Australia’s Internet user population may be dwarfed by that of regional neighbours China, Japan and India, but the continent is nonetheless one of Asia Pacific’s most mature and dynamic online travel markets. A new report from travel industry research authority PhoCusWright, created in partnership with global digital intelligence provider comScore, finds that travel is one of the country’s most popular Internet categories, and is growing fast. PhoCusWright’s Australian Online Travel Traffic Report reveals that traffic to travel websites increased more than 30% year over year in 2010, compared to just 3% for all Internet traffic.

“Online travel is a mature Internet category in Australia, but it is also growing much more quickly than it is in similarly developed markets in North America,” says Douglas Quinby, senior director, research at PhoCusWright. “Our new study with partner comScore is the first to delve deeply into the unique dynamics of online travel in Australia, looking at how Australians shop for travel across online travel agencies, supplier websites, destination guides and reviews, metasearch and more.”

PhoCusWright’s Australian Online Travel Traffic Report analyzes traffic volume, growth, cross-visitation and source/loss patterns across key travel subcategories, including online travel agencies, airlines, hotels, destination guides, traveler review websites and more. Key topics include:

Traffic to travel website categories for the 15-month period from 4Q09 – 4Q10, including:
*  Online travel agencies (OTAs)
*  Airlines
*  Hotels
*  Metasearch
*  Travel guides and traveler reviews
*  Travel website rankings within each travel category, including traffic and unique visitor growth
*  Segment-specific comparison of traffic to supplier websites versus OTAs
*  In-depth analysis of key online players, including cross-visitation, source and loss traffic

The report is included in the newly launched PhoCusWright Research Subscription: Asia Pacific Edition, an annual, subscription-based syndicated research service providing actionable data and nuanced analysis to help travel, tourism and hospitality companies thrive in each of APAC’s unique markets. Designed to serve the needs of APAC-based companies and those focused on the region, The Asia Pacific Edition delivers a 360-degree view of the APAC travel market, including market sizing and forecasts, segment data, consumer research, travel technology trends and online traffic sizing.

With strong double-digit growth projected for the next several years, Australia’s mature online travel market is poised to extend its influence over the country’s e-commerce and Internet landscape. PhoCusWright’s Australian Online Travel Traffic Report helps travel companies understand and unleash the potential of this vital Asia Pacific market. The report is also part of the Global Edition and is available for individual sale (US$695) on the PhoCusWright Store.

Sydney.mobi and Melbourne.mobi
To find out all the latest news and information whilst in Australia, City.Mobi has launched new guides to help tourists.

Sydney.mobi and Melbourne.mobi become the latest in this line up of city guides, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Perth.mobi.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.