Online tourism
bookings up 30pc


13 Jul 2005

Almost €8m worth of online tourist bookings were made in the first half of 2005, a 30pc increase on 2004, the latest figures from Gulliver Ireland indicate. Representing 61pc of total tourist bookings, the internet is now the leading tourist accommodation sales channel, Gulliver claims.

Tourism information and reservations provider Gulliver – which is 100pc owned by Kerry-based financial services player Fexco – reported almost 35,000 online half-year bookings.

Representing 61pc of total tourist bookings, the internet is now the leading tourist accommodation sales channel. By comparison, less than half (49pc) of 2004’s total tourist bookings for the first six months were made online.

Gulliver’s 50 partner sites recorded almost two million booking engine visits to date this year. Goireland.com, the most booked Gulliver-powered tourist website last year, recorded more than 15,000 bookings to the end of June 2005.

Booking volume for the website grew by 42pc. The US accounted for 19pc of its bookings while 28pc from UK tourists. Some 32pc of sales were booked by domestic holidaymakers.

By John Kennedy