Colombian online travel sector grows 25%
The study found that in the past year visitation to the Travel category increased 25% to reach 3.2 million unique visitors in Colombia, as more online users utilised the web to research and purchase travel. Despegar-Decolar Sites led as the top travel destination in Colombia reaching 453 000 unique visitors in June, followed by Expedia Inc. and Avianca.com.
"Nearly 1 in 4 online users in Colombia visited a travel site in June," said Alejandro Fosk, comScore senior vice president for Latin America. "Travel sites have witnessed rapid visitor growth in the past year as more consumers embrace the online channel for their travel needs while brands continue to improve the user experience by upgrading site features. Given that more mature online markets around the globe see upwards of half of their online population frequenting travel sites, there is much potential for continued growth in Colombia's online travel sector."
Travel sites see growth across sector
More than 13 million people age 15 and older in Colombia visited the Internet from a home or work location in June. 3.2 million Internet users - or nearly one quarter of the total online audience - visited the Travel category during the month, an increase of 25% from the previous year. Among the various Online Travel subcategories, Travel - Information sites attracted the largest audience with nearly 1.7 million visitors (up 13% from the previous year), while Online Travel Agents achieved the strongest gains, climbing 78% to 1.1 million visitors. The Airline category reached 931 000 visitors in June, an increase of 16% from the previous year, while Hotels/Resorts grew 28% to 687 000 visitors.
| Travel Category and Subcategories by Total Unique Visitors (000) June 2011 vs. June 2010 Total Colombian Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Unique Visitors (000) | |||
| Jun-2010 | Jun-2011 | % Change | |
| Total Internet : Total Audience | 11,287 | 13,179 | 17 |
| Travel | 2,585 | 3,228 | 25 |
| Travel - Information | 1,470 | 1,666 | 13 |
| Online Travel Agents | 603 | 1,070 | 78 |
| Airlines | 805 | 931 | 16 |
| Hotels/Resorts | 537 | 687 | 28 |
| Ground/Cruise | 151 | 162 | 7 |
| Transactions | 49 | 73 | 47 |
| Car Rental | 25 | 31 | 24 |
*Excludes visits from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs
Most-visited travel sites in Colombia
The average category visitor in Colombia spent 15.3 minutes on Travel sites in June. Online Travel Agent brand Despegar-Decolar Sites ranked as the #1 travel destination with 453 000 unique visitors followed by Expedia Inc. with 430 000 visitors. Airline sites Avianca.com (412 000 visitors), Aires.aero (372 000 visitors) and CopaAir.com (199 000 visitors) secured the remainder of the top five spots in the ranking. Of the top 10 most-visited Travel websites, users spent the greatest amount of time on Aires.aero (12.5 minutes) and Avianca.com (11.1 minutes).
| Top Travel Sites by Total Unique Visitors (000) June 2011 Total Colombian Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home & Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix | ||
|---|---|---|
| Total Unique Visitors (000) | Average Minutes per Visitor | |
| Total Internet : Total Audience | 13,179 | 1,507.6 |
| Travel | 3,228 | 15.3 |
| Despegar-Decolar Sites | 453 | 8.4 |
| Expedia Inc | 430 | 3.1 |
| Avianca.com | 412 | 11.1 |
| Aires.aero | 372 | 12.5 |
| CopaAir.com | 199 | 8.6 |
| Viajeros.com | 155 | 2.0 |
| TravelAdNetwork | 140 | 2.2 |
| Hoteles4you.com | 131 | 0.7 |
| Colombia.travel | 128 | 2.3 |
| Lufthansa | 117 | 2.4 |
*Excludes visits from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs
Source: comScore
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