PhoCusWright Research

Despite the pervasive fragmentation of the market, group buying has serious potential in European travel. The key for suppliers is appealing to the unique preferences of individual country markets. With economic growth across most of Europe stuttering, Europeans have taken to holidaying within the continent and are taking shorter but more frequent domestic holidays.
[ view more details ]

Online travel is no longer the domain of wealthy nations with pervasive computer and Internet access. It is universal. Any traveler with a computer, tablet or mobile device can make an online transaction - from just about anywhere. This publication compares total and online leisure/unmanaged business travel gross bookings in the U.S., Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
[ view more details ]

With 74 million visitors, international travel to France fell in 2009 as a result of the global economic crisis and the relative strength of the euro. However, the fall in international visitors was offset by growth in domestic tourism. Despite declining overall sales, the online component of the French travel market grew slightly in 2009. However, growth rates were not even across all sectors, as airline, rail, and car hire online sales dropped in line with revenue reductions in their respective sectors.
[ view more details ]

Encompassing Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the Scandinavian travel market totaled gross bookings declined in 2009 from the previous year. The downturn in bookings, however, is modest in comparison to the rest of Europe. In terms of online bookings, Scandinavian sales were flat for the first time. Nevertheless, online penetration jumped over four percentage points from 2008. This is the second highest online penetration in Europe after the U.K.
[ view more details ]

Italy's travel market is recovering from its 2009 low. However, this recovery is not like previous rebounds and will be characterized by particularly sluggish growth in the months to come. Even though total market revenues diminished in 2009, online direct bookings grew. Online travel agencies (OTAs) increased their market share, as their lower distribution costs provided better deals to consumers in search of a bargain.
[ view more details ]

The economic and financial crises have deeply affected the Spanish travel industry. Demand has dropped, especially from international visitors, and credit to travel companies has become scarcer. The financial crisis affected some travel segments more than others. Despite the economic challenges, rail grew in 2009 and OTAs remained relatively stable. On the other hand, traditional airlines, low-cost carriers, car rental companies, tour operators, and hotels all suffered strong declines.
[ view more details ]

Facing the aftermath of the financial crisis - which severely affected nearly all European economies - Germany was able to avoid high unemployment rates and maintain relative economic stability throughout 2009. Nevertheless, growth in all sectors of the travel industry slowed, dragging total gross bookings for the German travel market down.
[ view more details ]

In 2009, the U.K. was still reeling from the global financial crisis. Due to budget constraints,travelers took fewer trips, knocking outbound holidays and trips to visit friends and relatives down. All in all, however, the U.K. travel market is seeing light at the end of the tunnel. GDP is projected to grow in 2010 officially signaling the end of the recession, and travel will pick up again.
[ view more details ]

While 2010 brought needed relief to Europe's online travel industry, growth for the year will be minimal. The recession slashed a wound across European nations that will not heal overnight - but it also pushed more travelers online to search for deals, boosting penetration in historically lagging markets. PhoCusWright's European Online Travel Overview Sixth Edition provides in-depth analysis and sizing for the total market and online leisure/unmanaged business travel, including trending by segment and channel for Europe overall as well as six key individual markets - France, Germany, Italy, Scandinavia, Spain and the U.K.
[ view more details ]

Understanding the dynamics of European traveler behavior is critical for travel companies building brands in the U.K., France and Germany.
[ view more details ]