Britons spend more booking travel online than any other Europeans, EyeforTravel head of research Amy Scarth said.
Speaking at a seminar looking at trends in the online travel market at WTM yesterday, she said the UK accounts for 34% of online spend in Europe, way ahead of Germany at 20% and France at almost 14%.
She said: “The Germans are traditional in their shopping habits, looking for good prices and value for money, but there is huge room for growth. They will become huge in the online market.” Scarth said although on-line booking spend is growing fast in the US, UK and Europe, the trade should not ignore off-line business.
She said: “In the US, online bookings will soon overtake offline business, but in the UK, 25% of travel bookings are transacted online, which means off-line accounts for 75%.” Scarth said there are signs British consumers are becoming more comfortable booking different types of travel online, although in the rest of Europe consumers are still mainly only booking air travel on the web.
EyeforTravel estimates hotels and package holidays account for 17% and 15% of total online bookings in the UK.
Scarth said: “If you are developing an online strategy, make sure you target the right product at the right consumer. There is no such thing as a European strategy.” EyeforTravel research also showed that although online travel agencies are maintaining their share of bookings in the UK, OTAs are disappearing in Germany and the Nordic countries as consumers book direct with individual suppliers.
Scarth said emerging online travel markets are India, Russia, China and Brazil, as a result of higher incomes and cheaper.
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