What you need to know
The total UK (United Kingdom) holiday market volume grew 4.9% in 2017, to 106 million trips. An estimated 36.1 million people booked these trips, with 30.2 million people making a booking online. OTAs (Online Travel Aggregators) were the leading online booking method, with 14.5 million people estimated to have used these sites in 2017.
However, although OTAs are used for their convenience in collating multiple providers to one site, customers are often using multiple comparison sites to ensure they get the best deal possible. This has the effect of reducing the convenience that attracts people to OTAs, and also reduces customer loyalty to a particular comparison site.
OTAs are therefore looking to improve their relationship with holidaymakers by promoting loyalty schemes and increasing advertising for brand awareness rather than converting search results to bookings. Furthermore, OTAs are also looking to improve organic site visits by expanding to a holistic booking platform and promoting their package holidays.
Products covered in this Report
This Report looks at consumers’ use of online travel aggregators. The term “travel comparison websites/apps” is also used to refer to online travel aggregators throughout this Report.
Online travel aggregators are defined as meta-search engines that compare prices for travel services from several different providers and platforms, and help consumers find the best deal. Online travel aggregators allow consumers to compare prices for flights and/or accommodation. In some instances, online travel aggregators can also offer comparison of additional services, such as car hire. However, price comparison websites that specialise in these additional services and do not compare flight and/or accommodation are excluded from Mintel’s definition.
In this Report, the abbreviation OTA is used to denote online travel aggregators, although it may be used in other Mintel Reports to denote online travel agents.
Some of these platforms allow consumers to book directly on their website, while some other online travel aggregators redirect users to the provider’s website (eg airline website). Both types of comparison platforms fall within Mintel’s definition of online travel aggregators.
