Internet usage by international travellers: reasons and barriers

Despite the growing importance of the Internet as an information source for international travellers, as a marketing tool and as a way of doing business, there is a general lack of information on how these travellers use the Internet for information, booking and purchase of travel products and services. Understanding how travellers behave is of critical importance to travel marketers in formulating appropriate marketing strategies so as to fully exploit the developing potential of this new channel. This study attempts to identify the levels of usage of the Internet as an information source and product‐purchasing tool by international travellers across seven countries. A survey of 1,114 international travellers shows that approximately 30 percent of travellers use the Internet for reservation or purchase of any travel products or services. Findings also indicate that those travellers, predominantly from Western countries with higher education levels and higher annual household income, are more likely to use the Internet for online purchase of travel products.