Is there method in consumers’ madness?
By Bill Poling
We’ve known for a while that con- sumers are all over the Web — search- ing, metasearching, booking and blogging. But they’re
not all doing it, they’re not all doing it
at once, and sometimes they do it in a
different order.
This year’s Leisure Travel Monitor, for
example, shows that consumers tend to
prefer different types of websites and
consult them in a different order, depending on whether they’re searching
for air, hotel or destination information.
Survey respondents said that when
searching for destination information,
they tend to go first to a general search engine like Google or Yahoo, second to the
website of a national tourist board or local visitors
bureau and third to an online travel agency, such as
DESIRABILITY OF VARIOUS
WEBSITE FEATURES
2007
2008
2009
Extremely/very desirable
Being able to check the lowest available
fares/rates
90%
88%
87%
Having an easy-to-use booking feature
81
81
74
Photos of the hotel and resort facilities,
rooms, etc.
Destination maps that illustrate area
activities, dining, shops, attractions, etc.
71
68
72
69
66
66
The ability to enter coupons for savings
on airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rent-
als and vacation packages
63
60
65
In the search for airline or hotel information, however, the OTAs rule.
For air searches, 41% said their first
stop is an online agency, while 40% go
to an airline site first. Only 13% make a
metasearch site their first choice, but 24%
said such sites were their second choice.
For hotels searches, 30% of consumers
also rank OTAs first, while 25% start at
a general search engine; another 21% go
to the site of a specific chain, and 10%
start at the site of an individual property.
Only 5% start hotel searches at metasearch sites.
The option of scheduling and confirming
vacation activities in advance of arrival
66
64
Photos of the area
61
51
Expedia. Only 1% said they begin such searches at
a blog.
WIDESPREAD WEB USE
Another key finding in the Monitor is
that the Internet truly has become ubiquitous across demographic groups.
As recently as three years ago, there
was a significant gap between age groups, as a
62
59
See WEB on Page 16
WHEN THEIR CARIBBEAN TRIPS
INCLUDE A CHOICE OF TWO ITALIAN SHIPS,
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Based on double occupancy only. Cruise-only fares do not include (i) the cruise fuel supplement, if any, and (ii) certain government taxes and fees on cruise travel from $59.48 to $81.95.
Fares, charges, taxes, and fees are subject to change before payment in full. Fares are valid for US and Canadian residents only and subject to availability. Fares are in U. S. dollars, per person, based on double cabin occupancy for the lowest cabin category, and may be higher for desired
travel dates. Fares are for new bookings only and cannot be combined with other offers. For internet bookings, payment in full is due at time of booking. For non-internet bookings, a $250 deposit per person is due at time of booking. Cancellations may not be refundable and changes are
subject to booking class availability. A $50 administrative fee is charged for changes after documents are issued. The company reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to $9 per person per day if the NYMEX oil price exceeds $70 per barrel. Additional restrictions
apply; consult Terms and Conditions or our reservations department at 1-800-462-6782 for more information.
** Two kids ages 17 and under sail free when sailing with 2 adults paying full adult Early Booking Fare; fare varies by sailing. Applicable on select 2009/2010 Costa Atlantica and Costa Fortuna Caribbean sailings. Deposit required at time of booking. Government taxes additional for all passengers in cabin. All terms subject to change. Certain restrictions apply. Capacity controlled and may be withdrawn without notice. Available for residents of the U.S. and Canada only.
† New deposit of only $150 per person is available for new Caribbean FI T bookings and is combinable with all promotions/offers. Subject to standard cancellation penalties. Valid on all Caribbean sailings aboard the Costa Atlantica and Costa Fortuna between November 7, 2009 and April 3,
2010. Expires 8/8/09. All terms subject to change. Certain restrictions apply. Ships’ Registry: Italy 6364
