On the Beach: 2012 Online Travel Sales Growth Rate to Double

MANCHESTER, England, May 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On the Beach expects online travel to become increasingly popular over the coming years as ever more people choose to book their holidays conveniently through the internet.

Leading online travel agent On the Beach has predicted that the tourism sector will increasingly revolve around the internet. The company expects that the next decade will see the vast majority of people choose to plan and book their family trips and budget holidays ( http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/l/budget-holidays) solely through online mediums. On the Beach has based these claims upon rising sales in all demographics and feedback from customers who have found booking through the internet much easier and more efficient.

Information from other sources has painted a similar picture. PhoCus Wright (http://www.phocuswright.com/), a market research company specialising in the travel industry, has predicted that the online travel market will expand significantly by 2012. The firm expects online sales to grow at twice the rate of the total travel market, and to surpass $313 bn (US dollars) next year.

Alistair Daly, Marketing Director of On the Beach, comments: "We have seen a marked rise in online sales over the past few years. Booking through the internet is incredibly easy and it allows people to find great deals that might not be available at traditional travel agents. Given these factors it is not surprising that it has become so popular."

Daly concludes: "We can expect a very bright future for the online travel industry - based upon our own indicators and the research from PhoCus Wright it is clear that in the coming years more and more people will turn to the web to book their trips and family holidays ( http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/l/family-holidays)."

About On the Beach:

Founded in 1995, On the Beach is one of the UK's leading online travel agencies carrying over 500,000 passengers every year (ABTA K0813). On the Beach provides value for money flights and hotels in the world's most popular beach holiday destinations. On the Beach provides consumers with a huge selection of travel products, from 50 million available seats, more than 30,000 hotels around the world, insurance and in-resort transfer partners. Customers can book online at onthebeach.co.uk or by calling the UK call centre on 0870-606-07-08.

As the expert provider of DIY beach holidays to the UK market, On the Beach is so confident of its industry leading position, it offers a market leading price match guarantee for its customers. On the Beach ( http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/) will refund the difference if a lower price is found for the same product on any UK website*.

*Offer applies to exact product match