An online study carried out by YouGov gives some insight into the habits of British holidaymakers when planning their travels.
40% of those surveyed said they have not visited a high street travel agent in the last 2 years, confirming that more and more of us prefer to search for holidays online. In fact, 67% of online British holidaymakers intend to conduct most of their travel planning online in 2008, whilst only 4% will avoid the internet for travel purposes.
The survey was carried out on behalf of Logan Tod, an agency specialising in online conversion rate improvement. CEO Matthew Tod commented on the findings:
“Our research found people are using the internet when booking holidays because it is easier and quicker (84%); the ability to find better prices online (82%); and the fact an online travel agent is open at all hours (76%).”
The internet is being used more for research purposes also, as 76% of holiday planning Brits research their destinations online, but only 66% will use it to book cheap flights and accommodation, confirming that a face to face or telephone transaction is still the preferred choice for many holidaymakers. Brits also place a lot of trust in friends, family (70%) and fellow travellers through online reviews (47%), rather than travel agents (25%) or newspapers (25%).
