Business
Galway holidaymakers move to online
A whopping 84 per cent of Irish people now book their holidays online – the highest in the EU where the average is just 66 per cent.
And conversely, just fifteen per cent of Irish people still take the traditional route by booking their trips face-to-face at a travel agent’s.
These results come from a Eurobarometer poll which has asked what people look for in a holiday destination, how long they go away for, how they book their trips and lots more.
The most important source of information for Irish people making holiday plans was word of mouth, with 57 per cent of us saying this was key. Websites came next, with just less than half of those surveryed – or 48 per cent – using this to make a decision.
Sunshine and beaches are top reasons for Irish people to go on holidays, with exactly fifty per cent picking this as key. Their next favourite reason for going on holiday was to visit family and friends (39%).
Bottom of the list for Irish people was exploring nature (14%) whereas other Europeans are keener on exploring the natural world with 31% of them picking this as their top reason for a holiday.
Forty per cent of most Europeans had holidayed in their own country. However, just fourteen per cent of Irish people stayed put at holiday time.
Spain is top destination for the Irish at 26 per cent, followed by the USA at twelve per cent, higher than for France or Italy – and much higher than the four per cent of all Europeans overall who go there.