Consumer online searches for domestic accommodation outnumbered overseas accommodation by three to one in August 2013.
This paints a different picture to August 2012, when the split was pretty much 50/50 between domestic and overseas.
According to the latest figures from independent digital marketing agency Greenlight, consumers made a total of 3.1 million searches on Google UK for hotels located in domestic, short haul and long haul destinations last month.
Of that total, 1.8 million (58%) queries were for domestic hotels, compared to 619,320 (20%) for overseas hotels.
In August 2012, the total number of hotel-related searches was 1.4 million – 492,517 domestic and 428,330 overseas.
Greenlight’s research also showed that London was the biggest draw domestically. Online searches for hotels in the UK capital accounted for 13% of queries and Brighton followed with 4%.
Greenlight’s report also reveals the 10 most popular domestic hotel-related search terms as being:
‘hotels in london’ (90,500 searches)
‘london hotels’ (74,000 searches)
‘cheap hotels in london (60,500 searches)
‘blackpool hotels’ (33,100 searches)
‘hotels in york’ (33,1000 searches)
‘hotels in edinburgh’ (27,100 searches)
‘hotels in manchester’ (27,100 searches)
‘hotels in brighton’ (27,100 searches)
‘brighton hotels’ (27,100 searches)
‘cheap london hotels’ (22,200 searches)
For domestic hotel-related queries, Laterooms.com was the most visible site in the organic listings (based on relevance), attaining a 22% share of visibility.
Booking.com was the most prominent advertiser in the paid listings, with 70%.
Interestingly, of the 10 most visible sites in Greenlight’s natural search listings, four were hotel chains, compared to just two in the paid listings.
