Online travel audience in India jumps 32% in past year

MUMBAI, INDIA: comScore, Inc today released a study of the online travel industry in India based on data from its comScore Media Metrix service. The study found that the number of visitors to travel sites increased 32% in the past year to 18.5 million visitors as more Indians turned to the web for their travel needs.
Online travel audience in India jumps 32% in past year

These findings and others will be presented via a live webinar, The State of the Internet India, on 7 June. For more information and to register, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/372221297.

"The online travel category continues to show strong growth in India," said Kedar Gavane, comScore director for India. "The convenience of booking trips and locating travel information online continues to appeal to many users, especially among India's young Internet population. As the online travel industry matures it will be important for brands to provide increasing functionality, ease of use and security to its users to effectively compete in this growing market."

Travel site visitation grows 32% in the past year

In April 2011, 18.5 million online users age 15 or older visited a Travel site from a home or work location, an increase of 32% from the previous year. Each of the top 10 properties in the category experienced strong growth in the past year. Indian Railways led as the most-visited travel destination with 8.4 million visitors, an increase of 8% from the previous year.

Online travel agent sites (OTAs) secured the remainder of the four top spots in the category. MakeMyTrip reached nearly 3.9 million visitors (up 63%) followed by Yatra Online with 3.5 million visitors (up 82%) and ClearTrip.com with more than 2.1 million visitors (up 80%). US-based Expedia Inc secured the #5 position with 1.8 million visitors (up 12%).

Top Sites in the Travel Category by Unique Visitors April 2011 vs. April 2010 Total India - Age 15+ Home or Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Apr-2010Apr-2011% Change
Total Internet : Total Audience38,39943,26913
Travel13,98218,51732
Indian Railways7,7498,3998
MakeMyTrip2,3773,86463
Yatra Online1,9333,52082
ClearTrip.com1,1942,14780
Expedia Inc1,6401,83212
TravelAdNetwork8171,45678
Mustseeindia.com4421,049138
Indiarailinfo.com64792242
Redbus.in40580799
HolidayIQ.com45272560

*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Audience overlap among the top three OTAs

Of the 7.1 million people visiting the top three OTAs, MakeMyTrip, Yatra Online and ClearTrip.com, in April, more than 2 million users (29%) visited two or more of the three sites in April 2011. The remaining 71% of visitors checked in at only one of the three sites during the month demonstrating relatively strong brand loyalty among the top players.

Audience Duplication Report for MakeMyTrip, Yatra Online, and ClearTrip.com April 2011 Total India - Age 15+ Home or Work Locations Source: comScore Media Metrix
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Unduplicated Visitors to MakeMyTrip, Yatra Online & ClearTrip.com7,066
Duplicated - 2 or More Sites2,029
Duplicated - All Sites437
MakeMyTrip3,864
Yatra Online3,520
ClearTrip.com2,147

*Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

comScore will present further insights on this topic as well as other key trends in India's online market during a live, complimentary webinar, The State of the Internet India, on Tuesday, 7 June from 2pm-3pm IST.

For more information and to register, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/372221297.


 
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