Web-based travel arrangements dominate market

Tuesday, August 14, 2018 - 10:19 by Graham Miller

Close to two thirds of Brits who arranged a summer holiday this year did so via an online service, according to the latest survey from Awin.

Two thousand people were questioned in the study, which reaffirms the idea that the majority of people prefer to organise trips via safe shopping online, rather than at a bricks and mortar agency.

Twenty seven per cent said that they did indeed take the traditional route and head to the high street to book a holiday, while just under a tenth said that they made arrangements for their getaway with a phone call.

Fifty five per cent said that they took advantage of sites which allowed them to compare prices in order to get the best deal on flights and accommodation.

Savings for package trips were at an average of £325, which shows that there is good reason to harness shopping online aside from its pure convenience when it comes to booking holidays.

Consumers also typically slashed £168 off the price of a flight by comparing prices, rather than going direct through airlines themselves.

A fifth of respondents said that they cut the cost of their holiday this year by using an offer code, equating to an expected saving of around 10 per cent.

Just over twelve per cent per cent said that they even made savings via cashback schemes which a number of operators provide, giving them a bit more flexibility when budgeting for vacations.

Since the web rose to prominence more than two decades ago, booking holidays online has been fairly commonplace. This means it is no surprise to see internet-based organisation dominating at the moment, even if it has yet to completely wipe high street travel agents off the map.

Whether the final group of consumers who are still visiting real world stores to book holidays will ever be converted remains to be seen.