Last year was the first in which more travel was purchased online than offline in the United States, according to PhoCusWright's "Consumer Travel Trends Survey."
The firm said 51% of US travel was booked online in 2007. It projected that the percentage would increase to 56% in 2008 and 60% in 2009.
PhoCusWright said that the gap between online and offline travel booking would continue to widen as more travelers shifted behavior to online shopping and buying.
Online travel booking is used mainly for trips with few parts, like airline tickets. Vacation packages and other trips with a number of parts are increasingly being purchased offline. (e-marketer.com)
