Internet influencing travel plans

Internet surfers who visit destination websites operated by official tourism offices are more likely to actually take a trip to those places, according to a new survey from USDM, an interactive marketing agency for the travel industry.

The survey questioned visitors to 11 websites, taking into account feedback from 54,079 participants, and found that during 2005 an average of 55 per cent subsequently paid a visit to the places they had seen online.

According to the USDM report, those surveyed also spent around $9 billion on accommodation, food and entertainment in the destinations they visited.

Leah Woolford, chief executive of USDM said: "The volume of people that visit these official destination websites and the billions of dollars they reported spending in these markets indicate the importance these destination marketing organisations can have in delivering information to potential visitors."

The report also suggests that there could be an estimated $7 billion to be made from these same tourists in 2006, based on the projected holiday plans of those surveyed.

According to the 2005 report from the Travel Industry Association of America, 78 per cent of Americans used the Internet for travel or destination information in 2005, with 82 per cent of those also purchasing tickets and making reservations online.

Posted by Just the Flight, 29 March 2006 14:39

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