Online Holiday bookings in the US reports a surge. 51% buy holidays online now. If you're into travel, get online.

Com score, in its annual holiday retail data for online, is reporting a surge in spending on travel, online in the US.

In the first 18 days of November (the start of a traditional holiday planning season in the US, but not the peak which is more around Thanksgiving), 10 billion dollars had been spent on travel online. That's 16% up on last year. For the entire season, they're forecasting 43 billion usd an increase of +17%. A 4% increase was expected so it's way above.

It reflects really, a channel shift rather than a sudden boom in holidays. In other words, more people are turning to online booking - not that you didn't know it but it's now fairly proven with these numbers.

Gartner have already reported that 51% of holidays this year will be sold online. There's also a trend where 37% of people said they used their smartphone whilst in a retail travel store, to check prices and book online. I know, because I do exactly that in book stores. Basically shops are just becoming display counters for online shopping.

Amazon are actively pushing consumers into local stores to check things out and then buy online for example - a nice marketing twist.

Whilst these numbers are USA, there's no getting away from the trend. Travel will be bought online more and more and if you're selling holidays, you need to beef up that online presence - now. With numbers like 51% already booking holidays online, that will increase and there'll be very little left at retail level. The travel shop will simply not pay its way. And I've some experience here, having looked after the advertising for clients like Finnair, Stena Line, Panorama, Airtours, lastminute.com and so on, so I know their attitude to the web. And it's not healthy.

Interesting too, that for those of us who have booked travel online, such as flights only, with big airlines like Ryanair, Aer Lingus, BA, never hear from them. They have ALL your details and yet they never ever reach out to ask how you're doing, offer you an incentive or even just a Happy Birthday.

Yet they put their energies into lobbying about airport charges, thinking of new novelty (and offensive) ways to raise revenue and bitching about fuel hikes. When their real revenue opportunity is on their doorstep, at their fingertips.....

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