Online will be Europe’s preferred travel booking channel by 2017

Until now, the majority of travel bookings are still made offline and not via the internet. By 2017, online will be most popular travel booking channel in Europe. The continent will be the first region on the planet to see online overtaking offline as the leading booking channel for travel products.

Phocuswright, a travel, tourism and hospitality industry research agency, estimates that the continent’s digital penetration for bookings will move past that of North America to reach 52% by the end of 2017.

One reason for the shift is that more people are being connected to the web via broadband technology, and many consumers are using their smartphones to access the internet. Also, travel booking brands are considered to offer trusted methods to search and shop for travel products. Online travel agencies in Europe are established and trusted partners in booking business trips. Online travel agency annual growth rate is 16%, higher than the 13% for online travel and 11 percentage points ahead of the travel sector as a whole (5%).

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