National Travel Monitor Confirms Importance of Internet
May 9, 2007. Whether they are reserving a luxury vacation rental, planning activities or mapping their itinerary, more and more travelers are using the Internet. That should be no surprise to most of our readers, but this year's National Travel Monitor offers some concrete data from a survey of 1,800 travelers. The Chicago Tribune's "Travel Insider" offered a sneak peak at the upcoming report.
Here's what the survey found:
* Sixty-six percent of travelers "use the Internet to do their planning, including their search for airfares and hotels. Another 23 percent rely on the Internet and a travel agent for trip planning, while 5 percent use only a travel agent and 6 percent use neither a travel agent nor the Internet, but rely on recommendations of family and friends."
* Six of 10 leisure travelers now make reservations online, 6 percent more than last year.
* One-third of the travelers who use the Internet said they would not make a reservation online with a credit card because of identity theft concerns.
This just reiterates the importance of a professional online presence for luxury vacation rental owners. The use of a website such as VacationRental.org improves the visibility and credibility of luxury vacation rentals.
Customers with concerns about identity theft can visit the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse for tips about online shopping. Although identity theft in general is one the rise, theft of credit card information during online transactions remains rare, thanks to secure billing devices.
