A growing number of people are using the internet to research or book a holiday online, and even those who are reluctant to book online are still using the internet to research their holiday plans. Research conducted by Nielsen/NetRatings revealed that 17% of people research online before going on to book over the phone and only 7% are now researching & booking their holidays in the high street.
This is evidence that the internet is trusted as a more reliable research tool, in large part thanks to the amount of impartial information available and the convenience of having it all available in one place.
As Thomson Holidays confirm that its online bookings are three years ahead of its predictions, with half of its own holidays and flights currently booked online and similarly 98% of all easyJet seats now being bought online, more people are discovering that the ease of internet booking is a convenient way to plan their holiday without causing unnecessary interruption to their daily lifestyle.
Sites that encourage user generated content are engaging consumers and bringing in millions of unique viewers daily, and with reviews written by past guests being one of the most influential sources of holiday planning, when it comes to researching holidays and finding the best advice people are going to sites like TripAdvisor, directline-holidays.co.uk and travelrants.com.
Top 20 holiday site* directline-holidays.co.uk now offer valuable & up-to-date information on a variety of holiday subjects including user-generated reviews, weather information and guides to popular attractions in each resort. directline-holidays.co.uk Director Matthew Flint explained why the top 20 travel agents feel it is necessary to offer these attributes:
“Word of mouth has always been an important factor when making any purchase and booking a holiday is no different. Today’s internet equivalent is sites that offer impartial advice. People are now expecting different things from the travel industry and want everything to be available in one place, if it’s not, then they will look elsewhere”.
directline-holidays.co.uk have anticipated industry changes & are profiting from the effects by experiencing their most successful year to date. In 2007 the holiday firm has doubled year on year internet traffic to their site, offering customers millions of holidays within one search and an effortless step into online booking.
About directline-holidays.co.uk:
directline-holidays.co.uk specialises in selling cheap package holidays, flights and hotels.
*Source = Travel Weekly 26 January 2007, Top 20 Travel Agencies.
Contact: Ross Marchant - Tel: 020 8239 8844 - www.directline-
