Six out of ten French people book their vacations online
More and more French people go on digital vacations
- 61% have already booked a vacation online.
- 28% opt first for sites dedicated to vacation rentals.
- 58% consider Internet travel agencies to be less expensive than traditional travel agencies
- 38% are more reassured by virtual branches than by physical ones
A majority of French people prefer online booking
61% of those questioned have already used the Internet to book their vacations: 30% for accommodation only, 28% for an entire holiday (transport and accommodation), 15% for transport only. On the other hand, almost one French person in four has never made an electronic booking. This divide is mainly due to age, with half of those aged 65 and over among those who have never done so.
Specialization, a major asset for rental booking sites
Nearly a third of French people who rent out their vacations go to specialist sites. On the other hand, electronic versions of travel agencies or tourist offices attract only 8% and 7% of consumers respectively, and websites that put people in touch with each other only 6%.
User trust, a major challenge for the digital sector
Although virtual travel agencies are, for 58% of those questioned, less expensive and, for 53%, more flexible than traditional travel agencies, they still suffer from a lack of trust. 53% of French people, young and old alike, consider them less reassuring.
“Faced with the digital revolution affecting all economic sectors, are vacations and the tourism industry special? According to the results of our barometer, the answer is no. As with other purchases, the French know how to distinguish between the advantages of buying on the Internet and those of the traditional channel. The exchange of goods between private individuals is still in its infancy, but given what is happening in other countries, we can imagine that the growth of this type of offer will be exponential in the years to come. On the eve of a busy autumn in terms of digital challenges, the observation of vacationer behavior provides a good summary of the maturity of the French when it comes to the Internet”, comments Bruno Vanryb, President of the Publishers’ College, Syntec Numérique.
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