56 per cent have researched areas to stay

Online 'threat' to travel agents: "Online 'threat' to travel agents"

"Online 'threat' to travel agentsJohn Scheerhout THE days of the package holiday could be numbered as travellers turn to the internet to book their summer break.
Instead of queuing up at the travel agents' or browsing the tour operators' brochures, holidaymakers seeking a bargain are increasingly likely to go online.
A survey by YouGov has revealed that four in five people with access to a computer will use the web to book holiday flights and accommodation.
Only 15 per cent of them say they turn to the traditional package deal.
Travel experts accept the package holiday is old, creaky and in decline but insist it still remains by far the most popular way of booking a holiday.
The YouGov survey commissioned by broadband service provider Pipex showed that 56 per cent of respondents have researched areas to stay on the internet while 42 per cent are looking to price up cheap flights.
Around one in three people have actually purchased a flight online and booked a hotel, according to the survey of 2,000 internet users.
Geoff Dykes, of the independent Peregrination Travel, which has offices in Harpurhey and Hazel Grove, said: 'The survey is for a broadband service provider and that tells you something.'
But he agreed that far fewer package holidays were now being booked thanks to the internet and that many traditional high street travel agents faced a battle to survive.
He said: 'A lot of our clients do use the internet to research. But nine times out of ten they call us to ask us about it and to book it for them.
'They want to be reassured that what they've chosen is ok and it's the best deal for them. Booking on the internet, especially accommodation, can be fraught, with a"