Online Travel Shopping: 4.8 Million And Counting

 Sounds familiar? Online Travel, which was considered the domain of the Internet ‘geeks’ a decade back, is the new mantra for the Internet savvy generation of today. Logging on to the Internet and accessing the vast pool of resources has become the norm of the day.

Today, the fastest growing category for B2C e-commerce in India is Travel. From railways to airlines, hotels to travel packages- virtually every segment of the travel industry is seeing a surge in online bookings.

With the global increase in popularity for Online Travel, Online Travel sales worldwide increased by as much as 34% from 2004 to 2005 and reached $62 billion in the US markets and $31.1 billion in the European markets. Online travel in Asia too, is on a roll, estimated to reach $16 billion by 2006 more than double that in 2003.

The exploding globalisation in India has catalysed the rapid expansion of Internet connectivity and e-commerce activities throughout the country. Today, India boasts of an ever-increasing user base whose understanding of the Internet is at par with that of any developed country, boosted by the fact that 68% of the users lie between the age group 15-30 years.

The emergence of low-cost airlines and online ticket booking along with growth in online railway reservation is the key in this Internet booking boom in India. With the increased trust in security of credit card transactions and online payment options, of the 90 percent of the Indians who planned and researched travel options via the internet, 15-20 percent actually booked using the Internet.

The travel industry is cashing on this growth with dedicated e-commerce portals that enable customers to make online bookings and payments for hotel rooms, air tickets, car rentals as well as holiday packages.

Interactive techniques like search tools targeting multiple airlines and variable airfares allow travellers to zero in on the perfect flight, coupled with search engines for sifting through the large array of hotels and booking options, are a perfect lure for the users, along with the last minute bargains and tempting discounts that have become an integral part of the internet shopping.

The online travel today, brings together the best of technology and interactivity, and extensive industry network in a one-stop solution that drives down costs- all just a few clicks away.

Of the 38.5 million people logged-on in India, the Travel industry accounts for over 23% of internet shopping in India, which translates into a whopping 4.8 million Indian users who venture for the Online Travel.

This acceleration accentuates the travellers’ preference to directly involve themselves and control their travel choices, making Online Travel Shopping in India the most desired pre-departure tool of the day.