Travel sector breaks records online

23 Jul 2004

The online travel industry has seen traffic hit an all time high this month as UK travellers seek out the cheapest fares to European destinations, according to online measurement company Hitwise.

Hitwise data collected and analysed in June this year reveals that the online travel sector is currently receiving 4.16 per cent of all UK Internet traffic.

This represents a four per cent increase on January's record-breaking figures and marks an all-time high for the UK travel industry.

Overall, this month's figures show that the travel sector has seen a 23 per cent rise in web traffic over the past year.

This news is a healthy sign for the future of the online travel industry, reflecting an ongoing shift away from traditional high street travel agencies to the Internet.

In the commercial airlines sector the websites of start-up, no-frills airlines are consistently proving more popular than many long-established carriers.

Market leaders easyJet and Ryanair continue to maintain their hold on the first and second positions in the Commercial Airlines category this month - ahead of traditional industry leader British Airways.

Both websites currently hold a combined 38 per cent of market share of visits to the Commercial Airlines category, while other discount airlines such as Jet2 and MyTravelLite rank well within the Top 20 Commercial Airlines sites.

Evidently the continuing popularity of no-frills airlines and increasing consumer confidence in online travel agencies is pushing the industry to further heights, whilst forcing more traditional operators to scale down their offerings in response to rapidly declining market share.

Sources: Hitwise

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