I continually get asked about whether or not to shift advertising dollars away from traditional media to marketing online through tactics like search marketing, search engine optimization and social media marketing.
Although I would recommend a large portion of advertising dollars be spent online, I guess the proof is in the pudding. Marketers are still wondering whether or not their target audience is really shopping online or if what they are seeing online will really affect a purchase decision.
Specifically with travel, I am sure that most of us, young and old would agree that at the very least we are using search engines to research and compare destinations, hotels, airfares or cruises – if not to purchase travel online.
I don't usually like to resort to the statistics or surveys because it is really all relative to the type of product you sell and how your target audience buys your product or service. I will however make reference to the recently released PhoCusWright "Next Generation of Travellers" survey to make the point that a solid web marketing strategy should be in place for any travel related business.
Some Highlights of the PhoCusWright "next generation" survey:- 2,559 adults surveyed who are active online users and travel (age was not necessarily important to this sample, it was behaviour)
- next generation is educated and affluent (despite the idea that online users are young with little disposable income)
- they "spend, on average, over 50% more on travel services annually than their less tech-savvy counterparts"
- " (71%) use the Internet to search for travel information…41% have taken a virtual tour of a destination, and 38% have built a trip itinerary online"
- " (37%) report being influenced by personal comments read on social networking or travel advisory web sites" – I guess this means advertisers should be paying attention to Facebook after all!
So there you have it – that is the "next generation" of Travellers who don't seem to fit the normal demographic breakdown – but what about age?
e-Marketer estimates that "from 2006 to 2011, the percentage of Internet users ages 62 and older will increase at a 7.6% average annual growth rate—more than twice the 3.1% growth rate for the entire US Internet population."
I guess that "next generation" really means a whole lot of people researching and booking travel online! So where do you put those advertising dollars? That's another post.
About the Authors: Patricia Brusha is the co-founder of www.acoupleofchicks.com - an Internet Marketing Company focused on travel and tourism, and Online Revealed Canada – the Tourism e-Marketing Conference produced in association with Yahoo! Canada, and the first inaugural Online Revealed Caribbean Conference to be held this Fall in San Juan Puerto Rico. She has spent 26 years working in the Hospitality Industry in the United States and Canada in the fields of Sales, Hotel Marketing, Internet Distribution and Revenue Management. Together, the "Chicks" have published over 25 articles, produced a successful online marketing Blog; www.ideahatching.com , launched www.chicksaway.com – a social media portal for women who travel, and have worked with such notable brands as Marriott International, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and Yahoo! Their popular e-marketing workshops have also lead to the upcoming book focused on the "Chicks" non-intimidating approach to marketing online. 
