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'Travellers with Net access increasingly use mobiles, tabs'
Travellers having Internet access are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to get information about tourist destinations and make payments online, says a Google study.
Travellers having Internet access are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to get information about tourist destinations and make payments online, says a Google study.
Of more than 1,500 travellers surveyed, 87 % said they used smartphones to research their trips and 66 % respondents said they booked a trip element on it, the study 'Multi-screen Traveller' said.
About 60 % respondents said information they find while researching on smartphones influences their booking decision, it said.
The study revealed that 76 % users use both computers and mobile devices across various travel stages such as researching and booking.
Moreover, the biggest trigger for holiday planning are online pictures. Browsing pictures on social networks, blogs, travel sites get users to start thinking of their next vacation destination, it said.
Indian travel planner goes through a variety of resources around destination research, like browsing through pictures on social networks (74 %), reading trip information on travel sites & apps (56 %) and watching videos about destinations (52 % ), the study said.
Speaking on the findings of the study, Google India Director (Travel & BFSI) Vikas Agnihotri said, "Over one-third of travel related search queries on Google India are now coming from mobile and tablet devices, with queries from smartphones growing at 397 % YoY."
The study highlights the opportunity for application makers to develop content which could help users to take quick and better informed decisions on their holidays, he said.
Respondents highlighted the convenience and preference for mobile applications over using mobile browsers for booking their trip and sharing information on the trip, he said.
Smartphones and tablets are also actively used for sharing experiences through social networks, the study said.
"74 % respondents said they shared or posted on their social network and 46 % respondents re-scheduled a trip element using the phone," it said.
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