UK Internet traffic to travel websites fell by 4.6% between September 2007 and September 2008, but certain sectors are thriving despite, or in some cases because of, the squeeze on household budgets. UK Internet visits to budget travel providers, such as EasyJet, Ryanair and Travelodge, increased by 5.3% between September 2007 and September 2008, while the websites of Cruise companies experienced an 8.2% increase in traffic over the same period.

UK Internet visits to a Hitwise custom category of budget travel firms increased by 5.3% between September 2007 and 2008. The top 10 budget travel companies in the UK accounted for 7.1% of traffic to Travel websites in September 2008, up from 6.4% the previous year. EasyJet had the most popular budget travel website in the UK during September, accounting for 1.7% of UK Internet visits to travel websites, while Travelodge’s was the fastest growing. The hotel chain, which recently announced plans to open 22 new hotels before Christmas, experienced a 34% increase in UK Internet visits between September 2007 and 2008.

“Each of the top three budget travel websites in the UK – EasyJet, Ryanair and Travelodge – has experienced at least a 20% increase in UK Internet traffic over the last 12 months,” commented Robin Goad, Director of Research for Hitwise UK. “This online growth is also reflected offline; in addition to Travelodge’s expansion, both EasyJet and Ryanair announced significant increases in passenger numbers in their latest results. However, the big challenge for travel providers is to monetize these traffic increases in the face of falling prices and rising costs.”

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