Travelers Use of the Internet Edition

Transcription

1 Travelers Use of the Internet 2010 Edition

2

3 Travelers Use of the Internet 2010 Edition Published by the U.S. Travel Association 1100 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 450 Washington, D.C Copyright 2010 Price: $ All rights reserved. This report is for use within the purchaser s own organization only. U.S. Travel Association data or information may not be reproduced or communicated by any means to other people, organizations, or to the media without prior permission from the U.S. Travel Association. Travelers Use of the Internet, 2010 Edition was prepared by: Daniel R. Fesenmaier, Ph.D., Professor and Director National Laboratory for Tourism & ecommerce, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University Suzanne D. Cook, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research David W. Sheatsley, Director, Marketing Research U.S. Travel Association Contributors: Florian Zach, Ph.D., Assistant t Professor National Laboratory for Tourism & ecommerce, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University Ulrike Gretzel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Director Laboratory for Intelligent Systems in Tourism, Dept. of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences Texas A&M University it

4

5 Table of Contents Introduction and Overview of Survey Methodology 1 Executive Summary 3 Section I. Online Americans 7 Section II. Profile of Online American Travelers 15 Section III. Use of the Internet for Travel Planning 35 Section IV. Online Activities of American Travel Planners 55 Section V. Satisfaction With and Impacts of Online Travel Planning 67 Section VI. Travel Products Purchased Online 95 Section VII. Online Bookers vs. Online Non-bookers 105 Appendix. Topics Included on Questionnaire 123

6

7 List of Tables and Figures Fig. 1.1 Percentage of U.S. Adults Online, Fig. 1.2 Percentage of Online Adults Who Ever Bought a Product Online 12 Fig. 1.3 Activities of Internet Users 13 Fig. 2.1 Gender of Online Travelers. 19 Fig Age Distribution of Online Travelers and the U.S. Adult Population 20 Fig. 2.3 Income Distribution of Online Travelers and the U.S. Adult Population 21 Fig. 2.4 Marital Status of Online Travelers 22 Fig. 2.5 Employment Status of Online Travelers 23 Fig. 2.6 Education Level of Online Travelers 24 Fig. 2.7 Number of People in Household Among Online Travelers 25 Fig. 2.8 Number of Ti Trips by Online Travelers 26 Fig. 2.9 Place of Internet Access Among Online Travelers 27 Fig Access to Internet by Generation Among U.S. Adults 28 Fig Type of Internet Access at Home Among Online Travelers 29 Fig Online Frequency at Home Among Online Travelers 30 Fig Attitude Towards Information Availability Among Online Travelers 31 Fig Attitude Towards Computers and Technology 32 Fig Perceived Skill and Use of the Internet and New Technologies 33 Fig Ownership of Technologies Among Online Travelers 34 Table 3.1 Incidence of Online Travel Planning 37 Fig. 3.1 Nature of Online Planning by Online Travelers 39 Fig. 3.2 Gender Distribution of Online Travel Planners 40 Fig. 3.3 Age Distribution of Online Travel Planners 41 Fig. 3.4 Income Distribution of Online Travel Planners 42 Fig. 3.5 Marital Status of Online Travel Planners 43 Fig. 3.6 Employment Status of Online Travel Planners 44 Fig. 3.7 Educational Attainment of Online Travel Planners 45 Fig. 3.8 Internet et Access Among Online Travel aeplanners 46 Fig. 3.9 Type of Internet Access Among Online Travel Planners 47 Fig Online Frequency at Home Among Online Travel Planners 48

8 List of Tables and Figures (Continued) Fig Attitude Towards Information Availability Among Online Travel Planners 49 Fig Attitude Towards Computers and Technology: Control Over Lives 50 Fig Perceived Skill and Use of New Technology Among Online Travel Planners 51 Fig Ownership of Technologies Among Online Travel Planners 52 Fig Change in Ownership of Technologies Among Online Travel Planners 53 Fig. 4.1 Info Sources Typically Used for Trip Planning Among Online Travel Planners 59 Fig Extent of Use of Internet for Travel Planning Over Last 12 Months 60 Fig. 4.3 Websites Used for Travel Planning Over Last 12 Months 61 Fig. 4.4 Online Travel Products and Activities Among Online Travel Planners 62 Fig. 4.5 Online Travel Planning Activities Over Last 12 Months 63 Fig. 4.6 Online Registration ti Over Last 12 Months 64 Fig. 4.7 Response to Various Types of Online Ads Over Last 12 Months 65 Fig. 5.1 Satisfaction with Use of the Internet for Travel Planning 71 Fig. 5.2 Usefulness of the Internet in Helping Plan Aspects of Trip 72 Fig. 5.3 Likelihood of Using the Internet for Travel Planning in the Next 12 Months 73 Fig. 5.4 Benefits of the Internet in Helping to Plan Aspects of Trip 74 Fig. 5.5 Internet Travel Planning Online Activity Score 77 Fig. 5.6 Number of Places/Destinations Considered to Visit 79 Fig. 5.7 Number of Information Sources Used for Planning 80 Fig. 5.8 Number of Places/Destinations Actually Visited 81 Fig. 5.9 Extent to Which One Shares Travel Experiences with Others 82 Fig Amount of Information (print-outs) Taken on Trips 83 Fig Amount of Time Spent on Advanced Planning 84 Fig Amount of Money Spent on Travel 85 Fig Stops at Visitor Information Centers at Destination 86 Fig Likelihood of Calling to Make Hotel Reservations 87 Fig Number of Brochures Ordered 88 Fig Use of Ads on TV, Radio or Press for Travel aeideas 89 Fig Likelihood of Buying Travel Guides/Maps 90 Fig Likelihood of Calling a Car Rental Agency 91

9 List of Tables and Figures (Continued) Fig Likelihood of Calling a Travel Agency or Airline 92 Fig Likelihood of Calling State/Local Tourism Offices 93 Fig. 6.1 Types of Websites Used for Reservations/Payments 99 Fig. 6.2 Travel Products/Services Purchased Over Last 12 Months 100 Fig. 6.3 Change in Travel Products and Services Purchased Over Last 12 Months 101 Fig. 6.4 Total Money Spent for Pleasure Trip-Related Travel Products and Services 102 Fig. 6.5 Total Money Spent for Business Trip-Related Travel Products and Services 103 Fig. 7.1 Info Sources Typically Used for Trip Planning Among Bookers and Non-Bookers109 Fig. 7.2 Extent of Use of Internet for Travel Planning Among Bookers and Non-Bookers 110 Fig. 7.3 Websites Used for Travel Planning Among Bookers and Non-Bookers 111 Fig. 7.4 Types of Online Travel Planning Among Bookers and Non-Bookers 112 Fig. 7.5 Reasons for Not Booking Through an Online Travel Agency 113 Fig. 7.6 Online Travel Planning Activities Among Bookers and Non-Bookers 114 Fig. 7.7 Online Registration Over Last 12 Months Among Bookers and Non-Bookers 115 Fig. 7.8 Response to Various Types of Online Ads Among Bookers and Non-Bookers 116 Fig. 7.9 Satisfaction ac with Use of the Internet e for Travel aeplanning 117 Fig Usefulness of the Internet in Helping Plan Aspects of Trips 118 Fig Usefulness of the Internet in Helping Plan Aspects of Trips 119 Fig Internet Travel Planning: Online Traveler Booking Activity Score 121

10

11 Introduction Information technology, especially the Internet, has fundamentally re-shaped the way tourism-related information is distributed and, therefore, the way people search for, and purchase, travel. According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Foundation, approximately 168 million American adults currently use the Internet. Since 1993, the U.S. Travel Association has conducted studies to describe the impact of the Internet on the tourism industry. The initial report documented the emergence of the Internet as a dominant channel used by American travelers to plan their trips. This report builds upon that earlier research with the goal of providing a better understanding of the current status of Internet use in terms of: The demographic and psychographic factors affecting the extent to which online American travelers use the Internet; The nature of Internet use in terms of online activities the types of information sought, websites visited, and response to promotional campaigns; The impact of Internet use on the travel planning process; and The online purchase (i.e., booking) of travel-related products and services. Survey Methodology Travelers Use of the Internet study, was conducted using an online panel of U.S. adults maintained by Survey Sampling International. The 2010 survey was conducted from January 6-13, Invitations to participate in the study were sent to a random subset of panel members. A total of 3,893 adults responded to the Internet use and travel-related questions. Of these respondents, 71.7 percent (2,793) indicated they had taken a trip 50 miles or more, one-way from home or that included an overnight stay during the previous 12 months. The sample of online adults was weighted based upon three aspects that have been shown to significantly affect Internet use age, race and gender in order to represent the U.S. population of adults age 18 or over. Thus, the estimates provided in this report should be accurate within plus or minus 2.0 to 2.5 percentage points. 1

12 2

13 Executive Summary Internet Use and Volumes The number of American adults using the Internet has been largely stable since 2005, suggesting that perhaps the Internet has reached its maximum penetration in the United States based on the current demographic characteristics of the adult population. The percentage of American adults using the Internet stands at 74 percent as of November 2009 up from 49 percent as recently as ten years ago. Based on these percentages, an estimated 168 million U.S. adults are Internet users. Although the percentage of U.S. adult Internet users has been stable over the past few years, the percentage is expected to gradually rise as the more Internet-based teens and young adults replace the older adults whose use of the Internet is more limited. The percentage of U.S. adult Internet users who took a trip of 50 miles or more, one-way from home or that included an overnight stay in the past year was 72 percent in This translates into a market of approximately 122 million online business and leisure travelers. Nearly 93 million U.S. adults used the Internet to plan travel during the last 12 months up from 90 million in More than three quarters of all online travelers reported planning pleasure trips online in the past 12 months. Marketing-Related Findings The strongest benefits of the Internet to online travel planners can be summarized as evaluation, involvement, and expectations. As such, it is imperative that destinations and attractions provide complete, accurate and compelling information on their websites, ensuring that visitors expectations are either met or exceeded. Use of the Internet by online travel planners and online travelers is higher among online business and pleasure planners and travelers than for online pleasure only travelers and planners. 3

14 Executive Summary (Continued) Marketing-Related Findings (Continued) A third of online pleasure only travel planners and half of online business and pleasure travel planners report using the Internet to obtain information on potential travel destinations. From this finding, it is clear that a fairly substantial number of online planners have not selected a destination before beginning the travel planning process and demonstrates the importance of having compelling and comprehensive information on destination websites to remain competitive. The Internet has radically changed the manner in which U.S. adults obtain travel-related information. Once geared to toll-free numbers and written requests, over 40 percent of online planners print out travel brochures and other information directly from websites. Although the method of obtaining travel information has shifted towards online access, an equal percentage of online travel planners use the Internet to request hard copy brochures, travel guides and other collateral. Satisfaction with the Internet is high among online travel planners, online travelers and online bookers, but lower for online nonbookers. Also, satisfaction with the Internet generally increased between 2007 and 2010 as users shifted from somewhat satisfied to extremely satisfied. The technologies owned by online travelers shifted somewhat between 2007 and 2010 with the percentage of online travelers owning laptops on the rise, while the percentage owning desktop systems are declining. The largest change came in the area of navigation systems as GPS has moved from primarily vehicle-based units to hand-held held devices with GPS applications. This instant and anywhere access to the Internet and its wealth of information also has marketing implications for attractions and destinations. The survey reveals that only a small percentage of online travel planners and online travel bookers often or always click on pop-up ads and banner advertising for trip information. 4

15 Executive Summary (Continued) Other Findings Online booking is prevalent among online travel planners, with 81 percent of the 93 million online travel planners making travel purchases online in the past year, translating into 75 million online travel bookers. The percentage of online travelers purchasing travel products in the past 12 months remained unchanged from Airline tickets, overnight lodging accommodations and car rentals are the dominant travel products and services now being purchased online by travel planners. Many online travel planners also indicated that they had purchased tickets to plays, shows and concerts, as well as spectator sport events in the past year. Half of all online travel bookers spent $1,000 or more last year online for the purchase of travel services or products. Less than half of pleasure only bookers spent $1,000 or more compared to 64 percent of those who booked both business and pleasure trips online. Online bookers and non-bookers are equally likely to use the Internet for destination information. However, online bookers are substantially more likely that those who do not book online to use the Internet for information on hotel prices, airline schedules and fares, dining, travel packages and for printable coupons and travel brochures. The use of the Internet for bookers and non-bookers may be narrowing with non-booker Internet planning activity increasing substantially between 2007 and 2009 in many of the trip planning facets. 5

16 6

17 Section I. Online Americans

18 8

19 Introduction The Pew Foundation, through its research on the use of the Internet by Americans (see PewFoundation.com/American Life ( has documented the growth in use and impact of the Internet among Americans since Importantly for online marketing and research, the widespread adoption of the Internet has closed many of the gaps in coverage over the past few years. However, as the profile of Internet users indicates, the characteristics of Internet users has been consistent and differences continue to exist by age, education and income. With Internet usage almost universal among young adults, the percentage of online users will most likely increase over the coming years as today s teenagers move into adulthood and basically replace the oldest members of the population those least likely to access the Internet at this time. Studies conducted within the Pew Internet and American Life program have focused on the way Americans use the Internet. The following briefly summarizes a few of the important findings from the program. 9

20 10

21 Figure 1.1 Percentage of U.S. Adults Online, The percentage of U.S. adults using the Internet increased dramatically from 49 percent as of April 2000 to 73 percent six years later. According to the Pew Research Center, the percentage of U.S. adults using the Internet has not markedly changed since early 2006 when the adult online population reached 73 percent. The drop from 79 percent as of April 2009 to 74 percent as of November 2009 is due, in part, to the inclusion of Spanish interviews in November Since Internet usage varies by age, the percentage of U.S. adults using the Internet will increase as persons in the oldest age categories are replaced by now younger adults. Internet usage by age as of December 2009 was: % % % % * Includes Spanish language questions which resulted in lack of comparability with other years Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, December

22 Figure 1.2 Percentage of Online Adults Who Have Ever Bought a Product Online, Studies conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Program have determined d ways in which h Americans use the Internet. The study documents the extent to which online adults are increasingly purchasing products online. With the exception of the September 2007 survey, the percentage of U.S. online adults who have ever purchased a product via the Internet has steadily increased to 75 percent as of April The increasingly widespread use of the Internet to buy products has dramatically and most likely forever altered the retail marketplace, with bricks and mortar retail stores losing sales to online stores. The switch from video rental stores to online movie rentals is a prime example. Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, April

23 Figure 1.3 Activities iti of Internet t Users, 2009 Sending and receiving s continues to be the top activity while on the Internet. t As reported in the previous graph, 75 percent of U.S. online adults have reportedly bought a product online. However, 81 percent report using the Internet to search products and services they are considering buying. The Internet is not just for business purposes. Over 70 percent of online adults say they access the Internet e to pass the time or just for fun. Two thirds report having made travel reservations online. Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project, April

24 14

25 Section II. Sect o Profile of Online American Travelers

26 16

27 Introduction This section describes the 122 million online adult Americans who took at least one trip 50 miles or more, one-way away from home or that included an overnight stay in the past year with a view towards the marketing implications of the findings. In some instances, the characteristics of online travelers are similar to the U.S. adult population as a whole, thereby avoiding the need to target online travelers any differently from the general population. However, differences exist in some key demographics and other characteristics, which adds a new layer or two to marketing destinations and attractions to online travelers. 17

28 18

29 Figure 2.1 Gender of Online Travelers, 2010 Consistent with previous studies conducted by the U.S. Travel Association and others, females (51%) are slightly more likely than males (49%) to be online travelers. As expected, since women generally still plan the family s leisure trips, the distribution of pleasure trips planned online tends to skew towards females. Females are also somewhat more likely than males to plan business travel online. However, when it comes to combined business and pleasure trips, the percentage planning such trips is split 54/46 between males and females. There are no discernible differences in the gender distribution of online travelers by trip purpose between 2007 and

30 Figure 2.2 Age Distribution of Online Travelers and the U.S. Adult Population, 2010 The 2010 survey reveals that the age distribution of online travelers is similar il to the age distribution ib ti of the U.S. adult population with differences of no more than two percentage points among the age categories. 20

31 Figure 2.3 Income Distribution of Online Travelers and U.S. Adult Population, 2010 Unlike the age distribution, differences exist between U.S. adults who are online travelers and the distribution of the adult U.S. population by household income. The differences reflect both use of the Internet and differences in propensity to travel by income. Nearly four-in-ten online travelers reside in households with incomes of $50,000 $99,999 compared to just over 30 percent of U.S. households. o Compared to the general adult population, online travelers are less likely to reside in households with either the lowest or highest income levels. This finding has marketing implications for destinations and attractions. 21

32 Figure 2.4 Marital Status t of Online Travelers, 2010 Over half of online travelers are married or living with a partner, while one of ffour are single/never married. The percentages are consistent with both 2007 and

33 Figure 2.5 Employment Status of Online Travelers, 2007 and 2010 According to the 2010 survey, fourin-ten online travelers were employed full-time in Perhaps reflecting the high unemployment rate near 10 percent due to the Great Recession, the percentage of online travelers who reported being employed full-time declined d from 45 percent in 2007 to 40 percent in At the same time, the percentage of online travelers who are unemployed increased from 17 percent in 2007 to 20 percent in

34 Figure 2.6 Education Level of Online Travelers, 2010 In general, online travelers tend to skew towards higher educational attainment than the U.S. adult population. Nearly half of online travelers have at least a college degree compared to just over a third of U.S. adults. Similar to income, educational attainment requires destinations and attractions to target U.S. adults with relatively high education in order to reach the desired market of online travelers. 24

35 Figure 2.7 Number of People in Household Among Online Travelers, 2010 Most online traveler households include two adults (58%) and have no children under 18 years of age (72%). A fifth (21%) of the online traveler households are comprised of one adult, while 21 percent include three or more adults. There are no meaningful changes to household composition between 2007 and

36 Figure 2.8 Number of Trips Taken by Online Travelers, 2010 Nearly all (95%) online travelers took at least one pleasure trip during the past year, while 17 percent reported taking a business trip. The percentage of online travelers who reported taking no business trips increased from 78 percent in 2007 to 83 percent in 2010, most likely reflecting the overall decline in business-related travel due to the Great Recession. Half of online travelers ee reported ed taking either one or two pleasure trips in the past year, while nearly one-infive said they took five or more pleasure trips. Except for the smaller percentage of online adults traveling for business, there were no appreciable differences between 2007 and

37 Figure 2.9 Place of Internet Access Among Online Travelers, 2007 and 2010 The vast majority of online travelers indicate that they have Internet access at thome. Just over a fourth of online travelers reported having Internet access at either work or school down from 38 percent in 2007 and from 30 percent in

38 Figure 2.10 Access to Internet by Generation Among U.S. Adults, 2010 At 97 percent, access to the Internet at home is virtually universal among US U.S. adults. At least 97 percent of all generations report having access to the Internet at home, except for Gen Yers. According to the 2009 travelhorizons TM surveys, 10 percent of Gen Yers report no home Internet access. It appears that home Internet access among Gen Yers has been offset or largely replaced by Internet access via cell phones. In short, Gen Yers, compared to other generations, are early adapters of cell phone Internet access. Regarding Internet access at work, the percentage climbs from 37 percent among all U.S. adults to 60 percent among adults who are employed full-time. Sources: U.S. Travel Association, travelhorizons TM,

39 Figure 2.11 Type of Internet Access at Home Among Online Travelers, 2010 An important development affecting the usefulness of the Internet has been the widespread d adoption of broadband, which provides the foundation for a much broader range of products and services. In 2010, 90 percent of online travelers used broadband, while 8 percent used dial-up. It s expected that the percentage of online travelers using broadband will gradually increase over the next few years. 29

40 Figure 2.12 Online Frequency at Home Among Online Travelers, 2007 and 2010 Frequency of accessing the Internet at home remained stable between 2007 and The majority of online travelers report that they access the Internet several times a day, while a fifth use the Internet about one time a day on average. Infrequent Internet access among online travel planners is rare. 30

41 Figure 2.13 Attitude Towards Information Availability Among Online Travelers, 2010 Previous studies have indicated that online travelers like having a great deal of information readily available through the Internet. The Internet is designed to provide a wealth of information to its users. However, 16 percent of online travelers, comparable to previous surveys, feel overloaded by having so much information at hand. 31

42 Figure 2.14 Attitude Towards Computers and dtechnology: Control Over Lives, 2007 and 2010 Similar to findings from the 2007 survey, the 2010 survey reveals that the majority of online travelers report that the Internet gives them a sense of more control over their lives. The results from the 2010 survey are consistent with Like the 16 percent of online travelers who see no difference in their lives with the amount of information available, one-in-ten are of the opinion that computers and technology result in less control over their lives. As technology and social media continue to expand, it will be interesting to see if a backlash develops where the percentage of online travelers begin to feel that their lives are more out of control. 32

43 Figure 2.15 Perceived Skill and Use of the Internet and New Technologies Among Online Travelers 2007 and 2010 The survey reveals a moderate decline in the percentage of online travelers who may be best described d as technology savvy. The reported skill set in using the Internet and the ability to find the desired information on the Internet remained unchanged between 2007 and

44 Figure 2.16 Ownership of Technologies Among Online Travelers, 2007 and 2010 There were no significant changes in ownership of technologies among online travelers between 2007 and As has been the trend, however, the percentage of online travelers, as well as U.S. households in general, owning a desktop computer has been declining, while ownership of laptop computers has been increasing. Ownership of navigation (GPS) technology has expanded dramatically as navigation applications have shifted from vehicle applications only to hand-heldheld devices. Access to navigation applications should continue to increase as GPS functions are included on more and more handheld devices. 34

45 Section III. Sect o Use of the Internet for Travel Planning

46 36

47 Introduction Nearly seventy-seven percent of the 122 million online travelers, equating to 93 million U.S. adults, used the Internet to plan their trips during the past 12 months. The majority of online travelers (71% or 86.5 million) used the Internet to plan pleasure travel, while 16 percent of online travelers (19 million) used it to plan some aspect of their business travel. Nearly all (87%) online business travel planners also used the Internet to plan their pleasure trips, while 19 percent of online pleasure trip planners also used the Internet to plan their business trips. Table 3.1 Incidence of Online Travel Planning, 2010 Online Travelers Online Planners Online Business Planners Online Pleasure Planners Planned travel online 76.6%* 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Planned business travel online Planned pleasure travel online 15.7% 20.8% 100.0% 19.2% 70.9% 93.7% 86.6% 100.0% * Includes online business and/or pleasure travelers 37

48 38

49 Figure 3.1 Nature of Online Planning by Online Travelers: Percentage of Online Trips, 2007 and 2010 The percentage of American adults planning only pleasure trips online increased dramatically between 2007 and In 2007, 58 percent of online travel planners planned leisure trips only. By 2010, the number had climbed to 76 percent. Nearly one-in-five used the Internet to plan both business and pleasure trips and only 2 percent used the Internet exclusively to plan business trips. 39

50 Figure 3.2 Gender of Online Travel Planners, 2010 Gender differs by the purpose of trip planned. Females outnumber males with respect to pleasure only trips planned online. However, the situation is reversed in terms of online business and pleasure trips. Among all online planners, females have an eight point edge over males. 40

51 Figure 3.3 Age Distribution ib ti of Online Travel Planners, 2010 Substantial differences also exist among online travel planners with respect tto age. Online business and pleasure travel planners are more likely than online pleasure only travel planners to be in the middle-age cohort, with a fourth falling in the age category. No other age groups exhibit significant differences by type of purpose of trip and results for 2010 are similar to those for

52 Figure 3.4 Income Distribution ib ti of Online Travel Planners, 2010 Online business and pleasure travel planners, as might be expected, tend to cluster in the higher h income categories. Nearly a third reside in households with incomes of $100,000 or more and 40 percent have incomes of $50,000 to $99,999. The highest percentage of online pleasure only travel planners live in households with incomes of $50,000 to under $100,000 accounting for 40 percent of all online pleasure only travel planners. As would be expected, the income distribution of online travel planners in 2010 is similar to the income distribution of online travelers. 42

53 Figure 3.5 Marital Status t of Online Travel Planners, 2010 Few differences exist among online travel planners based on marital status. t Similar to the general adult population of the U.S., the highest percentage of online travel planners are married. In addition, few differences exist between 2007 and 2010 with the exception of online business and pleasure travel planners. In 2007, 55 percent of online business and pleasure travel planners reported being married. The number climbed by 10 percentage points according to the 2010 survey. 43

54 Figure 3.6 Employment Status t of Online Travel Planners, 2010 The differences in employment status appear to explain much of the variation in the nature of travel planning. Nearly two thirds of U.S. adults who use the Internet to plan both business and pleasure trips are employed fulltime, compared to 39 percent of those who use the Internet to plan pleasure only trips. Perhaps reflecting the impact of the recession, the percentage of U.S. adults planning business and pleasure trips declined from 67 percent in 2007 to 62 percent in Similarly, the percentage who reported being unemployed increased from only 7 percent in 2007 to 13 percent in

55 Figure 3.7 Educational Attainment t of Online Travel Planners, 2010 Consistent with findings from previous surveys, use of the Internet for travel planning differs by education. Correlating with age, income and employment status, two-thirds of online business and pleasure travel planners have at least a college degree. The percentage of U.S. adults with post-graduate work using the Internet to plan business and pleasure e trips increased from 26 percent in 2007 to 34 percent as of At the same time, the percentage who completed college declined from 37 percent to 33 percent between 2007 and

56 Figure 3.8 Internet taccess Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 By far, the majority of online travel planners regardless of trip purpose have Internet t access at home. Not surprisingly, half of U.S. adults using the Internet to plan business and leisure trips have Internet access at either work or school. However, the percentage of online travel planners reporting Internet access at work or school, regardless of trip purpose, has been declining. The percentage of online pleasure e travel planners only with Internet access at work or school declined from 34 percent in 2007 to 25 percent in Those planning business and pleasure trips online fell by 13 points between the two survey periods, while all online travel planners with Internet access at work or school dropped from four-in-ten to three-in-ten ten. 46

57 Figure 3.9 Type of Internet Access at Home Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 As shown earlier in this report, the vast majority of both Internet users and online travel planners have high-speed broadband access at home. Broadband Internet access has clearly become the norm for Internet users. In fact, the percentage of online travel planners with broadband access at home increased from 87 percent to 90 percent between 2007 and 2009 and by another two percentage points between 2009 and

58 Figure 3.10 Online Frequency at Home Among Online Traveler Planners, 2010 Accessing the Internet at home several times a day remained stable at just over 70 percent between 2007 and The majority of online travelers report that they access the Internet several times a day, while a fifth use the Internet about one time a day on average. Infrequent Internet access among online travel planners is rare. 48

59 Figure 3.11 Attitude Towards Information Availability Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Online travel planners, like U.S. adults in general who access the Internet, t indicate liking to have as much information as available. The 2010 survey, like the 2007 and 2009 surveys, found little difference among the various groups in terms of their attitudes toward the availability of information on the Internet. 49

60 Figure 3.12 Attitude Towards Computers and Technology: Control Over Lives Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Online travel planners were asked if technology and computers give them more or less control over their lives. Three quarters of online travel planners feel that technology and computers result in more control over their lives. The percentage of online travel planners saying that technology and computers offer them more control increased from 2007, especially among online business and pleasure travel planners (up from 73% to 79%), but was down somewhat from

61 Figure 3.13 Perceived Skill and Use of New Technology Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 With the exception of online travel planners who express a high level of skill in locating what they want on the Internet, differences exist between online business and leisure travel planners and online pleasure only travel planners. Consistently, online business and pleasure travel planners feel more technologically savvy than their online pleasure only and online planner counterparts. The differences may reflect use of new technology in the workplace versus the home and other venues. The 2009 and 2010 surveys reveal declines in perceived skills and use of technology among online business and pleasure planners. 51

62 Figure 3.14 Ownership of Technologies Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 The previous graph revealed that online business and pleasure travel planners tended d to be more inclined to use and adopt new technologies compared to online pleasure only travel planners and online planners in general. Ownership of various technologies reveal the same pattern. With few exceptions, online business and pleasure travel planners are more likely than online planners, in general, and online pleasure only planners to own the wide range of tech items. 52

63 Figure 3.15 Change in Ownership of Technologies Among Online Travel Planners, 2007 and 2010 Ownership of technology among online planners reveals interesting shifts between 2007 and The shifts are indicative of changes in technology, including hand-held devices and a virtual explosion in available applications. It is likely that, in 2007, most navigation systems were vehiclebased. With GPS applications now available on a wide variety of handheld devices, the percentage of online planners owning navigation systems more than doubled since On the other hand, the more established technologies, such as portable DVD players, MP3 players and digital cameras exhibited little change between the two surveys. Overall, an increasing percentage of online planners own laptops, while the percentage owning desktop systems continues to decline. 53

64 54

65 Section IV. Sect o Online Activities of American Travel Planners

66 56

67 Introduction The previous section indicated that online American travelers use the Internet extensively for travel planning. Two segments or types of online travel planners were identified those who plan pleasure trips only online and those who use the Internet to plan both their business and pleasure travel. Substantial differences in terms of demographic characteristics, as well as their skills and attitudes toward the Internet and ownership of technology-related products, were found for the two groups. This section examines specific activities of online American travel planners and compares and contrasts the two types of travel planners. 57

68 58

69 Figure 4.1 Information Sources Typically Used for Trip Planning Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 As expected since this study focuses on online travel planners, the Internet t is identified d as the most widely used source for travel information. Previous experience and word-of-mouth sources continue to rank high among all sources. Online business and pleasure travel planners are more likely than online planners in general and online pleasure only travel planners to access a wider range of sources for trip information. Online business and pleasure travel planners are also more likely to use the more established sources, including travel companies, magazines and newspapers, TV, travel documentaries. There are no meaningful shifts in information sources used between 2007 and

70 Figure 4.2 Extent of Internet Use for Travel Planning Among Online Travel Planners, 2010* Respondents were asked to indicate how much of their travel planning over the past 12 months was conducted d online. Well over half of all online travel planners reported conducting a majority (75% - 100%) of their travel planning online. U.S. adults using the Internet for online business and pleasure travel planning tend to do more planning online compared to all online travel planners and online pleasure only travel planners. Results from the 2007 and 2009 surveys reflect a similar pattern of Internet use among online travel planners. * Over past 12 months 60

71 Figure 4.3 Websites Used for Travel Planning Among Online Travel Planners, 2010* Online travel agencies, search engines and company travel sites rank highest among travel planners seeking trip planning information over the past 12 months. Online business and pleasure travel planners, more so that pleasure only planners, tend to use all of the website sources to a greater extent, particularly the airline and hotel company sites when seeking travel information. Interestingly, the percentage of online travel planners across all three categories using online travel agency sites and search engines declined between 2007 and For example, use of online travel agencies among all online planners declined from 66 percent in 2007 to 59 percent in Similarly, use of online travel agencies declined from 63 percent to 58 percent among online pleasure only travel planners. * Over past 12 months 61

72 Figure 4.4 Online Travel Products and Activities iti Among Online Travel Planners, 2010* Consistent with previous findings, online business and pleasure travel planners are much more active in seeking information for planning than the online pleasure only travel group. The Internet is used to seek many different aspects within the travel planning process. Information about a particular destination, lodging g establishments and airfares continue to rank at the top of the list. Over a third of online pleasure only travel planners and half of online business and pleasure travel planners report using the Internet to obtain information on potential destinations, perhaps indicating that a fairly substantial number of online planners have not selected a travel destination before beginning the planning process. As such, the importance of compelling and comprehensive information on the destination website, including quality images, cannot be overlooked by destinations trying to entice Americans to select them over other destinations. * Over past 12 months 62

73 Figure 4.5 Online Travel Planning Activities iti Among Online Travel Planners, 2010* No doubt the Internet has radically changed the manner in which U.S. adults obtain travel-related related information. Prior to the Internet, consumers either wrote or called requesting that travel guides and brochures be mailed to them. Today, over 40 percent of online planners print out travel brochures and other information directly from the website. Many destinations are in the process of determining if it is, indeed, possible to eliminate printed material and rely solely on web content. While the method of obtaining travel information has shifted towards online access, almost as many online travel planners use the Internet to request hard copy travel information. Similar to the previous graph, online business and pleasure travel planners are much more active in seeking information for planning than the online pleasure travel only group. * Over past 12 months 63

74 Figure 4.6 Online Registration Among Online Travel Planners, 2010* Follow-up questions were asked to determine respondents reactions to online advertising i and their willingness to receive materials online, register for enewsletters, and so forth. Compared to online pleasure only travel planners, online business and pleasure travel planners are much more active in registering, signing up for and requesting information and newsletters. The results s are similar to those from both 2007 and 2009 with the exception of registered to receive access to special information among online business and pleasure planners, which declined from 58 percent to 50 percent between 2009 and * Over past 12 months 64

75 Figure 4.7 Response to Types of Online Ads Among Online Travel Planners, 2010* This and previous surveys reveal limited response among online travel planners to pop-up and dbanner advertising placed on websites to entice users to click on information or special deals. Only 4 percent of online travel planners said they often or always opened pop-up ads. The figures are similar to banner advertisements. Online business and pleasure travel planners are, again, somewhat more open than online pleasure only planners to online advertising. The results are basically unchanged from * Over past 12 months 65

76 66

77 Section V. Satisfaction with and Impacts of Online Travel Planning

78 68

79 Introduction Meeting the travel planning needs of the traveler is an essential goal of the travel and tourism industry. As such, an important focus of this study was to assess the satisfaction level of online American travel planners with the Internet in supporting their trip planning efforts. Many studies indicate that online activities evolve as travelers gain more experience with the Internet. This section of the report identifies the perceived benefits of the Internet, as well as demonstrating the impact of use on several aspects of the travel planning process. 69

80 70

81 Figure 5.1 Satisfaction with Use of Internet for Travel Planning Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Satisfaction with the Internet for travel planning purposes is high, with over half of all three travel planning groups extremely satisfied with the Internet as a travel planning tool. And satisfaction levels increased between 2007 and Online pleasure only travel planners who were extremely satisfied with the Internet jumped five points between 2007 and 2010 and by six points among all online travel planners and by eight points among online business and pleasure travel planners. The increase in travel planners who were extremely satisfied with the Internet as a travel planning tool resulted from declines in the percentage who were somewhat satisfied according to the 2007 survey. 71

82 Figure 5.2 Usefulness of Internet in Planning Aspects of Trip Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Questions were included on the survey to identify the usefulness or fit between various facets of trip planning and the availability of this information on the Internet. Most online travel planners consider the Internet either very useful or essential for most aspects of trip planning. As noted in the 2009 Travelers Use of the Internet report, information on shopping receives es the lowest scores among online travel planners, although shopping is one of the top activities among leisure travelers. The somewhat lower scores may not be indicative of the quality of shopping- related information available on the Internet, but the fact that such information is not viewed as being as essential compared to other aspects of travel planning. 72

83 Figure 5.3 Likelihood of Using Internet for Travel Planning Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Given the high satisfaction scores for travel planning information available on the Internet t and how essential Internet-based trip planning information is, it follows that the majority of online travel planners are extremely likely to use the Internet for travel planning in the next 12 months. Taken together, 86 percent of all online travel planners say they are either very likely or extremely likely to use the Internet in the next 12 months for travel planning. The percentage of extremely likely online travel planners increased marginally between 2007 and

84 Figure 5.4 Benefits of Internet in Helping to Plan Aspects of Ti Trip Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Most online travel planners receive and perceive a wide range of benefits from using the Internet t for trip planning. The strongest benefits focus on the overall purpose of the Internet; that is, information, evaluation, involvement and expectations. ti For travel planners, the Internet provides a mechanism to easily find information one is looking for and to see, almost first-hand, the travel product or service under consideration. All three groups rank the benefits of the Internet high, although business and pleasure online travel planners consistently rate the benefits higher than pleasure only planners. 74

85 Impact of the Internet on Travel Planning Activities Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Respondents were asked to indicate how the Internet has impacted various aspects of trip planning activities. Each activity was given a score based on the percentage of online travel planners reporting a decrease in travel planning activities subtracted from those indicating an increase for each facet and then adding 100 to the calculation. A value above 100 means that online travel planners believe that the Internet has had a positive impact on the travel planning activity, while a score below 100 indicates online travel planners report that access to the Internet has resulted in declines in the particular activity. Example: % reporting increased a lot/increased a little = 52% % reporting decreased a lot/decreased a little = 9% Online Traveler Activity Score: 52 9 = or 143 In general, use of the Internet among online travel planners has expanded the amount of information available for travel planning purposes, while reducing the more traditional aspects of travel planning, including calling travel providers, ordering brochures and stopping at visitor or welcome centers for information. In effect, the Internet has changed the face of travel planning from ordering and asking to having the required information readily available. Not that long ago, Americans planning their leisure trips relied on printed travel guides, maps and brochures to plan trips. Destinations printed thousands of travel guides and brochures and often gauged interest in visiting the destination by the amount of collateral distributed each year. Often running out of visitor guides before the end of the travel year, destinations now more often find themselves with thousands of undistributed copies not knowing if the Internet is the cause for unused travel guides or if the advertising had not generated the desired interest in visiting the destination. In the past, destinations also either established or contracted out phone banks to handle requests for travel literature. The mail rooms and phone banks are now becoming a thing of the past as consumers turn to the Internet for travel information at the touch of a finger. 75

86 Impact of the Internet on Travel Planning Activities Among Online Travel Planners (Continued) The results of the 15 travel planning activities, which are detailed in Figures 5.6 through 5.20, are summarized in Figure 5.5. Access to the Internet among online travel planners has resulted in increases in the number of destinations under consideration and actually visited, it the number of sources used to plan the trip and the amount of home-printed information taken on the trip. At the same time, the explosive expansion of Internet use among online travel planners has resulted in fewer requests for printed brochures, travel guidebooks and maps, and calls placed to toll-free numbers to either obtain information or to make a booking. Perhaps most importantly from a marketing standpoint, the use of magazine, TV and radio advertising to obtain travel ideas is low and declining with each successive survey. Figure 5.5 also indicates changes in Online Traveler Activity Scores between 2007 and Interestingly, activity scores among online planners declined between 2007 and 2010 across the seven activities on which the Internet has a positive impact. Number of places actually visited declined from an index of 140 in 2007 to 128 as of Amount of printouts taken on the trip also dropped by 12 points. The positive scores for 2007 and 2010 among online business and pleasure online planners showed less variation between the two survey periods with the exception of time spent on advance planning and amount of printouts taken on the trip, both of which fell by 14 points. No scores increased among online business and pleasure planners between 2007 and 2010, although h some remained unchanged. Similar to all online travel planners, positive scores for online pleasure only planners declined across the board with the exception of extent of sharing travel experiences with others, which increased from 129 to 131 between 2007 and Online activities below 100, which represent declines in travel planning activities due to the Internet, also declined between een 2007 and 2010 with only few exceptions. The Online Activity Scores in the following tables are ranked from high to low on Online Planners. 76

87 Figure 5.5 Internet Travel Planning Online Activity Score 2007 and 2010 POSITIVE EFFECT OF INTERNET ON TRAVEL PLANNING Online Pleasure Only Planners Online Business & Pleasure Planners Online Planners Number of places considered Number of information sources used for planning Extent of sharing travel experiences with others Number of places actually visited it Time spent on advance planning Amount of printouts taken on trips Amount of money spent on travel

88 Figure 5.5 (Continued) Internet Travel Planning Online Activity Score 2007 and 2010 Online Pleasure Only Planners Online Business & Pleasure Planners Online Planners DECLINES IN TRAVEL PLANNING ACTIVITIES Likelihood of calling to make hotel reservations Stops at visitor centers at destination Use of ads on TV, radio or press for travel ideas Number of brochures ordered Likelihood of buying travel guides/maps Likelihood of calling a rental car agency Likelihood of calling a travel agency or airline Likelihood of calling state/local tourism offices

89 Figure 5.6 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Number of Places/Destinations Considered to Visit Among Online Travel Planners,

90 Figure 5.7 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Number of Information Sources Used for Trip Planning Among Online Travel Planners,

91 Figure 5.8 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Number of Places/Destinations Actually Visited Among Online Travel Planners,

92 Figure 5.9 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Extent to Which One Shares Travel Experiences with Others Among Online Travel Planners,

93 Figure 5.10 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Amount of Information (Printouts) Taken on Trips Among Online Travel Planners,

94 Figure 5.11 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Amount of Time Spent on Advance Planning Among Online Travel Planners,

95 Figure 5.12 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Amount of Money Spent on Travel Among Online Travel Planners,

96 Figure 5.13 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Stops at Visitor Information Centers at Destination Among Online Travel Planners,

97 Figure 5.14 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Likelihood of Calling to Make Hotel Reservations Among Online Travel Planners,

98 Figure 5.15 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Number of Brochures Ordered Among Online Travel Planners,

99 Figure 5.16 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Use of Ads on TV, Radio or Press for Travel Ideas Among Online Travel Planners,

100 Figure 5.17 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Likelihood of Buying Travel Guidebooks/Maps Among Online Travel Planners,

101 Figure 5.18 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Likelihood of Calling a Car Rental Company Among Online Travel Planners,

102 Figure 5.19 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Likelihood of Calling a Travel Agency or Airline Among Online Travel Planners,

103 Figure 5.20 Extent to Which Internet Has Affected Travel Planning: Likelihood of Calling State/Local Tourism Offices Among Online Travel Planners,

104 94

105 Section VI. Travel Products Purchased Online

106 96

107 Introduction Perhaps the most important challenge for the tourism industry has been to convert lookers those seeking information about a travel product or service on the Internet to bookers those actually making reservations or buying travel products and services online. The results of this study indicate that this no longer is a significant issue as 81 percent of online travel planners reported using the Internet to make travel reservations or payments online for travel services including airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars or travel packages/tours in the past 12 months. Fully 90 percent of business and pleasure travel planners actually purchased travel-related products online, as compared to 78 percent of pleasure only travel planners. 97

108 98

109 Figure 6.1 Types of Websites Used for Reservations for Airline Ticket, Hotel Room, Rental Car or Packaged Tour Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Online travel planners use both online travel agency websites and company websites in almost equal percentages to either purchase or make payments for airline tickets, lodging, packaged tours and rental cars. Online business and pleasure travel planners are more likely than all travel planners and pleasure only travel planners to use either company or online travel agency websites for travel purchases. There are no significant differences in the percentages between 2007 and

110 Figure 6.2 Travel Products and Services Purchased damong Online Travel Planners, 2010 Lodging and airline tickets are the two most-mentioned travel products purchased online by online travel planners who have booked a trip within the past year. Online business and pleasure travel planners are more likely than online pleasure only travel planners to purchase a range of travel products and services. Compared to 2007, online business and pleasure travel planners are more likely in 2010 to purchase airline tickets and lodging online, but somewhat less likely to purchase tickets for spectator sport events and tickets for concerts,,plays and shows. 100

111 Figure 6.3 Change in Travel Products and Services Purchased Among Online Travel Planners, 2005 and 2010 The travel products and services purchased online by online travel planners has changed dramatically since 2005 and has not. Use of the Internet to make hotel reservations, purchase airline tickets and reserve rental cars has exploded since In 2005, for example, 32 percent of online travel planners reported using the Internet to make lodging reservations. The number doubled by At the same time, use of the Internet to buy tickets for attractions, events and activities remains small and near 2005 levels. 101

112 Figure 6.4 Money Spent for Pleasure Trip-Related Products & Services Among Online Travel Planners, 2010 Respondents were asked to estimate the total amount of money spent online for travel-related related products or services over the past year. Half (50%) of online travel planners who used the Internet to book a trip reported spending $1,000 or more online last year representing no change from Less than half of online pleasure only travel planners (46%) said they spent $1,000 or more in the past year on travel products and services. However, 64 percent of online business and pleasure travel planners reported spending $1,000 or more on travel products and services. Among online business and pleasure travel planners, the percentage spending $500 - $999 declined from 22 percent to 16 percent between 2009 and 2010, while the percentage spending $1,000 to $2,499 increased from 20 percent to 25 percent. 102

113 Figure 6.5 Total Spent for Business Trip- Related Travel Products and Services Among Online Business & Pleasure Travel Planners, 2010 Online business and pleasure travel planners were also asked to estimate their annual online expenditures for business only travel. Half (50%) of online business and pleasure travel planners reported spending $1,000 or more on all business travel-related products and services purchased online in the past 12 months. This represents a decline, however, from the 63 percent who reported this level of spending in the 2007 survey, and most likely reflects declining business travel budgets due to the recession. 103

114 104

115 Section VII. Online Bookers vs. Online Non-Bookers

116 106

117 Introduction Perhaps, the most important segment of online travelers includes those persons who actually use the Internet to make travel reservations or payments, as they represent the current online travel market. This study indicates that 81 percent of the 93 million online travel planners made travel reservations online during the past year, translating into an estimated 75 million online bookers. 107

118 108

119 Figure 7.1 Information Sources Typically Used for Trip Planning Among Bookers and Non-Bookers, 2010 Online travel planners who did not use the Internet to book any aspect of business or pleasure trips taken in the past year are less likely than online bookers to rely on the Internet for travel information. However, even though they opted not to book online, the majority (75%) of online nonbookers still used the Internet for travel planning information. Online non-bookers were slightly more inclined than online bookers to use word-of-mouth and travel brochures for travel planning information. Compared with 2007, the percentage of online bookers relying on travel brochures and travel guidebooks declined in

120 Figure 7.2 Extent of Internet Use for Travel Planning Among Online Bookers and Non- Bookers, 2010 Not surprisingly, online travel bookers are much more likely than online non-bookers to use the Internet to plan all or most of their trips. Indeed, a majority (62%) of the online travel bookers indicate that they arranged 75 to 100 percent of their travel online. This compares to 27 percent of those who do not book travel online. On the other hand, half of online non-bookers planned less than 50 percent of their trips using the Internet. Use of the Internet as the sole source for travel planning information among bookers has become more prevalent. In 2007, 27 percent of online bookers conducted all of their travel planning through the Internet. Less than two years later, that figure has increased to 31 percent. 110

121 Figure 7.3 Websites Used for Travel Planning Among Online Bookers and Non-Bookers, 2010 The most popular websites used for planning by online travel bookers in the past year included d online travel agency sites, company sites and search engines. Interestingly, the percentage of online bookers reporting use of online travel agencies, company sites and search engines declined between 2007 and At the same time, the percentage of online non-bookers using online travel agency sites for travel planning also declined falling from 39 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in The percentage of online non- bookers relying on search engines for travel planning information, however, increased from 58 percent to 66 percent between the two survey periods. 111

122 Figure 7.4 Types of Online Travel Planning Actions Among Online Bookers and Non- Bookers, 2010 The primary emphasis of the Internet for online non-bookers is to obtain information on destinations either particular destinations or potential destinations to visit. They also want to know how to get to the destination, but are not interested in using the Internet to book their trip components. Online bookers are equally likely to use the Internet to obtain information about particular and potential destinations to visit and for maps and driving directions; however, that is where the similarities end. Online bookers are substantially more likely than online non-bookers to use the Internet to obtain information on hotel prices, airfares, rental car prices and dining and entertainment information; not surprising, since they intend, for the most part, to use the Internet to book portions of their trip. 112

123 Figure 7.5 Reasons for Not Booking Through h an Online Travel Agency Questions were placed on the October 2009 travelhorizons TM survey, to determine why U.S. adult leisure travelers who reported using an online travel agency (OTA) to plan their trip booked their trip through means other than an OTA. The survey revealed that a third of non-ota bookers felt that they were able to obtain better rates either through another website or offline than through the online travel agency. A fourth said they preferred to make reservations through a real person. About one in ten expressed concerns about sharing personal and financial information online. Others noted they were able to get a better deal through offline negotiations. Sources: U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnership, travelhorizons TM, October

124 Figure 7.6 Online Travel Planning Activities Among Online Bookers and Online Non- Bookers, 2010 Both online bookers and online nonbookers report using the Internet to print out travel brochures and other information. And they are equally likely to request copies of printed brochures and other travel planning collateral. Some members of both groups also use the Internet t to read travel-related blogs. Although equal percentages of both groups report reading blogs, online bookers are much more likely than online non- bookers to view comments posted by travelers. Few of either online bookers or nonbookers download videos, use a live chat to talk with travel experts or to listen to travel-related audio as sources for trip planning information. 114

125 Figure 7.7 Online Registration Among Online Bookers and Non- Bookers, 2010 Consistent with previous results, online travel bookers are more likely than those who do not book travel online to register online to receive access to special travel information. The percentage of online bookers who report using the Internet to register to receive special information, however, has declined, from 46 percent in 2007 to 41 percent in At the same time, the percentage of online nonbookers registering to receive special information i has increased, from 21 percent in 2007 to 25 percent in Both online bookers and online nonbookers are equally likely to use the Internet to register to win something and to request or download a travel guide. 115

126 Figure 7.8 Response to Types of Online Ads Among Online Bookers and Non-Bookers, 2010 Similar to findings for online travel planners, online bookers and online non-bookers rarely respond to pop-up and banner advertising for travel planning information. Only 4 percent of online bookers said they often or always clicked on pop-up ads and only 7 percent said they clicked on banner advertisements. Both groups are only marginally more likely to open either s from advertisers or paid listings. 116

127 Figure 7.9 Satisfaction with Use of Internet for Travel Planning Among Online Bookers and Non-Bookers, 2010 Perhaps indicating a reason that online travel planners elect not to book online, only 30 percent of online non-bookers say they are extremely satisfied with the Internet for travel planning purposes compared to 61 percent among online bookers. In total, t 71 percent of online nonbookers are somewhat to extremely satisfied with the Internet for travel planning purposes compared to 95 percent among online bookers. Online non-bookers are clearly less enamored with the Internet for travel planning purposes versus online bookers. However, satisfaction with the Internet for planning purposes is on the rise for both online bookers and online non-bookers, due primarily to a shift from somewhat satisfied to extremely satisfied. 117

128 Figure 7.10 Usefulness of Internet in Planning Aspects of Trip Among Online Bookers and Non-Bookers, 2010 Similar to online travel planners, online bookers and online non- bookers rank the value of the Internet t the same in terms of helping to identify potential and actual destinations and in providing information on ways to get to the destination. Online travel bookers are much more likely than online non-bookers to rate the Internet as very useful or essential in terms of deciding what lodging to use, what to do once at the destination and where to eat. 118

129 Figure 7.11 Usefulness of Internet in Helping to Plan Aspects of Ti Trip Among Online Bookers and Non-Bookers, 2010 Like online travel planners, online bookers and non-bookers agree that the Internet t provides a wide range of benefits for trip planning purposes. Online travel bookers, as expected, rate usefulness of the Internet for travel planning higher than online nonbookers, particularly in terms of providing better value for my money (a 20 point difference). From the perspective of this research it would be helpful to understand why online travel planners elect not to make purchases online. There are no appreciable differences in scores between 2007 and