The power of Google searches by consumers in the cruise sector is maintaining an upward trend over the past two years.
Figures released at the UK Cruise Convention showed a 26% increase in the first five months of this year over the same period in 2009, which itself was up 2O per cent on the equivalent time in 2008.
Delegates heard that a third (33.8%) of internet traffic to the cruise sector comes from Google, followed by cruise.co.uk at 4.1%.
The top ten sites account for more than half of traffic with P&O Cruises top with a 2O% share, followed by cruise.co.uk at 14% and Royal Caribbean at 12%.
For the overall travel sector consumers make 12 searches over a month-long period across 22 travel sites. The statistics were revealed by Google head of travel for emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa Andrew Pozniak.
He highlighted the impact on travel sales of the World Cup with a ten to 15% spike once the England team is eliminated from the competition.
He outlined a series of opportunities for agents to make use of Google services to assist with sales, such as more sophisticated adverts and the use of Google Maps to showcase rich information on products sold.
Google-owned YouTube was also identified as a key channel to help boost sales by allowing agents to create their own channels on the video site.
“YouTube is being treated as the equivalent to TV to push information to an engaged and enthusiastic audience,” said Pozniak.
The use of mobile devices rather than desktop PCs is poised to boom by 2O13-14 with Google making a “huge amount” of investment in the technology, he said.
A mobile trial with Carnival Cruise Lines adverts on smart phones in the US resulted in a 175% rise in online bookings and a 2O% rise in calls to the service centre.
Pozniak praised independent cruise agency Gill’s Cruise Centre for its use of Apple apps for delivering cruise deals via iPhones and iPads.
He disclosed plans to create a translation service over the next 18 months which will allow users to communicate even though they may be speaking in different languages.