01. 07. 10. - 15:00

Massive rise in online holiday bookings

Austrian travel agencies are poised to strengthen their focus on the internet as new research reveals the number of online holiday bookings soared dramatically cent over the past three years.

Statistik Austria said today (Thurs) around 800,000 Austrians booked trips on the internet last year, up by 86 per cent compared to 2006.

Martin Bachlechner, head of market-leading travel agency Verkehrsbüro Group, said companies must react to this development by intensifying their engagement in the World Wide Web.

He explained agencies must continue to present themselves as a "safe" option to book holidays. Bachlechner said he was convinced they would continue to exist as customers appreciate good service in insecure times. He mentioned strikes and flight cancellations in this regard.

The majority of holidaymakers choosing "complex" vacations such as cruise ship trips was still using agencies, according to the Verkehrsbüro Group boss. Bachlechner also said the importance of the internet as a source of information was continuing to rise, while an increasing number of flights and package holidays were booked online.

Jan Valentin, head of online holiday agency Travel24.com, said people would appreciate the unlimited research and price comparison opportunities of the internet. Valentin also claimed bargain offers were found online more easily than at agencies’ offices.

Statistik Austria meanwhile announced that the overall number of overnights across Austria soared by 3.1 per cent to 6.49 million in May compared to the same month in 2009.

The statistics body pointed out there had been a 9.3 per cent jump of overnights at hotels of the four and five star category, while the number of overnights at less pricey hotels and pensions shrunk.

Hotel bosses feared a decline as the month was dominated by unusually low temperatures and a lot of rain. Spa resorts and city hotels however benefited from the cold weather.

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