Going by the findings of the report the trend to book travel online is supposed to continue in 2012 – especially in emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil. In line with this trend the share of the online segment compared to the total travel market is expected to increase to almost one third worldwide, according to the latest “Global Online Travel Report 2012″ by yStats.com.
Online travel arrangements continue to gain in popularity across the entire American continent
Compared to 2011, revenue generated in the US online travel market is forecasted to grow in 2012 by a low double digit percentage figure. Clients who bought travel products online in 2011 made most purchases through online travel agents amounting to almost 50%, followed by search engines and websites of tour operators. In the category mobile bookings, hotels were booked most frequently, followed by flights and travel packages
Online travel sector is especially successful in Europe
In Europe the total number of bookings through online travel agencies increased by almost 20 % from 2010 to 2011. In Great Britain, more than half of all consumers avoid traditional travel agents altogether and book their holidays online instead. In Germany, in 2011 customers preferred travel agents for more expensive travel arrangements and online booking for cheaper tours. In this sector online revenue has grown considerably, while offline revenue has decreased.
Growth potential in large parts of the Asia-Pacific region
Although growth in the category online hotel bookings is expected to slow down in the Asia-Pacific region between 2010 and 2012, it still exhibits double digit figures. In Japan the share of online travel bookings – in line with the soaring trend – surpassed for the first time 50% in 2010. Unique visitor numbers for travel websites were evenly distributed across all age groups in Japan, while the group of individuals older than 55 was slightly in the lead in the first quarter of 2011. The Indian online travel market is also estimated to grow by almost 30% in 2012. The data for Australia is outstanding: the category “Travel, Accommodation, Memberships or Tickets of any Kind” was the most popular online product category in June 2011.
Online travel market in the Middle East is catching up
Spurred by the introduction of online payment options, the online travel market in the Middle East is expected to grow considerably compared to 2011. Growth is predicted for the share of online travel bookings in relation to total revenue generated with travel tickets until 2015, compared to 2010 figures.
Source: www.ystats.com
Author: Anush Mathews
Anush works as Senior Test Engineer in Teknokraaft and works with our Australian Travel portal team.