Chinese and Russian travellers are increasingly making use of the Internet to book trips instead of going to travel agencies. This is according to a special evaluation of IPK International’s World Travel Monitor, commissioned by ITB Berlin, which showed that, from 2008 to 2012, the market share of Internet bookings in China more than doubled, rising from 19% to 39%. The market share of Internet bookings in Russia has nearly quadrupled, rising from 9% to 42%, which means more trips were booked on the Internet than through travel agencies.
SA’s more established key source markets, particularly the UK, are among the most avid Internet users. Among British travellers, the Internet was the booking instrument of choice for 78% of their trips – a 47% increase in Internet bookings over 2008. Only 15% of foreign trips were booked through travel agencies, almost two-thirds less than in 2008. Italy, Canada, Japan, France, and The Netherlands also represent travel markets with above-average Internet bookings (between 61% and 67%), whereas in Germany the use of this medium was below average, at 53%.
Despite the rise in Internet bookings, in China and Russia travel agencies have retained a high market share as a medium for booking trips. In China, 52% of all trips abroad are booked through travel agencies, which means that despite their decline they remain the most important place for booking travel. In Russia 36% of trips are booked through travel agencies.
