Mobile Rising: German Adoption Trails France and U.K.

Mobile adoption among European travelers continues to grow, with intentions for travel-related mobile activity in the next twelve months surging. Yet not all travelers are equally "mad for mobile" across the French, German and U.K. markets, according to Phocuswright's European Consumer Travel Report Second Edition.

On average, over half of travelers with mobile phones in the three markets use them to access the Internet. German travelers, however, are significantly less inclined to have smartphones (45%) than French and U.K. travelers (58% for both). Yet when they do access the Internet on their mobile devices, Germans do not lag far in performing travel-related activities – 13% of French mobile users have made a booking compared to 11% of Germans.

All three markets saw a huge rise in intentions for travel-related mobile activity in the next 12 months, with travelers keen to research and purchase travel products via mobile, as well as to use their phones for real-time in-destination functions. Despite a growing desire to connect while on-the-go, gaps in mobile engagement persist. While 32% of French mobile users and 28% of those in the U.K. plan to book on their phone in the next year, just 20% of Germans anticipate doing so.



Phocuswright's European Consumer Travel Report Second Edition examines traveler attitudes and behavior in three major European markets: France, Germany and the U.K. By providing analysis of both concrete behavior – including channel and segment usage, trip frequency and spend – as well as softer elements, such as intentions, influences and attitudes, the report paints an in-depth, comprehensive picture of consumers in each of these markets. In addition to taking stock of the current state of consumer travel, this report provides critical insight into traveler behavior in 2011 by positioning consumer trends within the context of larger trends in the industry. Highlights of the report include:

• Examination of general traveler behavior, including trip frequency and duration, travel party composition, travel spend and intentions for the upcoming year
• Summary of air travel and lodging trends, along with analysis of other travel components including car rental and rail travel
• Analysis of consumers' approach to the travel planning process – destination selection, shopping and purchasing – as well as how they share their experiences after traveling
• Detailed review of online and offline channel usage, including the information sources consumers use to select their leisure travel products
• Examination of booking trends, and the factors that influence consumers to choose one method over another
• Overview of how consumers use their mobile phones, along with the travel-related phone activities that are beginning to gain traction
• Analysis of traveler habits for sharing travel experiences, including social network usage and activities

Phocuswright's European Consumer Travel Report Second Edition – a Global and European Edition publication – is available for purchase. Introductory pricing (save 10% off the regular price of US$1,695) is in effect through November 15, 2011.