There are several stories that go with this information.

The eMarketer (well worth subscribing to their daily alerts) article goes on to describe how the value of the market is increasing, but the number of travelers involved is on the decrease. Less travelers spending more money online. The conclusion drawn by the analyst is that travelers are increasingly frustrated and are being driven to offline travel agents.

Interesting conclusion, and time will tell.

However there is another story to go with this. The entire US retail ecommerce segment (excluding travel) is around $120 billion.

That’s right, all retail ecommerce in the US – excluding travel is $120 billion, compared to travel ecommerce at around $105 billion.

Online matters to travel big time.

My observation is that travelers are online and researching their travel in greater numbers than ever. Their online research increasingly determines where they travel.

Bookings will follow.

You need to be online to participate.

US Online Travel Market Tells a Story