eMarketer is publishing a study stating that word-of-mouth advertising is losing ground to internet searches for travel seekers. In the U.S., 58% of Internet users use a web search to figure out where to go on vacation - vs. 54% that rely on personal recommendations… This stat, however, is a little misleading on its own.

The next figure says that the percent of travel booked online still has a lot of room to grow. Only 17% of U.S. respondents book all of their travel via online channels. This says to me that online suppliers and agencies still have a ways to go. This is further supported by a recent Harris Interactive survey (commissioned by Galileo International) that shows 68% of U.S. adults are more comfortable booking travel plans through a traditional travel agent.

You can only access this GMI poll data on eMarketer.com for free until July 19, so grab it now:
My Way or the Web Way - eMarketer.com


Tagged as: Travel Marketing, Search Engines