Travel research and strategy firm PhoCusWright Inc.
found that almost 40 percent of all types of travel purchased
in Europe will be booked online by the end of 2008.The findings are part of a major study conducted by PhoCusWright
across five major European markets in summer 2006.

The PhoCusWright study revealed that transaction volume will
more than double the proportion of 2005, according to
preliminary findings to be presented at The PhoCusWright
Travel Conference, 25-27 September 2006, Hýtel Le Plaza,
Brussels, Belgium.

Over the next three years, onlineýcorporate bookings will
grow at twice the rate of online leisure/unmanaged business
travel. By 2008, one out of every five euros of corporate
travel spent will be transacted online, up from one out of
every 20 in 2005. Nevertheless, the percentage of
leisure/unmanaged business travel booked online is and will
continue to be significantly greater than that of managed
corporate travel.

For travel, tourism and hospitality suppliers, sellers and
marketers, these findings are significant as the online
transaction marketplace begins to match traditional
marketplace activity in size. Strategic and infrastructure
implicationsýfor thousands of companies along the travel
industry value chain across European markets are significant
as the industry prepares for this powerful, customer-driven
change.

Other findings in the study will be shared with attendees at
the Brussels conference. A research brief titled Online
Travel in Europe: Key Findings will be presented at the
event; it summarizes data on the European online travel
market—suppliers and intermediaries—as a percent of the
total travel market and growth rate by country.

PhoCusWright analysts will also debut newly released research
findings on business imperatives that are essential for
planning and budgeting for next year and beyond. The sessions
are titled: Business Strategies & Trends, What’s New In
Travel Technology and What You Need To Know About Where To Go
which will cover market-by-market characteristics,
differences andýsimilarities.
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