According to a new report from JupiterResearch, "US Travel Forecast: 2006-2011," online travel revenues will reach $128 billion in the US in 2011 — 38% of all travel revenue for that year.
"Online travel revenue will continue to grow strongly from $85 billion in 2006," said Jupiter analyst Diane Clarkson. "Factors that will spur online spending are greater consumer wallet share, increasingly sophisticated products available online and improved online compliance in business travel."
For comparison, eMarketer's estimate of this year's US online travel sales is somewhat more conservative at $77.7 million.
comScore Networks put first-half 2006 online travel sales at $34.7 million, a year-over-year increase of 14.7%.
While the exact figures may not match, all the sources agree that online travel sales are continuing to fly higher.
Speaking of flying, looking at airline travel sales alone, Jupiter asserts that higher fares and an increase in the number of people flying are driving total air revenues to $138 billion in 2006, with $49 billion spent online, and forecasts that that figure will grow to $72 billion in 2011.
Hotels are also seeing — and will continue to see — a shift to online sales as more travelers migrate from making reservations by phone to online, particularly the hotels' own Websites.