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Online Travel Sales in US Soar
While dot-coms tanking across the board, the US travel industry and the Internet make a prosperous pair, a market research firm reported Friday.
According to International Data Corporation (IDC), more than US$7 billion worth of airline tickets were sold via the Internet in the United States alone last year. Online hotel and motel room reservations accounted for more than US$2 billion. US Online car rentals will pass the billion-dollar mark this year.
"The ease of substituting one remote channel for another and the lack of need for physical fulfillment make the travel industry ideal for e-commerce," IDC said. "There is a synergy among online travel industry components. Car rental, airline and hotel online sales will all feed off each other."
The biggest factor in stimulating online travel sales will be Web sites designed to meet consumer needs, said IDC, adding that the most successful sites book plane tickets, rooms, cars and related items.
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