Budget Brands, Cruises Thriving in the Economic Downturn

Budget brands and cruises are thriving online in the economic downturn, according to the latest figures from Hitwise. UK Internet traffic to travel websites overall fell by 4.6 percent between September 2007 and September 2008, but hits to budget travel brands increased by 5.3 percent. The top 10 budget travel companies in the UK accounted for 7.1 percent of traffic to travel websites in September 2008, up from 6.4 percent the previous year.

EasyJet had the most popular budget travel website in the UK during September, accounting for 1.7 percent of UK Internet visits to travel websites. Travelodge, which recently announced plans to open 22 new hotels before Christmas, was the fastest growing with a 34 percent jump in visits. Each of the top three budget travel websites in the UK –EasyJet, Ryanair and Travelodge- has experienced at least a 20 percent increase in UK Internet traffic over the last 12 months.

Meanwhile the websites of cruise companies experienced an 8.2 percent increase. Hitwise said this was down to a surge in traffic from older people and increased demand for all-inclusive deals.

The proportion of visitors to travel websites aged 45 and over increased from 39.8 percent in September 2007 to 45.2 percent in September 2008. Internet users aged 55 plus now account for 27.3 percent of UK visitors to travel websites, making them the largest group of visitors to the industry.

Almost 60 percent of visitors to cruise websites are aged 55 or over and a further 16 percent come from the 45-54 age group. Search data reveals that people are looking for all-inclusive deals as a way of saving money, and cruises provide UK travelers with one way of achieving this.

During the 12 weeks ending October 25, the Caribbean was the most searched for cruise destination amongst UK Internet users. The next most popular destination was Norway, followed by the Nile, the Mediterranean and Alaska. During September, P&O Cruises was the most visited cruise website in the UK, receiving one in every 10 visits to cruise websites. Hits to cruise websites usually peak in December.