US online ahead of pack

THE US online travel sector continues to grow at a faster pace than the overall market, according to research compiled by travel industry research authority Phocuswright.

The report suggests the trend is predicted to continue until at least 2022, with supplier websites growing slightly faster than online travel agencies (OTAs) in 2018.

Growth for the overall travel sector grew by 5% in 2018, the result credited largely to a strong economic performance in 2018 - particularly in the first three quarters of the year.

Airline passengers numbers in the US increased by nearly 5% in the first half of 2018, and the hotel sector also performed strongly, experiencing a “recordbreaking performance” in the first two quarters.

Despite the strong performance during the first six months, the American travel sector’s results wavered in the second half of 2018, hampered by a volatile stock market, the ongoing US-China trade war, and a sluggish global economy.

The three-year outlook from Phocuswright predicts that by 2022 total gross bookings will have increased to US$441 billion.