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Number of travelers booking online down. What’s up?

August 27, 2008 | Online Travel

Fewer leisure travelers are booking online, because they're frustrated by online travel reservation sites, according to e-commerce research by eMarketer.

This year US travel sales booked online will reach $105 billion, up 12% from 2007.

Marketer forecasts that US online leisure and unmanaged business travel sales (including airline, hotel, rental car, vacation package, intercity rail and cruise) will reach $105 billion. Furthermore, from 2007 to 2012, sales will increase at an 11.6% average annual rate.

Even though online travel sales are growing, fewer travelers are booking their trips online.

“The fact that fewer travelers are booking online is not due to economic concerns—online travel bookers are an affluent demographic—it is caused by frustrations related to the planning and booking capabilities of online travel agencies,” says Jeff Grau, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, US Online Travel: Planning and Booking. “This, in turn, is spurring a renewed appreciation for the expertise and personalized services offered by traditional travel agents.”

Get the full story at eMarketer

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