A sizeable majority of participants in a recent study wanted to buy online, but were deterred by price and the lack of convenience, according to what its sponsors term a “groundbreaking” study.
Sixty eight percent of those surveyed wanted to buy travel packages on line, but only 28% of them did, according to Stacy J. Moran, consultant.
“According to key findings, 73% of consumers express frustration with the inflexibility of pre-packaged vacation offerings,” she said.
She added that explained why only 18% of the 1,500 in the survey purchased all their travel services in a package. Another 40% invested the time to research and book air, hotel and cars separately.
The study was a joint effort of PhoCusWright and Vividence.
Ms Moran said online travel agencies were the preferred purchasing method for 80% of those surveyed. But other channels including destination web sites (48%) and airline sites (47%) showed strong potential by offering more flexible alternatives and lower prices.
The next area of online opportunity, she said, could be add-ons or tours.
Where are the future opportunities for travel companies to capture market share? Her answer:
“It’s the familiar call of consumers everywhere: save me time and money, and I’m all yours.”
Report by David Wilkening
