by editor’s office, vir
The fact that 64% of German homes are connected to the Internet by now, that is, 2% more than in the previous year, may be good news, but certainly not surprising ones. Similarly unsurprising is the fact that higher income and education bring with them higher rates of Internet access and an increased frequency of travel. A lot more exciting, on the other hand, is taking a detailed look at the recently released results of this representative study, with a focus on the relation of Internet access and individual intensity of travel. Two figures stand out:
94% of Internet users ages 16 to 64 who have traveled in the last 12 months had previously done research on their trip on the Internet.
79% of those who have once booked a trip on-line have again done their booking on the Internet in the last 12 months.
Being representative of the population, these results can doubtlessly be considered a success for all of the on-line industry, showing that not only are Internet users exceptionally eager to do research, they also tend to be so content with their on-line activities that they see no reason to go back to booking the conventional way the next time. This means that, along with an increasing part of economic life, the future of traveling, too, is now taking place on-line. This can be attributed in large part to on-line portals, such as those organized under the VIR, and their rigid dedication to quality and customer satisfaction.
About the method applied: The conclusions are based on the two surveys „Reiseanalyse 2009“ and “Reiseanalyse online 11/2008” of Vacation and Travel Research Society FUR. A detailed overview of the data and methods applied can be found at the on-line VIR Market Mirror at http://www.v-i-r.de/forschungdaten-buchungen-2009.information-und-buchung—onliner-reisende-fur-ra09-raonline-11-081165.html#top (German).
VIR – Internet Travel Marketing Association: Organ of the tourism-related Internet economy
VIR pursues the core issues of Internet security, trust, transparency and quality standards. The association acts as the organ of the tourism-related Internet economy and as contact partner for consumers, the media and the industry itself. Among its members are seven of Germany’s leading on-line travel portals (ebookers.de, expedia.de, holidaycheck.de, gratistours.com, lastminute.de, opodo.de and travel24.com), which generate turnovers of close to one billion euros and together employ more than 500 people. In the second half of 2008, these travel portals were visited by an average of 3 million people each month.
