Convenience is starting to edge out price as the most effective decision factor for online travel package buyers this year, according to a new study.
In the latest PhoCusWright Consumer Travel Trends Survey, 28% of shoppers buying a combination of airline tickets and hotel accommodations from the same site said they did it to save time.
That compares to a lower figure, 27%, who cited pricing discounts as their incentives.
“The effect was even more pronounced among those who tended to be loyal to one site,” said PhoCusWright. Among those using just one Web site to buy travel, 37% cited convenience versus one quarter who looked for discounts.
Some other findings:
• There was a higher incidence of online hotel purchasing in 2004 versus 2003 (71 compared to 60%).
• Half of all online combination purchases consist of air and hotel; just 4% are hotel and car.
• More hotel chains are pushing their way onto the list of the top three Web sites used for hotel reservations. Hilton and Marriott outpaced Hotels.com and Priceline.
• Business travel rebounded with 44% of those surveyed saying they have taken a flight on business, up from 33% last year.
Report by David Wilkening
