Abstract
It is still far from a tailspin, but the US online travel industry is undergoing a revolution that is redefining the rules of engagement between travel firms and their customers. Internet-savvy consumers are exploiting powerful online resources to find new travel products and pricing options.
The US Online Travel report analyzes the progress of this still growing, but slowing, bellwether Internet sector.
The good news: eMarketer estimates that online consumer travel sales hit $79 billion in 2006 and will grow at a 17% annual rate before reaching $146 billion in 2010. While that is respectable growth, it falls short of the 28% annual growth rate posted from 2002 to 2006.
The bad news: A tighter market will exacerbate the fierce competition between online travel agencies and travel suppliers in an already commoditized market.
Key questions the "US Online Travel" report answers:
- How large is the US online travel market and how fast is it growing?
- How do consumers use the Internet to plan and book travel?
- What are the competitive challenges facing the different types of online travel distributors?
- What is the impact of online communities on the travel planning process?
- And many others...
eMarketer Reports- On-Target and Up-to-Date
The US Online Travel report aggregates the latest data from a wide range of marketing and communications researchers with eMarketer numbers, projections and analysis to provide the information you need to make the right business decisions.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
- US Online Leisure/Unmanaged Business Travel Metrics, 2006 & 2010
Issues & Questions
The eMarketer View
- Key eMarketer Numbers: US Online Travel
US Travel Industry Outlook
- US Real Gross Domestic Product, 2004-2010 (% increase vs. prior year)
- Total Number of Passengers Boarding Scheduled Domestic and International Flights* in the US, 1999-2005 (millions and % increase/decrease vs. prior year)
- US Lodging Industry Revenue per Available Room* (RevPAR), 2003-2006 (% increase vs. prior year)
- US Travel Spending, 2001-2009 (billions and % increase/decrease vs. prior year)
Sizing Up the Online Travel Market
- US Online Leisure/Unmanaged Business Travel Sales, 2003-2010 (billions and % increase vs. prior year)
- Comparative Estimates: US Online Leisure/Unmanaged Business Travel Sales, 2004-2008 & 2010 (billions)
- Annual Growth of US Online Leisure/Unmanaged Business Travel Sales vs. US Retail E-Commerce Sales, 2004-2009 (% increase vs. prior year)
- US Households that Book Travel Online, 2005-2010 (millions and % of Internet households)
- US Online Travelers*, 1996-2005 (millions and % of travelers)
- Average Annual Online Travel Spending per US Household*, 2005-2010 (dollars and % increase vs. prior year)
- US Online Travel Sales, by Travel Segment, 2005 & 2010 (billions, CAGR* and % of total sales)
Online Travel Sales As a Percent of Total Travel Sales in the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific Region, 2005 & 2008
- US Online Travel Sales Share, by Distribution Channel, 2003-2005 (% of total sales)
- US Online Travel Sales Share, by Distribution Channel and Travel Segment, 2005 (% of total sales)
- Online Travel Shopping Patterns
- Demographic Profile of US Visitors to Travel Web Sites, July 30-August 26, 2006 (% of total)
- Top 30 Travel Web Sites among US Internet Users, Ranked by Visits, August 20-26, 2006 (% market share)
- Top 10 Online Travel Sites among US Internet Users, Ranked by Unique Audience, October 23-29, 2006 (thousands, % active reach and mins:secs per user)
- Top 10 Upstream Industries Visited by US Internet Users before Visiting Travel Web Sites, August 20-26, 2006 (% of total visits)
- Top 10 Downstream Industries Visited by US Internet Users after Visiting Travel Web Sites, August 20-26, 2006 (% of total visits)
- US Online Travel Researchers Who Visited Online Travel Agencies vs. Travel Search Engines, Q1 2005-Q2 2006 (% of total visits)
- Top Five Travel Search Engines Visited by US Internet Users, July 2006 (thousands of visitors)
The Power of the Internet as a Travel Planning Resource
- Source that Most Influenced US Adult Internet Users to Make an Airline Ticket Purchase, July 2006 (% of respondents*)
- Sources Influencing Travel Purchase Decisions according to US Online Travelers*, Q3 2006 (% of respondents)
- Vacation Planning Methods of US Internet Users, 2006 (% of respondents)
- Online Travel Resources that US Online Leisure Travelers Used for Research in the Past 12 Months, 2005 & 2006 (% of respondents)
- Content Types that US Online Travelers Believe Are "Important"* When Making a Hotel Purchase Decision, July 2006 (% of respondents)
- Types of Travel Research Conducted Online by US Online Travelers* that Use the Internet Solely as a Research Tool, January 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Online Leisure Travelers* Who Researched Travel Online but Bought Offline, by Travel Product and Frequency, 2006 (% of respondents)
- US Adult Internet Users Who Will Use the Internet As the Primary Resource to Research Their Upcoming* Travel Plans, by Household Income, January 2007 (% of respondents)
- US Adult Internet Users Who Will Use the Internet to Research and/or Purchase Their Upcoming* Travel Reservations, by Household Income, January 2007 (% of respondents)
- Type of Travel Site Where US Online Travelers Start and/or Finish a Travel Purchase, 2006 (% of respondents)
Critical Success Factors of Travel Web Sites
- Most Influential Factor in Choosing an Airline Carrier and Hotel according to US Online Business Travelers, July-August 2006 (% of respondents)
- Requirements of Online Business Travelers When Booking Hotel Accommodations for Business vs. Personal Travel, Ranked by Priority, July-August 2006
- Important* Features of a Travel Site according to US Online Business Travelers, July-August 2006 (% of respondents)
- Select Travel Web Site Features that Make US Adult Internet Users* Want to Return to the Sites, January 2007 (% of respondents)
- Factors that US Online Travelers Believe Are "Important"* When Choosing a Travel Web Site to Book Hotel Accommodations, July 2006 (% of respondents)
- Reasons that US Consumers Prefer to Make Hotel Reservations on a Hotel' s Web Site Directly vs. Using an Online Travel Agency/Consolidator, 2006 (% of respondents)
- Factors that Would Influence US Consumers* to Make Hotel Reservations on a Hotel' s Web Site Directly Instead of Using an Online Travel Agency, 2006 (% of respondents)
Rating and Ranking Travel Web Sites
- Top-Ranked Independent Travel Web Sites according to US Online Travel Buyers, 2006
- US Customer Satisfaction with Independent Travel Web Sites, March-October 2006 (index ranking on a 1,000-point scale)
- US Customer Satisfaction Scores for the Top-Branded Travel Web Sites, 2006 (based on a 1,000-point scale)
- US Customer Satisfaction Scores for Hotel and Independent Travel Sites, 2004-2006 (based on a 100-point scale)
- Guests of High- and Lower-Priced Hotel Brands Who Are Very Likely to Return, by Channel Used to Book Reservation, 2006 (% of respondents)
- US Customer Satisfaction Scores for Leading Online Travel Web Sites, 2002-2006 (based on 100-point scale)
- US Online Travel Buyers Who Will Likely Return to Select Travel Sites to Research Hotel Accommodations, January 2006 (% of respondents)
- US Online Travel Buyers Who Will Likely Return to Select Travel Sites to Book Hotel Accommodations, January 2006 (% of respondents)
- US Online Travel Buyers Who Will Likely Return to Select Travel Sites to Book Hotel Accommodations if Prices Increase by 5% at that Site Only, January 2006 (% of respondents)
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