In April 2011, the number of European visitors to the Travel category grew 11 percent in the past year. Travel properties, which include online travel agents, destination information sites, and transportation and accommodation sites, now penetrate 44.0 percent of the European internet audience, a 5percentage point increase. The U.K. continues to lead European markets in Travel category penetration at 66.5 percent, up 8percentage points from a year ago. Ireland and Spain show similarly high penetration rates, with 58.7 percent reach and 57.3 percent reach, respectively…
In April 2011, the number of European visitors to the Travel category grew 11 percent in the past year. Travel properties, which include online travel agents, destination information sites, and transportation and accommodation sites, now penetrate 44.0 percent of the European internet audience, a 5percentage point increase. The U.K. continues to lead European markets in Travel category penetration at 66.5 percent, up 8percentage points from a year ago. Ireland and Spain show similarly high penetration rates, with 58.7 percent reach and 57.3 percent reach, respectively. Although Russia currently has the lowest penetration rate for Travel properties among the eighteen markets at 27.8 percent, it showed the highest growth in unique visitors over the past year with a 41 percent increase.
| Top 10 European Markets by % Reach of Travel Properties | ||
| April 2011 | ||
| Total Europe Audience, Age 15+, Home and Work Locations | ||
| Source: comScore Media Metrix | ||
| Countries | % Reach | Point Change vs. Year Ago |
| United Kingdom | 66.5% | 8% |
| Ireland | 58.7% | 5% |
| Spain | 57.3% | -5% |
| Netherlands | 56.6% | -3% |
| France | 56.0% | 3% |
| Switzerland | 50.9% | -2% |
| Germany | 50.5% | 12% |
| Sweden | 47.3% | -15% |
| Italy | 47.2% | -8% |
| Belgium | 45.4% | -15% |
Expedia Inc., which includes TripAdvisor Sites, Expedia Sites, and Hotels.com Sites, attracted the most unique visitors in April 2011 with 21.7 million. Priceline.com Inc. followed with 16.4 million unique visitors, up 10 percent versus last year – the highest growth rate among the top Travel properties in Europe. Priceline’s sizeable audience was fueled in large part by hotel reservation site Booking.com, which attracted 15.8 million visitors. Groupe SNCF (French National Railway Corporation) was the third most heavily visited property in April with 9.3 million visitors.
| Top 10 Travel Properties in Europe by Total Unique Visitors (000) | ||
| April 2011 | ||
| Total Europe Audience, Age 15+, Home and Work Locations | ||
| Source: comScore Media Metrix | ||
| Properties | Total Unique Visitors (000) | % Change vs. Year Ago |
| Expedia Inc. | 21,669 | -4% |
| Priceline.com Incorporated | 16,443 | 10% |
| Groupe SNCF | 9,33 | 2% |
| TUI Group | 8,587 | 2% |
| Ryanair | 7,509 | -12% |
| TravelAdNetwork | 7,302 | 7% |
| Deutsche Bahn | 6,75 | 1% |
| Travelocity | 6,148 | -25% |
| Easyjet.com | 6,124 | 4% |
| Thomas Cook Group PLC | 5,356 | -4% |
comScore to Speak at Emerce eTravel
comScore VP Tsjerk Kooistra will be speaking at Emerce eTravel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on June 9, 2011. Mr. Kooistra will provide insights into the state of the online travel industry and explain the importance of web analytics, effective campaign management, and customer engagement measurement for travel retailers seeking to capitalize on the growth in this industry. If you are planning on attending and would like to arrange an interview with Mr. Kooistra, please contact Helene Azevedo at worldpress@comscore.com.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
