Travelers visit search engines such as Google, Yahoo or MSN first (34%) when considering vacation destination alternatives. The Web sites of specific countries or destination boards are visited next (23%), followed by online travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity (22%), according to a new study by Ypartnership.
While the percentage of leisure travelers who report making reservations online has grown more than thirty-seven percent (37%) since the year 2000, “Consumers’ search behavior has changed in recent years as people have become more familiar with search technology and the number of travel planning/purchasing sites has grown exponentially,” said Peter C. Yesawich, chairman and CEO of Ypartnership.
According to the just-released National Travel MONITOR, fully sixty-six percent (66%) of leisure travelers now use the Internet to plan some aspect of their travel (versus 35% in 2000), while fifty-six percent (56%) now report making reservations online. The nationally representative survey of 1,590 active travelers was conducted during the months of February and March, 2009, and is co-authored annually by Ypartnership and Yankelovich, Inc.
Travelers visit search engines such as Google, Yahoo or MSN first (34%) when considering vacation destination alternatives. The Web sites of specific countries or destination boards are visited next (23%), followed by online travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity (22%). Only one percent (1%) of travelers commence their search for a vacation destination by visiting a blog.
Search patterns for selecting an airline or lodging accommodation are understandably different. Consumers who are searching for these travel services first visit the Web sites of online travel agencies (42% and 31%, respectively). Brand-specific sites (41%) follow closely when leisure travelers are selecting an airline, yet significantly less so when they select lodging (21%). Meta search engines that compare fares are visited first by over one-out-of-ten travelers (13%) when selecting an airline.
2 Comments
June 4, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Right Right Right! This is why travel and destinations need to control their own desiny when it comes to search. The problem with a one page or one blog strategy is that there are thousands of terms that indicate a desire to find you.
Check out this post I made a few months ago, just talking about Vail.
http://blogging.compendiumblog.com/blog/blogging-best-practices/0/0/if-i-were-a-ski-marketer-id-v1
June 16, 2009 at 7:30 am
Wow, it’s a revelation to know that only 22% run first through online travel agencies. All the while I thought that most people browse for rates and reviews using these kind of websites. I actually have a related post about the Best Online Booking Website there is. Have a look at Online Travel 360 (http://www.onlinetravel360.com). Thanks