Friday, August 17, 2012

Vacationers send digital ‘wish u were here’


  Easy online access and a steady supply of mobile devices means people are more plugged in than ever on vacations.

A new study published in the journal Annals of Tourism Research shows that wireless use is higher on vacation (40 percent) than at home (25 percent) and people use the Web more to plan vacations (80 percent) than for work (70 percent). The number of people using smart phones has tripled.
“Travelers are using their laptops and phones more often, and not just to plan vacations,” Vogt says. “Since Wi-Fi is available at most destinations, tourists are checking local weather forecasts, transportation schedules, restaurant recommendations, fishing reports, safe bicycling routes, and much more.”
“We hope to conduct more research across the various stages of vacations,” Vogt says. “This will help vacation service providers better understand what information travelers are looking for during trip planning and how it differs from the details they’re searching for after arrival.”

No comments: