Metrics 2.0: 150 million consumers visited a travel Web site in 2005, says comScore

comScore found that nearly 150 million consumers visited a travel Web site in 2005, a 35-percent increase over the previous year. Annual online travel revenues exceeded $60 billion in 2005, representing a 20-percent increase versus 2004, with all travel segments posting gains.

Global airline industry had revenues of $326 billion in 2006 and is projected to increase to $356 billion in 2006, according to IATA.

$73.4 billion
Estimated 2006 online travel sales
$211.4 billion
Estimated 2006 total retail e-commerce including online travel

(Source: Shop.org report)

The branded supplier sites captured approximately 57 percent of online travel dollars in 2005, up from 55 percent in 2004.
A similar pattern has emerged in the hotel segment, where supplier sites have grown from a 52 percent share in 2003 to 59 percent in 2005.
When people begin the process of researching travel services online, 46% indicated that the first site they visited was either Expedia, Travelocity or Orbitz – nearly double the proportion of people who reported starting their research at a branded airline, hotel or car rental site (24%).
72% surveyed indicated that they begin their planning for leisure travel within eight weeks before taking the trip, with only 28% saying that they start researching and planning more than two months ahead of time.

Business & Market Intelligence

150 million consumers visited a travel Web site in 2005, says comScore