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Jan 13, 2006
According
to latest figures from online competitive intelligence firm Hitwise, visits to
travel websites in the first week of January 2006 rose by 15% compared with the
same period last year. These visits accounted for 5.41% of all online traffic
during the said period.
Hitwise
figures revealed that the travel sector hit its second highest peak over the
past 15 months, only marginally lower than the 5.57% share in August 2005.
Moreover, visits grew 25%in the week ending December 31, 2005. "Early
indications are that travel websites are set to enjoy a strong year in
2006," said Heather Hopkins, director of research.
The
first week of 2006 saw strong demand for holidays in far-flung destinations
has, with searches for Australia
up 50%, New Zealand 42% and Thailand 33%.
Ski holiday inquiries have taken off in the last two weeks with traffic up by
28%.
Hitwise
also revealed the importance of search engines, with the latest figures showing
a 30% increase in the number of visits generated through search engines. Search
accounts for 38% of all visits to travel websites, with Google driving 73% of
those during December, Hitwise claims.
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