No Reservations: The Rise of The Nontransactional Travel Web Site

In the beginning of the online travel boom, bookings were the name of the game. In the past few years, however, nontransactional Web sites have been vying for the consumer's attention.

Companies no longer need to sell travel to be a major online travel player, and many don't actually generate any revenue until consumers leave their site. Online brands now can rely on advertising, referral payments and other nontraditional revenue to succeed. Attractions like user reviews and deals listings are resonating with travelers and nontransactional Web sites are growing steadily.

Findings from PhoCusWright's Online Traffic and Conversion Report show that the growing number of nontransactional sites has begun to siphon consumers from transactional sites during the earlier phases of travel planning. The study, conducted in partnership with Compete Inc., found that over the past few years, traffic to nontransactional sites has increased from 29% of all travel category visitations to 33%. Sites in the metasearch, planning and reviews, lead generators, destination and tourism, and travel guides categories clearly play a role in influencing travelers, and impact both traffic and conversion rates on transactional sites.

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