Greece Travel Media Touchpoints in the Consumer Path to Purchase. Date: Oct 2011

Transcription

1 Greece Travel Media Touchpoints in the Consumer Path to Purchase Date: Oct 2011

2 Agenda Methodology General travel behaviour Booking behaviour Research behaviour Summary 2

3 Methodology Vertical Deep Dive Travel Greece Target group: Internet user in Greece, 18 years and older Sample: n=1,000 Internet users Methodology: Online Questionnaire Weighting based on a representative telephone survey (please see next slide) Period of analysis: Fieldwork: September 23 th October 7 th 2011 Final Report: October 28 th 2011 Research company: TNS Infratest 3

4 General travel behaviour 4 4

5 Travel frequency past 12 months Greek onliners are frequent travellers: almost 75% spend at least one short trip and at least one holiday trip in the past 12 months Travel frequency past 12 months All respondents Short trips (up to 4 days) 22% 24% 17% 25% 88% 74% were both on at least one short trip and at least one holiday trip Holiday trips (more than 4 days) 47% 21% 7% 8% 83% Once Two times Three times Four times and more Q4: How often have you been on short trips (overall length of up to 4 days) and / or on holiday trips (overall length of more than 4 days) in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): All respondents n=1,000; answer categories Not at all / Don t know 5

6 Travel season Obviously summer time is the preferred season for spending holiday trips for short trips spring and winter are quite popular as well In what season did you spend trips in the past 12 months? Travellers of the past 12 months Short trip Holiday trip Summer 66% Summer 86% Spring 55% Winter 14% Winter 43% Spring 14% Fall 34% Fall 10% Q5: In what season did you spend short and /or holiday trips in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months: short trip n=878, holiday trip n=830 6

7 Regions visited past 12 months Staying domestic very popular among Greek onliners: the vast majority of those who travelled within the past 12 months spend time in Greece Short trip Regions visited on trips Travellers of the past 12 months Holiday trip Domestic destinations 92% Domestic destinations 84% Southern Europe 9% Western Europe 11% Western Europe 7% Southern Europe 10% Eastern Europe 6% Destinations outside Europe 8% Northern Europe 2% Eastern Europe 7% Destinations outside Europe 1% Northern Europe 2% Q7: Which of the following destinations have you travelled to ( ) in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months: short trip n=878, holiday trip n=830 7

8 Destination visited past 12 months Top 10 One third of the short trip travellers visited Thessaloniki, Athens or Iraklion Italy is the most popular destination for holiday trips abroad Top 10 destinations Travellers of the past 12 months Short trip Holiday trip Other destinations in Greece 73% Other destinations in Greece 72% Thessaloniki, Athens, Iraklion 33% Thessaloniki, Athens, Iraklion 18% Italy 3% Italy 6% Bulgaria 3% United Kingdom 4% Netherlands 3% France 4% Turkey 3% Central Eastern Europe 4% Central Eastern Europe 3% USA, Canada 4% Germany 2% Germany 4% Romania 2% Spain 3% Albania 2% Northern Europe 2% Q7: Which of the following destinations have you travelled to ( ) in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months: short trip n=878, holiday trip n=830 8

9 Type of short trip Top 10 Visiting family members and friends or spending a city break are the most popular motives for going on short trips For which purposes did you conduct short trips? Short trip travellers Visiting family & friends 55% Holiday with children 21% City break 52% Culture 12% Fun & entertainment 43% Sport & activity 10% Sun & beach 42% Winter sport 9% Wellness & relaxation 33% Luxury 5% Q6: For which of the following purposes did you conduct your short trips in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Short trip travellers of the past 12 months n=878 9

10 Type of holiday holiday trip Top 10 Enjoying a typical sun and beach vacation is clearly the prevailing motive for going on a holiday trip For which purposes did you conduct holiday trips? Holiday trip travellers Sun & beach 63% Visiting family & friends 24% Fun & entertainment 43% Culture 19% Wellness & relaxation 36% Luxury 8% Holiday with children 31% Sport & activity 5% City break 29% Cruise 4% Q6: For which of the following purposes did you conduct your holiday trips in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Holiday trip travellers of the past 12 months n=830 10

11 Type of accommodation On short trips private accommodation is very common (in line with the prevailing travel motive) hotels are first choice for holiday trips Type of accommodation Travellers of the past 12 months Short trip Holiday trip Home of friends, relatives 51% Hotel 43% Hotel 46% Home of friends, relatives 33% Rented apartment / holiday home 21% Rented apartment / holiday home 23% Own apartment / holiday home 19% Own apartment / holiday home 21% B&B, guesthouse 13% Camping, caravan, mobile home 10% Camping, caravan, mobile home 10% B&B, guesthouse 6% Q9: And which types of accommodation did you use for the short and / or holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months: short trip n=878, holiday trip n=830; answer categories Other and Don t know not shown 11

12 Means of transport short trip In line with the preference for staying domestic the most popular means of transport for going on a short trip is the own car Means of transport short trip Travellers of the past 12 months Own car 72% Rail / train 10% Ferry 22% Motorbike / moped 5% Air travel 21% Rental car 4% Bus / coach 19% Cruise ship 2% Q8: And which means of transport did you use for your short trips of the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Short trip travellers n=878, answer categories Don t know / Other not shown 12

13 Means of transport holiday trip Apart from taking the own car travelling by ferry or air plane are popular means of transport for going on holiday trips Means of transport holiday trip Travellers of the past 12 months Own car 56% Rail / train 9% Ferry 37% Rental car 7% Air travel 33% Motorbike / moped 4% Bus / coach 14% Cruise ship 2% Q8: And which means of transport did you use for your holiday trips of the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Holiday trip travellers n=830, answer categories Don t know / Other not shown 13

14 Trip organization The majority of the travellers made bookings prior to their trips, typically accommodation bookings often combined with transportation Trip organization Travellers of the past 12 months Short trip Holiday trip Only accommodation 31% Accommodation + transportation 29% Accommodation + transportation Only transportation 13% 21% 5% with the same provider Only accommodation Only transportation 26% 21% 8% with the same provider Travel package 13% Travel package 15% No booking in advance 39% No booking in advance 26% Don't know / No answer 3% Don't know / No answer 4% Q11: Which of the following options did you choose for organising the short and / or holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): travellers of the past 12 months: short trip n=878, holiday trip n=830 14

15 Annual travel budget per household The vast majority of the Greek onliners has a travel budget of up to 2,000 Euro - the average budget is 1,850 Euro Annual travel budget per household All respondents No answer More than % 2% 3% 12% 28% Average budget: Ø 1,850 EUR Less than % 24% 19% Q10: How much money do you in your household usually spend per year on travelling for private purpose? Base (weighted): All respondents n=1,000 15

16 Wrap up general travel behaviour Greek onliners are frequent travellers: almost 75% spend both at least one short trip and at least one holiday trip in the past 12 months. Dominant motive for going on a holiday trip is relaxing in the sun whereas for short trips city breaks or visits at familiy and friends are typical. Greek onliners prefer to stay domestic: short and holiday trips are most frequently spent within Greece Italy is the most popular destination for trips abroad. Corresponding with the preference for domestic destinations the prevailing means of transport is the own car for holiday trips ferry trips and flights are relevant too. The most common way of organizing a trip is booking either only accommodation (short trips) or accommodation and transportation (holiday trips). Among Greek online households the average travel budget per year is 1,850 EUR. 16

17 Booking behaviour 17 17

18 Booking channels - overview Spread of online as a place of purchase differs per travel product clearly preferred for air travel and strong for accommodation bookings Which of the following methods did you use for your booking? Bookers per travel product and trip type Short trip Holiday trip Accommodation bookers Online Offline 65% 66% 66% 62% Air travel bookers Online Offline 25% 85% 32% 69% Travel package bookers Online Offline 42% 66% 49% 65% Bus travel bookers Online Offline 25% 73% 24% 82% Train travel bookers Online Offline 17% 83% 26% *! *! Low incidence n<70 80% *! Q12/ Q13: Which of the following methods did you use to book the short/ holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Short trip travellers of the past 12 months who booked a travel package n=111 or accommodation n=405 or air travel n=128 or bus travel n=121 or train travel n=71; Holiday trip travellers of the past 12 months who booked a travel package n=122 or accommodation n=415 or air travel n=206 or bus travel n=80 or train travel n=48 18

19 Booking channels - accommodation Booking with hotel portals or direct bookings at hotel websites are the preferred channels for accommodation bookings via the internet Booking channels accommodation Accommodation bookers Short trip Holiday trip Online (net) 65% 66% Online booking Via the internet directly through a hotel portal Via the internet directly with the hotel 37% 36% 36% 34% Via the internet with a travel agency 12% 16% Via the internet with a tour operator 5% 6% Offline (net) 66% 62% By phone directly with the hotel 52% 44% Offline booking Personal visit at the hotel 10% 13% Personal visit at a travel agency 10% 11% Personal visit at a tour operator 7% 7% By phone with a travel agent 7% 6% By phone with the tour operator 5% 6% Q12/ Q13: Which of the following methods did you use to book the short/ holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked accommodation for a short trip n=405 or a holiday trip n=415 19

20 Booking channels air travel Air travel bookings are predominantly placed online websites of travel agencies as well as direct bookings with the airline are most popular Booking channels air travel Air travel bookers Short trip Holiday trip Online (net) 85% 69% Online booking Via the internet with a travel agency Via the internet directly with the airline 52% 47% 37% 31% Via the internet with a tour operator 7% 8% Offline (net) 25% 32% Personal visit at a travel agency 11% 12% Offline booking By phone with a travel agent 11% 6% By phone directly with the airline 8% 5% By phone with the tour operator 7% 4% Personal visit at the airline 5% 8% Personal visit at a tour operator 5% 5% Q12/ Q13: Which of the following methods did you use to book the short/ holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked air travel for a short trip n=128 or a holiday trip n=206 20

21 Booking channels train travel The majority of those who booked train tickets for their short or holiday trips bought them directly at the train operator Booking channels train travel Train travel bookers Short trip Holiday trip!* Online (net) 17% 26% Online booking Via the internet directly with the train operator Via the internet with a travel agency 12% 10% 3% 22% Via the internet with a tour operator 7% 3% Offline (net) 83% 80% Offline booking Personal visit at the train operator Personal visit at a travel agency By phone with a travel agent By phone directly with the train operator Personal visit at a tour operator By phone with the tour operator Q12/ Q13: Which of the following methods did you use to book the short/ holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked train travel for a short trip n=71 or a holiday trip n=48 23% 19% 14% 9% 9% 53% 54% 0% 1% 13% 16% 14%!* low incidence: n<70 21

22 Booking channels bus travel Bus tickets are typically bought offline either directly e. g. in a bus station or by phone with the bus operator Booking channels bus travel Bus travel bookers Short trip Holiday trip Online (net) 25% 24% Online booking Via the internet directly with the bus operator Via the internet with a travel agency 14% 13% 7% 12% Via the internet with a tour operator 9% 8% Offline (net) 73% 82% Personal visit at the bus operator 53% 49% Offline booking By phone directly with the bus operator 25% 33% Personal visit at a travel agency 9% 16% By phone with the tour operator 7% 9% Personal visit at a tour operator 6% 3% By phone with a travel agent 4% 3% Q12/ Q13: Which of the following methods did you use to book the short/ holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked bus travel for a short trip n=121 or a holiday trip n=80 22

23 Booking channels travel package Buying travel packages on the internet is quite popular websites of travel agencies are first choice in this respect Booking channels travel package Travel package bookers Short trip Holiday trip Online (net) 42% 49% Online booking Via the internet with a travel agency 37% 38% Via the internet with a tour operator 15% 22% Offline (net) 66% 65% Personal visit at a tour operator 31% 31% Offline booking By phone with a travel agent 19% 21% By phone with the tour operator 18% 20% Personal visit at a travel agency 15% 21% Q12/ Q13: Which of the following methods did you use to book the short/ holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked a travel package for a short trip n=111 or a holiday trip n=122 23

24 Devices used for online booking short trip For online bookings of short trips stationary internet at home is the predominant access point mobile shares somewhat established Which devices did you use for your short trip online booking? Online bookers - short trip PC at home PC at work Mobile/ smartphone Tablet PC Accommodation online bookers Air travel online bookers 89% 24% 10% 4% 91% 24% 5% 5% Travel package online bookers!* Not shown due to very low incidence: only n=48 cases Bus travel online bookers Train travel online bookers Not shown due to very low incidence: only n=30 cases Not shown due to very low incidence: only n=12 cases!* low incidence: n<70 Q14: Which of the following devices did you use in order to make your online booking? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked online for a short trip: accommodation n=261; air travel n=109; travel package n=47; bus travel n=30; train travel n=12 24

25 Devices used for online booking holiday trip Stationary internet is the prevailing access point for booking holiday trips on the internet mobile devices already with noticeable shares Which devices did you use for your holiday trip online booking? Online bookers - holiday trip PC at home PC at work Mobile/ smartphone Tablet PC Accommodation online bookers 94% 17% 7% 6% Air travel online bookers 92% 17% 8% 8% Travel package online bookers!* 89% 26% 14% 15% Bus travel online bookers!* Not shown due to very low incidence: only n=19 cases Train travel online bookers!!** Not shown due to very low incidence: only n=13 cases!* low incidence: n<70 Q15: Which of the following devices did you use in order to make your online booking? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked online for a holiday trip: accommodation n=272; air travel n=143; travel package n=59; bus travel n=19; train travel n=13 25

26 Influence factors travel bookings Top 3 Greek onliners are strongly price-driven when booking holidays destination and accommodation category play a major role as well 1. 83% Price 6. 15% On-site activities 2. 78% Destination 7. 14% Individual composing 3. 44% Accommodation category 8. 13% Recommendations by family or friends 4. 27% Availability at a considered date 9. 9% Loyalty with the tour operator 5. 16% Political and ecological stability Q27: How important were the following influence factors for your decision to book your latest holiday trip? Base (weighted): All Respondents n=1,000 26

27 Drivers for buying online Lower prices are the most frequently stated driver for booking online - assortment, easy comparison and 24/7 availability contribute as well Drivers for buying online All respondents I can find cheaper trips in comparison with booking at a travel agency 72% I can choose from a wide range of trips / offers 66% I can easily compare offers of several travel providers 65% I m not limited to opening hours and working days 61% I can learn more about other consumers experiences 44% I can individually compose the components of my trip 42% Q20: What are from your perspective reasons for booking holiday trips on the internet? Base (weighted): All Respondents n=1,000 27

28 Barriers for buying online Security concerns need to be resolved in order to push online as a sales channel for travel products Barriers for buying online All respondents I ve got security concerns when booking on the internet 45% I cannot get personal consultancy on the internet I do not have a credit card 29% 27% I m used to book holiday trips at travel agencies I feel overwhelmed by the amount of information offered on the internet Booking on the internet is too complicated Individual trips are difficult to book Branches of travel agencies / tour operators offer better prices I ve made negative experiences with online booking in the past 14% 10% 7% 6% 5% 4% Q21: And what are from your perspective reasons for NOT booking holiday trips on the internet? Base (weighted): All Respondents n=1,000 28

29 Statements travel research Well-known providers are preferred but however the price is decisive: Almost every Greek onliner has a fixed budget that should not be exceeded In how far do you agree with the following statements? All respondents I have a fixed budget for my trips that I don t want to exceed 37% 45% 81% If the price is attractive I don't mind who the provider or tour operator is 16% 37% 53% I prefer travelling with well-known providers or tour operators 14% 38% 52% Package trips are cheaper than putting one together yourself 14% 35% 50% I am prepared to pay more money for a better quality trip 12% 34% 47% For holiday bookings I prefer to get all travel services from the same source 16% 28% 44% I am willing to pay more for a trip when I can individually compose options 12% 28% 40% The planning of my holidays is strongly influenced by the internet 10% 28% 38% Definitely agree Rather agree Q33: Below, you will find a list of statements regarding the preparation and booking of holiday trips. Please indicate to which extent you agree with each statement. Base (weighted): All respondents n=1,000 29

30 Wrap up booking behaviour The internet is an important booking channel for travel activities among Greek onliners and particularly strong for air travel and accommodation bookings. Plane tickets are preferably booked directly at airline websites or with travel agencies. For accommodation bookings hotel portals or hotel websites are very popular. Price and destination are the most important influence factors for booking a trip. Good pricing is perceived as a driver for buying online. In order to further push online as a sales channels particularly security concerns need to be resolved. High satisfaction among the online bookers leads to high recommendation rates for travel websites: 2/3 of the online bookers would recommend their provider. Stationary internet at home is still the dominant access point for travel bookings. However, mobile devices (smarthpones / tablets) already receive noticeable shares. 30

31 Research behaviour 31 31

32 Decisions taken before short trip The vast majority of the short trip travellers had already decided about the trip destination and organization in advance of their trip Decisions taken before short trip Short trip travellers of the past 12 months I knew exactly where to go and how to organise the trip I knew exactly where to go but I had not decided on the trip organisation I did not know where to go but I had an idea about the trip organisation I did not know where to go and I had no idea about the trip organisation 69% 23% 14% 7% Q22: How decided were you regarding the destination and the organisation (e. g. means of transport, type of holiday, accommodation category) of these trips? Base (weighted): Short trip travellers of the past 12 months n=878 32

33 Decisions taken before holiday trip The vast majority of the holiday trip travellers had already decided about the trip destination and organization in advance of their trip Decisions taken before holiday trip Holiday trip travellers of the past 12 months I knew exactly where to go and how to organise the trip I knew exactly where to go but I had not decided on the trip organisation I did not know where to go but I had an idea about the trip organisation I did not know where to go and I had no idea about the trip organisation 66% 22% 13% 9% Q22: How decided were you regarding the destination and the organisation (e. g. means of transport, type of holiday, accommodation category) of these trips? Base (weighted): Holiday trip travellers of the past 12 months n=830 33

34 Finding inspiration Search engines are the most frequently used online source for finding trip inspiration: more than half of the travellers used them in this respect Finding inspiration for a trip Travellers of the last 12 months Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 80% Offline (net) 81% Search engines 52% Talks with friends or colleagues 70% Tourism web pages 42% Catalogues or travel guides 33% Websites of accommodation facilities Websites of online travel agencies Websites of tour operators Social networks Relevant forums 38% 28% 18% 16% 15% TV Newspapers or magazines With consultant at travel agency Radio 22% 21% 7% 5% Websites of transportation companies 13% Videos portals 8% Blogs 7% Q23: Which of the sources below did you use in order to find inspiration or ideas for the short and / or holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months n=970 34

35 Finding destinations Among the online sources search engines are the preferred source in order to explore interesting trip destinations Finding destinations for a trip Travellers of the last 12 months Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 77% Offline (net) 78% Search engines 47% Talks with friends or colleagues 65% Websites of accommodation facilities Tourism web pages Websites of online travel agencies Websites of tour operators Websites of transportation companies Relevant forums 35% 33% 25% 17% 13% 12% Catalogues or travel guides Newspapers or magazines TV With consultant at travel agency Radio 28% 22% 19% 9% 5% Social networks 12% Blogs 7% Videos portals 6% Q24: And which of the sources below did you use in order to decide about the destination place for your short and / or holiday trips of the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months n=970 35

36 Purchase decision support travel products Online sources are crucial for supporting booking decisions and particularly strong for accommodation, air and train travel bookings Which information sources did you use to make the purchase decision? Bookers per travel product Accommodation bookers 69% 81% Air travel bookers 62% 78% At least one online information source used for decision support Travel package bookers 78% 79% At least one offline information source used for decision support Bus travel bookers 50% 55% Train travel bookers 39% 72% Q25: And which sources of information did you use to help you make the final decision about the trip purchase? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked a travel package n=184 or accommodation n=610 or air travel n=268 or bus travel n=165 or train travel n=105 36

37 Purchase decision support accommodation Accommodation websites, search engines and tourism web pages are the top online sources supporting decisions on accommodation bookings Which information sources did you use to make the purchase decision? Accommodation bookers Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 81% Offline (net) 69% Websites of accommodation facilities 44% Talks with friends or colleagues 56% Search engines 40% Catalogues or travel guides 28% Tourism web pages Websites of online travel agencies Relevant forums Videos portals Websites of tour operators 35% 22% 11% 9% 9% Newspapers or magazines TV With consultant at travel agency Radio 17% 10% 7% 5% Websites of transportation companies 9% Social networks 9% Blogs 6% Q25: And which sources of information did you use to help you make the final decision about the trip purchase? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked accommodation n=610 37

38 Purchase decision support air travel Search is the top online source for decision support on plane tickets: 1/3 of the air travel bookers used a search engine prior to their booking Which information sources did you use to make the purchase decision? Air travel bookers Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 78% Offline (net) 62% Search engines 33% Talks with friends or colleagues 46% Websites of transportation companies 31% With consultant at travel agency 11% Websites of online travel agencies Websites of tour operators Tourism web pages Websites of accommodation facilities Social networks 29% 13% 12% 8% 6% Catalogues or travel guides Newspapers or magazines TV Radio 11% 8% 5% 2% Blogs 4% Relevant forums 4% Videos portals 3% Q25: And which sources of information did you use to help you make the final decision about the trip purchase? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked air travel n=268 38

39 Purchase decision support travel package Search engines and online travel agencies are the most frequently considered online sources prior to a travel package booking Which information sources did you use to make the purchase decision? Travel package bookers Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 78% Offline (net) 79% Search engines 29% Talks with friends or colleagues 54% Websites of online travel agencies Websites of accommodation facilities Websites of tour operators Tourism web pages Websites of transportation companies Blogs 28% 23% 22% 19% 15% 9% Newspapers or magazines Catalogues or travel guides With consultant at travel agency TV Radio 28% 28% 25% 10% 6% Videos portals 7% Relevant forums 5% Social networks 5% Q25: And which sources of information did you use to help you make the final decision about the trip purchase? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked a travel package n=184 39

40 Purchase decision support bus travel Decision-making on bus tickets is strongly impacted by personal consultancy from friends search is the top online information source Which information sources did you use to make the purchase decision? Bus travel bookers Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 50% Offline (net) 55% Search engines 25% Talks with friends or colleagues 41% Websites of transportation companies Tourism web pages Websites of online travel agencies Websites of tour operators Social networks Relevant forums 17% 12% 10% 8% 7% 7% With consultant at travel agency Newspapers or magazines Catalogues or travel guides Radio TV 12% 7% 7% 3% 2% Blogs 3% Websites of accommodation facilities 2% Videos portals 1% Q25: And which sources of information did you use to help you make the final decision about the trip purchase? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked bus travel n=165 40

41 Purchase decision support train travel Booking decisions for train tickets are typically prepared on the internet train operator websites and search engines are the leading sources Which information sources did you use to make the purchase decision? Train travel bookers Online sources Offline sources Online (net) 72% Offline (net) 39% Websites of transportation companies 28% Talks with friends or colleagues 24% Search engines 23% Catalogues or travel guides 13% Tourism web pages Websites of tour operators Websites of online travel agencies Social networks Relevant forums 17% 12% 12% 9% 7% With consultant at travel agency Radio Newspapers or magazines TV 10% 9% 5% 3% Websites of accommodation facilities 5% Videos portals 3% Blogs 3% Q25: And which sources of information did you use to help you make the final decision about the trip purchase? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months who booked train travel n=105 41

42 Path to purchase Online sources play a major role in the path to purchase for travel products: almost every traveller uses them for starting research (finding inspirations & destination) on trips. For decision-making online information sources are often even outpacing offline sources. When it comes to the actual purchase the spread of online differs per product: Online bookings clearly first choice for booking flights and strong for accommodation. ROPO-effect (research online purchase offline) visible for travel packages, bus and train travel. Finding inspiration Decision support Purchase Short trips Holiday trips 80% 81% 81% 69% 65% 66% 66% 62% Base: Travellers of the past 12 months 78% 62% 25% 85% 32% 69% Finding destinations 78% 79% 42% 66% 49% 65% 77% 78% 50% 55% 72% 39% 25% 17% 73% 83% 24% * 26% 82% * 80% Base: Travellers of the past 12 months Base: Bookers per travel product Base: Bookers per travel product (short trip) Base: Bookers per travel product (holiday trip)!* low incidence: n<70 Online Offline Accommodation Air travel Travel package Bus travel Train travel 42

43 Time frame from research to booking The vast majority of the short trip travellers made their booking within one week holiday trips require a somewhat longer research phase How long did you inform yourself before you made a booking? Travellers who booked a short / holiday trip Short trip Holiday trip 32% 1 day (direct booking) 14% 44% less than one week 35% 76% of the short trip bookers made their booking within one week 17% 4% between 1-2 weeks between 3-4 weeks 27% 13% 1% between 1-2 months 8% 1% between 3-6 months 2% 0% more than 6 months 0% 7% Cannot remember 6% Q26: How long did you inform yourself before you booked the short and / or holiday trips you conducted in the past 12 months? Base (weighted): Travellers who booked a short trip=878; holiday trip n=830 43

44 Most useful information sources Online sources with search engines in the lead are perceived as very useful for travel research only personal talks score better Most useful information sources Top 10 Travellers of the past 12 months Friends or colleagues Search engines Tourism web pages 14% 18% 22% Websites of travel agencies/portals Catalogues or travel guides With consultant at travel agency Websites of accommodation facilities Websites of tour operators Newspapers or magazines TV 10% 8% 6% 4% 3% 3% 3% Q28: Which of the following information sources is from your perspective most useful for informing about holiday trips? Base (weighted): Travellers of the past 12 months n=970 44

45 Wrap up research behaviour 1 2 The internet serves as an important research source along the path to purchase on travel products and is considered in every stage of the pre-purchase research. Almost every traveller uses the internet for starting research on trips (finding inspirations and destinations). For decision-making online information sources are often even outpacing offline sources. Overall online information sources are across the board considered on a higher 3 variety level than offline sources: For offline research personal consultancy (with friends or family) is the key source whereas for online research various sources (provider websites, tourism pages, and particularly search engines) contribute. 4 5 Search engines are always among the top frequently used online sources and provide valuable guidance to other sites such as provider sites or tourism pages. Research time prior to a booking depends on the trip type: The vast majority of the short trip travellers researched up to one week in advance of the booking holiday trips require a somewhat longer research phase. 45

46 Summary 46

47 Summary 1 Greek onliners are frequent travellers: 75% spend both at least one short trip (up to 5 days) and at least one holiday trip (more than 5 days) in the past 12 months. 2 3 When going on a trip Greek onliners typically stay domestic: the vast majority spend their short or holiday trips within Greece. Accordingly the most popular travel product are accommodation bookings. Online information sources play a major role in the path to purchase: almost every traveller uses them for starting research (finding inspirations & destination) on trips. For decision-making online sources are often even outpacing offline sources. The internet is an established booking channel for travel products. However, its 4 spread differs per product: Online bookings are clearly first choice for booking flights and strong as well for accommodation bookings. ROPO-effects are visible for travel package bookings as well as bus and train travel bookings. 5 Search engines are widely used in every research phase and they serve as an important navigator to relevant information sources: 8 out of 10 online researchers start on search in order to find travel information. 6 Presence on search engines with a variety of relevant terms enables presence in the online research process and subsequently relevance for the purchase decision. 47