Canada's Travel Industry Fails to Keep Pace as Travelers' Mobile Expectations Accelerate

Home to one of the first leaders in the global smartphone revolution, the storied maker of the BlackBerry messenger and smartphones, Canada has been somewhat sleepy when it comes to the mobile travel revolution. According to Phocuswright's Canadian Online Travel Overview Third Edition: 2012-2016 (a European and Global Edition publication), gross bookings via mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) remain well below that of the U.S., Europe and even Asia, with mobile as a share of all online bookings still in the low single digits.

"When it comes to mobile, Canada's travel industry – with a few exceptions – has let the consumer pass it by. The Canadian traveler is already there," said Phocuswright's vice president, research, Douglas Quinby. "Four in five Canadian travelers own mobile devices and a significant minority of travelers use their devices across a range of travel activities."

More than 40% of mobile travelers researched local activities or destinations on their devices. Over one third of travelers with smartphones also have researched travel products (i.e., hotel rooms or flights) or accessed their existing travel reservations.

Phocuswright's Canadian Online Travel Overview Third Edition: 2012-2016 provides a comprehensive analysis, market sizing and forecasting of the Canadian travel market through 2016. The report provides in-depth research on traveler consumer behavior, key trends shaping Canada's distinct travel sectors, and the evolution and future of online and mobile booking.

Key topics include:

• Sizing of Canada's total and online travel markets, including projections through 2016 and comparisons to other global markets
• Analysis of all major travel product segments: airlines, lodging (including vacation rentals and private accommodation), tour operators, online travel agencies (OTAs), car rentals, cruises and travel insurance
• Analysis of consumer travel behavior, including destination selection, shopping and booking behavior, traveler expectations, use of technology and more
• Mobile trends and gross bookings for airlines, hotels and OTAs