spending less, but they are not giving up travel, nor are they turning away from the Web sites that offer them the selection and convenience they value."
By David Wilkening
David
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