Large majority of online bookers use OTAs for research

New research from Expedia sheds light on traveler preferences and behaviors throughout the online shopping journey

Expedia's Path to Purchase research found that 80% of travelers who recently booked online travel used an OTA in the 45 days leading up to a booking, making OTAs the top resource for that group. Online bookers also used search engines (61%), social media (58%), airline websites (54%) and meta travel websites (51%) when planning their travel.

Key takeaways

• Expedia also found that four out of five online bookers visit an OTA "at some point" before booking, "even if travelers book on another website;"
• According to Expedia, nearly 60% of online bookers did not start their trip-planning process with a specific destination in mind;
• In the 45 days prior to booking, Expedia said, the average online booker spends 303 minutes, or more than 5 hours, researching travel content.

Get the full story at Travel Weekly and the full report at Expedia