Amid a severe economic downturn, US online leisure/unmanaged business bookings will decline 7% while the total U.S. travel market will post a 16% drop.
"For the first time since PhoCusWright began tracking the remarkable trajectory of the Internet in travel distribution, online travel will decline in 2009. But the 7% drop in online travel vs. far steeper double-digit declines for the total travel market and offline channels indicates that travelers are increasingly turning to the Web to shop and purchase travel amid the recession," says Douglas Quinby, senior director, research at PhoCusWright.
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