eyefortravel.com: "With the increasing popularity of online mapping software for a range of commercial uses, there may be more profit potential than meets the eye in a service such as Google Maps. Traffic to sites in the online mapping industry has grown 26% year-on-year according to Hitwise data for the Travel – Maps category comparing June 2004 to June 2005.
Analysis of the sites visited after online maps underscores the inherent commercial value of these sites. An average of 20% of traffic from sites in the Travel – Maps category goes to travel agency sites. The top downstream site for maps.google.com for the week ending 30 July was www.expedia.co.uk. The top downstream site from the more established Multimap is Teletext Holidays, while fellow travel sites Active Hotels and Expedia also feature prominently in Multimap’s top 20 downstream sites. An analysis of the latest crop of search terms for maps.google.com reveals that 25 out of the top 30 terms are commercial, including ‘hotel’, ‘estate agents’, ‘cinema’ and ‘bed and breakfast’.
“Hitwise data shows that online maps enjoy a close relationship with the travel sector. Internet users are researching destinations and hotel locations while booking a holiday” said Heather Hopkins Research Director of Hitwise UK. “The commercial value of online maps is not limited to holiday-makers, however. Consider the possibility that flats for rent in a specific price range and neighbourhood could also be plotted, as well as cash points and petrol stations.” "
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