Gone are the days of interminable phone calls, traipsing around the travel agents, flicking to and fro in brochures, more phone calls . Joan Scales goes surfing The most fundamental change in the business of travel since the jet engine has been the Internet. As access to the Internet grows daily, more and more people are using it to plan their holidays and business trips. The projection shows 75 per cent being spent on airline seats and the balance on non-air items, such as hotels, car hire and package holidays. Some 54.5 million US adults have used the Internet or online services to make plans in the past year.
Planning includes getting information on destinations, checking prices and schedules.
The survey showed that 16.5 million people booked or paid for tickets, hotels, car hire and package tours online. The breakdown of the age groups is interesting in that the highest users of online services are in the 35 to 54 age group. In Ireland we don't have detailed surveys to map consumer habits and trends but, like everything else they do in the US, it eventually finds its way here too. Evidence of the growth in Internet use can be seen by the number of Irish travel organisations with strong web presences. Ryanair, for example, launched its website this time last year and this now accounts for more than 70 per cent of the airline's revenue.