New national travel MONITOR reveals changes in leisure travellers’ online search behaviour
Jun 02, 09 | 1:55 am
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 MONITORSM, 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 when considering vacation destination alternatives. The Web sites of a specific countries or destination boards are visited next, followed by online travel agencies such as Expedia and Travelocity. Only one percent (1%) of travelers commence their search for a vacation destination by visiting a blog:
Visit First When Selecting a Destination
| Source | % |
| Search engine like Google, Yahoo, MSN | 34 |
| Web site of national tourist office/CVB | 23 |
| Online travel agency like Expedia, Travelocity | 22 |
| Web site of hotel chain | 8 |
| Web site of individual hotel or resort | 7 |
| Web Blog | 1 |
Search patterns for selecting an airline or lodging accommodations are understandably different. Consumers who are searching for these travel services first visit the Web sites of online travel agencies. Brand-specific sites follow closely when leisure travelers are selecting an airline, yet significantly less so when they select lodging. Meta search engines that compare fares are visited first by just over one-out-of-ten travelers when selecting an airline:
Visit First When Selecting an Airline
| Source | % |
| Web site of online travel agency like Expedia, Travelocity | 42 |
| Web site of specific airline | 41 |
| Meta search engine that compares fares | 13 |
Visit First When Selecting Hotel/Resort
| Source | % |
| Web site of online travel agency like Expedia, Travelocity | 31 |
| Search engine like Google, Yahoo, MSN | 26 |
| Web site of specific hotel chain | 21 |
| Web site of individual hotel/resort | 10 |
| Meta search engine that compares rates | 5 |
For further information on the National Travel MONITORSM, please visit the Publications section of www.ypartnership.com.
About Ypartnership
Ypartnership is a worldwide advertising and public relations agency that specializes in serving travel, leisure and entertainment industry clients and is co-author of the widely-quoted National Travel MONITORSM with Yankelovich, Inc. For more information, visit www.ypartnership.com.
