Consumers are changing the way they use the Internet. Increasingly, consumers compare prices online before booking offline. 70% of active leisure travelers report using the Net to check fares, rates and availability’s, It comes as no surprise, therefore, that 77% of active leisure travelers prefer web sites like Expedia and Travelocity that feature multiple brands over brand specific sites.  This suggests that consumers welcome the diversity of choice provided by the online travel sellers who offer a plethora of brands.

The study looked at the search, visiting and buying behaviour of consumers over eight weeks following the initiation of travel research in April 2005. In that month, 35 million U.S. consumers used a search engine to initiate travel planning, and those who bought travel online ultimately spent an estimated $6.6 billion in the category during the eight week analysis period. James Lamberti, vice-president of comScore Search Marketing Solutions, observed: ”We've long known that the Web is an invaluable resource for travel planning, and now we've further quantified the impact of search engines in driving travel bookings. The latent and multi-channel effects of search are particularly noteworthy: for every travel purchase occurring directly after a search referral, an additional five search-related purchases occur at a later time, across both online and offline channels.” Of the 35 million consumers searching for travel in April 2005, close to one-third purchased a travel-related service either online or offline within the eight weeks following the initial search.

Among these buyers, 80 per cent completed travel purchases online. The discovery that 20 per cent of these buyers ultimately completed a travel purchase offline underscores the influence of online research across all buying channels.

Nearly 45 million people booked travel over the internet in the past year up nearly 6% from one year ago. And the number of online bookers doing all of their travel booking online has grown to 40%, up from 29% a year ago.

According to the 2004 National Travel Monitor, 63% of active leisure travelers now use the internet to plan some aspect of a future vacation (up from 53% in 2002), and 45% now book travel services online (up from 32% in 2002).

Nearly 45million people booked travel over the internet in the past year up nearly 6% from one year ago. And the number of online bookers doing all of their travel booking online has grown to 40%, up from 29% a year ago.

The use of email to market travel promotions has become an effective tool for travel suppliers. Over 36 million online travelers have signed up with a travel supplier website or online travel service to receive email offers and promotions. In addition, nearly 11 million say they have taken a trip they otherwise would not have taken based on an emailed travel promotion.

68% of consumers polled rated the need for sites to simultaneously display fares and rates for competing suppliers as extremely/very desirable. Meta search sites that scrape info from multiple websites and present them in a ranked order in a user friendly manner. As such, consumers can shop multiple brands, suppliers without having to waste time visiting multiple sites. This comes as welcome news for consumers because they can evaluate multiple brands and options simultaneously.

The online travel market in the United States has grown rapidly during the past year, hitting US $54 billion in 2004 and accounting for 23% of travel purchased. In this highly price-sensitive industry, search engines are becoming a critical part of the marketing mix: more consumers are prompted to visit travel sites.

Average amount typically spent on outdoor adventure trips was $2100US compared to $533US spent on pleasure/holiday trips (with mean value generally increasing with age). The average number of days spent on a typical outdoor adventure trip was 9 days; substantially longer that the average American's pleasure/holiday trip at 4 days according to stats Canada.

Outdoor tourism is growing around the world. Canada is will positioned to attract much of this growth and the industry has grown 15% per year over the past 5 years. The market is expected to increase significantly and international demand will rise. The largest and fastest growing travel markets are wealthier, better educated, want to travel and are seeking new and more enriching experiences related to adventure, nature and culture. They expect to stay longer and are prepared to spend more. These travelers are becoming more demanding, looking for highly specialized guiding services as well as personalized service. Trends indicate that a growth in off season travel is being noted and that visitors are looking more and more for an ‘authentic’ and exciting outdoors experience. Aboriginal, cultural and educational tourism products are of high interest. Women are playing a more important role in all travel decisions. Another trend is the exponential growth in internet use for travel research and online booking.

Canadians:

1. in 1996 20 million took part in one or more nature related trips spending over $11 billion

Americans:

1. 14.9 million, 79% of all visitors to Canada in 1999, were Americans spending a total of $6.7 billion. Approximately 66% of these visited provincial parks and participated in adventure tourism experiences