One Third of All Travel in Canada Booked Online in 2009
"As the recession gripped global travel markets, Canadian travelers turned to the Internet in search of deals, and the travel industry was only too willing to oblige," says Douglas Quinby, senior director, research at PhoCusWright. "But the recession in Canada has been far less severe than that of the United States, where the travel market fell 16% in 2009. Canadian travelers benefited from lower global pricing and aggressive online promotions from suppliers."
Online travel penetration in Canada crossed the one-third threshold in 2009. However, growth rates are slowing, signaling a maturing marketplace. "With the Internet as the preeminent method of consumer travel planning and shopping, online penetration will continue to rise through 2011 though at a slower rate," says Quinby. "Online penetration in Canada trails the U.S. and is mapping more closely to the trends we see in Europe."
PhoCusWright's Canadian Online Travel Overview Second Edition: 2007-2011 provides comprehensive analysis of Canadian travel trends, including market size and forecasts by distribution channel for air, lodging, car rental, tours and packaged travel, cruise and rail. The report also provides insights on Canadian traveler behavior, including travel shopping and buying behavior with segmentation by province, and assesses the impact of the global recession and the outlook through 2011. PhoCusWright's Canada package provides a comprehensive analysis of the Canadian travel market.