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Hotel industry statistics show that, every day, more and more people are turning to the Internet to book their travel and accommodation needs. This is a permanent trend that is only going to grow for the foreseeable future and highlights the importance of hotel internet marketing in the hotel marketing mix.

Consider the following hotel statistics:

• In 2003 there was a 49% increase in online hotel sales over 2002. Today 9% of total hotel bookings (one in 12) is made online. By 2005 20% of all hotel room bookings (one in 5) will be made online.
  Source: PhoCusWright Hotel & Lodging Commerce 2002-2005: Distribution Strategies And Market Forecasts
  
  
• For the first six months of 2003, total Internet reservations showed a growth of 36 percent compared to the same period in 2002.
  Source: PhoCusWright
  
  
• Hotel statistics show that almost 6 in 10 people who book travel on the Internet also reserve hotel rooms.
  Source: Forrester Research
  
  
• By the end of 2003, more than nine in 10 companies with managed travel programs will be using an online booking tool for transient travel and, more than four in 10 will be doing so for meetings/group travel. By 2005, corporations anticipate that the average rate of online adoption will increase 15% above current levels for transient travel. And, more than 11% of a company's meeting spend will migrate online within the same period.
  Source: PhoCusWright Technology Trends Survey
  
  
• In 2003 nearly 26 million US households booked leisure travel online, 12 percent more than in 2001. These leisure travellers resulted in $22.6 billion in travel revenue. By 2007, 32 percent more households will spend 39 percent of their travel budgets online, generating $49.7 billion.
  Source: Forrester Research Survey
  
  
• According to an April 2003 survey of more than 1,000 individuals, 52 percent purchased more than half of their travel needs online, with 29 percent indicating that they made all their travel arrangements on the Web. 30 percent plan to increase their online travel purchases over the coming year.
  Source: My AvantGo Travel Survey
  
  
• Gross online travel bookings will reach $40.1 billion in 2003.
  Source: PhoCusWright
  
  
• According to hotel industry statistics, 53% of all Internet bookings in hospitality are direct to consumer, i.e. they are completed via the hotel's own website and not through an intermediary.
  Source: PhoCusWright
  
  
• Hotel statistics show that last year over US$19 billion worth of room nights were booked online.
  Source: Hotels Magazine
  
  
• While overall travel industry sales fell 5% in 2002, online travel sales grew 47%.
  Source: PhoCusWright
  
  
• In 2002 46,997,385 million hotel reservations were made through the top four GDS systems alone. Based on an average daily rate of US $127 and an average length of stay of 2.2 days, 2002 GDS hotel bookings produced over 103 million room nights and US $13.1 billion in revenue for hotels worldwide.
  Source: HEDNA ninth annual Survey of GDS Hotel Reservations
  
  
• The online travel market will grow to 27% of the overall travel market in 2004.
  Source: PhoCusWright
  
  

Hotel Industry Statistics make clear that the Internet has become very important for hoteliers wishing to reach all of their potential customers. And as the influence of the Internet continues to grow, the importance of hotel internet marketing will only increase.

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