Summer Travelers use the Internet to help plan their vacations.

Gas Prices Having Minimal Impact

Burlington, MA (July 17, 2006) Nearly three-quarters (73.6%) of “summer travelers” say they will use the Internet to help plan their summer vacation according to a recent Burst Media survey of nearly 3,000 web users 18 years and older. Use of the Internet to plan summer travel grows as reported household income (HHI) increases – going from two-thirds (64.5%) of respondents reporting HHI of $35,000 or less, to 82.9% of respondents reporting HHI of $75,000 or more.

Four out of five (79.2%) respondents report that they will take a personal trip or vacation this summer that will entail at least one night away from home. Among this “summer travel” segment, one-half (52.3%) say the number of trips they plan to take is “the same” as the number they took last year, 27.7% say they will be traveling more frequently and 20.0% say less frequently. Over one-third (38.7%) of respondents traveling less frequently say the price of gasoline has had an impact on their summer travel plans.

Among respondents who will not be traveling this summer, 44.5% stated that they did travel last year. Within this segment, one-third (33.2%) say the price of gasoline played a role in their decision not to travel this summer.

Destination and Rate Information Most Sought-After ContentRespondents were asked what features/content of a travel website make them want to return to the site. The top choices were destination information (63.2%) and the ability to check flight, hotel, and car rental rates/availability (60.6%). These were followed by travel promotions and specials (54.0%), travel bulletins and alerts (24.7%), chat/forum areas covering destinations (14.4%), the ability to personalize pages (14.3%), and an opt-in newsletter (10.7%).

Half of Respondents Used the Internet/Checked Email While on Vacation

One out of two (50.4%) respondents say they used the Internet or checked email during their last vacation away from home. More men than women surveyed stated that they used the Internet when last on vacation – 56.3% vs. 47.3%, respectively. Interestingly, among women, older age segments (45 years and older) were more likely than respondents 18-44 years to say they have used the Internet while last on vacation.

“Travel and tourism generates enormous economic activity throughout the year; however, no time is more popular to travel than the summer months. Summer travel often requires advance research and planning, and for many the Internet has become not only the definitive travel information resource, but the preferred method to complete travel transactions,” says Chuck Moran, Manager of Market Research for Burst. “Consumers are actively using the Internet as an information resource and a place to make travel purchases. Advertisers should take advantage of the web’s ability to target specific travel audiences such as families, and the affluent.”

For more information at http://www.burstmedia.com