RESTON, Va., June 6, 2006 - comScore Networks, the leader in the measurement and analysis of consumer behavior and attitudes, today released an analysis of the online travel market in the U.S.  comScore found that nearly 150 million consumers visited a travel Web site in 2005, a 35-percent increase over the previous year. Annual online travel revenues exceeded $60 billion in 2005, representing a 20-percent increase versus 2004, with all travel segments posting gains. 

 

"The Web is extraordinarily well-suited to helping consumers make travel plans and increases in home broadband penetration should continue to fuel growth in the online travel sector," said Sara Stevens, director of comScore Travel Solutions. 

 

Consumers Slowly Shifting Travel Dollars from Online Agencies to Supplier Sites

As the online travel industry has grown and matured, consumers have been slowly migrating from online agencies to branded airline, hotel or car rental supplier sites.  However, both online agency and supplier sites are growing, with agencies posting a 19-percent gain versus 2004 and suppliers recording 21 percent growth. comScore data also show that the branded supplier sites captured approximately 57 percent of online travel dollars in 2005, up from 55 percent in 2004.

 

Over the last three years, online agencies have experienced greater competition from supplier sites in the airline and hotel segments and, to a lesser extent, in car rentals.  Supplier sites, which accounted for 53 percent of airline ticket sales in 2003, have grown in popularity in recent years to capture 58 percent of airline ticket sales in 2005.  A similar pattern has emerged in the hotel segment, where supplier sites have grown from a 52 percent share in 2003 to 59 percent in 2005, with the growth from 2004 to 2005 being particularly strong.

 

More Consumers Start Shopping with Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity

Conducted as part of the Travel Industry Overview, a comScore survey revealed that, on average, travel shoppers visit approximately three sites when planning leisure travel.  The dominant reason for doing so, not surprisingly, is to search for the lowest price.  Few respondents cited rewards programs or flexible dates and times as reasons for "shopping around."

 

When people begin the process of researching travel services online, 46 percent indicated that the first site they visited was either Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz - nearly double the proportion of people who reported starting their research at a branded airline, hotel or car rental site (24 percent).  The top reason stated for beginning at Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity was efficiency in seeking the lowest price (22 percent), with an additional 17 percent indicating they expect these sites to deliver "the best deal."

 

Since the Internet is "always open," it is perfectly positioned to help people shop in a very time-efficient manner.  In fact, among people surveyed, 72 percent indicated that they begin their planning for leisure travel within eight weeks before taking the trip, with only 28 percent saying that they start researching and planning more than two months ahead of time.

 

About the comScore Online Travel Industry Overview

The Online Travel Industry Overview leverages comScore Networks' proprietary panel of more than two million online consumers. Additional information was gathered through a survey conducted among 1,500 U.S. consumers to further understand their travel shopping/ purchasing habits, attitudes, and intentions.

 

comScore's Online Travel Industry Overview includes:

?          Online travel industry revenues, by segment

?          Dollar share of online travel, by segment and line of business

?          Leisure travel planning time frames

?          Analysis of "first stop" destination for online travel shoppers

?          Lost sales analysis, by segment and line of business

?          Cross-shopping analysis

?          Attitudinal insight into reasons for booking travel by type of site

 

Travel industry professionals and members of the media may request comScore's Online Travel Industry Overview by sending an e-mail to travelsolutions@comscore.com.

 

 

About comScore Networks

comScore Networks provides unparalleled insight into consumer behavior and attitudes. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore explicit permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes.  comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI.  comScore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia.  For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.

 

 

Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
comScore Networks
(312) 775-6510
press@comscore.com