On again, off again: Why online travelers book offline

June 25, 2010 |

Consumer behavior during the all-important purchase phase is what most travel companies aspire to influence. Online booking has become the norm, yet many travelers choose to book some of their travel offline, and give a variety of reasons for doing so.

According to PhoCusWright's Consumer Travel Report Second Edition, the top reason U.S. travelers give for booking offline is that they were seeking personal service. On the other hand, security concerns and technology issues, once a significant deterrent of online bookings, are no longer a major factor. Just 7% of offline bookers say they do not want to submit credit card information online, and roughly the same percentage do not feel the information they see online is accurate. Only 9% of those who book online cite technical issues or frustration with the Internet as the reason.

While discomfort with technology and the Internet is no longer the main driver of offline bookings, a number of other perceptions appear to be preventing some transactions from moving to the online channel. The number two and three reasons for booking offline relate to perceptions

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