More than half of all holidaymakers placed their latest agent or travel operator booking via the internet, new figures have revealed.
According to a new Ipsos MORI poll carried out for the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), 57 per cent of people booking their most recent foreign holiday did so online.
That compares with just 19 per cent who used the telephone, underscoring the growing popularity of virtual bookings.
The survey also found that travel agents’ share of the market is shrinking, handling just 35 per cent of custom. The proportion of people booking direct with an airline has risen to 21 per cent.
What’s more, 16 to 24-year-olds are now the most likely to book through a travel agent in person, suggesting a degree of inexperience among the otherwise tech-savvy age group.
It is 25 to 44-year-olds who go online to find holiday deals in their largest numbers, Abta pointed out, with almost seven out of ten clicking their way to the best bargains.
