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When it comes to online travel penetration, not all European markets are created equal. Online leisure/unmanaged business travel share of the total travel market varies significantly by country, with the U.K. leading the pack, and Spain and Italy lagging far behind, according to PhoCusWright‘s European Online Travel Overview Seventh Edition.
The U.K. (47%) overtook Scandinavia (46%) in online travel penetration by a small margin in 2010. However, the size of the U.K.’s total travel market makes it by far the largest online market in Europe, comprising 28% of total European online leisure/unmanaged business travel gross bookings in 2010 (see figure). By 2013, its share of Europe’s total online travel market will shrink to 26% as smaller markets experience rapid online growth and larger markets mature.
At the other end of the spectrum, Italy and Spain – smaller travel markets with low online travel penetration – will comprise just 5% and 7%, respectively, of European online leisure/unmanaged business bookings by 2013. Growth in these two markets continues to be inhibited by economic uncertainty, lower levels of Internet access, and the presence of dominant offline travel distribution networks.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
