Tablets and Smartphones To Drive Next Phase Of Online Travel Growth

Attendees at the WTM Vision Conference Rimini will hear how the rapid adoption of tablets and smartphones by consumers around the globe is creating a new business environment for the travel and tourism industry. The fifth annual WTM Vision Conference – Rimini, in association with TTG Italia, will take place during TTG Incontri in Italy on 9 October.

Euromonitor International will present research showing how smartphones will become a significant transactional channel as customers become more comfortable using their devices for purchases as well as research.

According to Euromonitor, global online travel sales accounted for US$589 billion in 2013, amounting to 25 percent of total travel and tourism sales. Online sales are expected to grow faster than the total travel industry, growing 10 percent year-on-year and reaching US$827 billion by 2017.

And in 2017, 45 percent of the world’s population or 3.3 billion people will be internet users, with smartphones the most popular way of getting online.

Euromonitor also notices some changes to consumer behavior as a result of the proliferation of devices and wider Internet penetration.

It suggested that “online and mobile developments have enabled to increasingly bypass traditional distribution, which has helped to drive growth in new business models and, particularly, peer-to-peer.”

The dominance of portable devices over fixed-line computers for Internet access has led to the emergence of multi-screen consumer. Euromonitor refers to Google research, which identifies sequential and simultaneous usage trends.

“In the case of sequential usage, smartphones are generally the starting point for consumers, who then move to PC, tablet or TV to continue their search for information on travel destinations and services, and possibly make their travel bookings. In the case of simultaneous usage, consumers will typically make a search on brands watched in TD advertisements through their smartphone or tablet,” Euromonitor said.

Euromonitor International is a leading provider of global business intelligence and market analysis and provides research data and analysis for industries, countries, companies, and consumers.