The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) released their annual Travelers’ Use of the Internet study in December 2003. The study shows an increase in the number of people using the internet to research and book travel.
TIA found that 30% of the adult U.S. population (63.8 million) consult the web for travel information. These travelers spend (on average) $300 more on travel, and nearly 40% had an annual household income above $75,000.
Online travelers surf to two or more travel websites, spending an average of 37 minutes. They research and compare prices, check schedules and book trips. The number of people actually booking online increased by 8% over 2002 and grew to 42.2 million people in 2003. Within this group of online travelers, 32 million people made travel arrangements exclusively through the internet (a figure expected to grow according to the TIA).
10 million travelers responded to email campaigns, causing the TIA to believe that email campaigns are stimulating unplanned travel.
TIA stated that the top 10 travel websites are:
- Expedia
- Travelocity
- Orbitz
- Yahoo Travel
- Cheap Tickets
- Hot Wire
- VIPfares
- Priceline.com
- ITN.net
- TravelNow.com
If your business supplies lodging, real estate, shopping, recreation, dining, events or tourist related specialty services, it may be wise to place advertisements with these websites. If you are not making full use of the internet for your marketing campaigns you are missing 30% of your potential market.
As online travelers’ habits become more sophisticated you will find them expecting to find and book everything from one location.
About The Author
MARKETING COORDINATOR and WEBSITE DESIGNER-Radha Khalsa, has extensive experience in the areas of marketing analysis, strategic planning and project management.
info@khalsaweb.com
Tags: internet travel, online travel, online vacations, TIA, travel, travel industryinternet travel, online travel, online vacations, TIA, travel, travel industryShare This
Panama has long been the crossroads of the new world and because of the country’s main interest, the Panama Canal, other sectors of the economy have been largely overlooked. With such intense focus on international trade and the canal, many of Panama’s coastal regions and natural wonders have been bypassed, opening doors for tremendous new opportunities and setting stage for large-scale tourism growth. Using its northern neighbor Costa Rica as an example, the potential for tourism in Panama is staggering.
Of its stunning islands, virgin rainforests, and pristine beaches, perhaps the most amazing feature of Panama is the secrecy that it has maintained. “I’ve seen so many hidden gems in Panama that just don’t exist in real life,” one recent visitor said. “Secluded beaches, private underwater snorkeling kingdoms, breezy island cabanas, these are things from the pages of National Geographic, and I certainly never thought I’d get to see them in my lifetime.” Most visitors to Panama feel the same way: like they are in on a traveling secret, the rest of the world is yet to discover.
Newcomers to Panama are delighted to find friendly locals, a low cost of living, high safety standards, and the use of the US Dollar. The country also holds a vast amount of history, represented most noticeably in its architecture, indigenous people, and strong sense of identity. There are several airport hubs in the USA which fly directly into Panama City and with the increase of tourism, more are expected to arise.
Provinces like Bocas del Toro (an island archipelago on Panama’s Caribbean coast) are attracting more and more travelers from across the globe. Caf
Tags: panama culture, panama information, panama tourism, panama travel, panama vacationpanama culture, panama information, panama tourism, panama travel, panama vacationShare This
We shall now see the different reasons of people’s travels and their views regarding travelling. First, there are considerably different views on travel among people of different ages. Although all age groups find travelling as being one of the most rewarding and enjoyable things one can do, the older age group (+55) does not find the idea as appealing as before. The people of the younger age show greater willingness to travel. However, people of all ages would prefer to have short weekend trips organized inland or in nearby countries in order to get away during most weekends.
Another age group of frequent travellers are those who have to get trips on business. The largest group of such travellers belongs to the middle- aged businesses. Old businesses would prefer to arrange their business issues through the telephone or through video conferencing.
Another reason of people travelling is the need to get away from everything. Here again younger people are more likely to leave their homes because the feel the need to get away from everything. The two-thirds of older people would prefer to leave their homes only if there is the real need of it (such as business, some event or holidays).
Although apparently the younger age group (18-34) seems to slightly outweigh the age group of 35-54 in their various travelling preferences, the income of the older people is much higher than the income of the young age group of 18-34. The most successful age group is middle-aged people who still feel travel is exciting and enjoyable and are able to pay for it.
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Tags: business trip, travel attitude, travel reasons, travelling, weekend tripbusiness trip, travel attitude, travel reasons, travelling, weekend tripShare This