Speaking at the Phocuswright Europe conference in Dublin this week, Phocuswright director, consumer research, Marcello Gasdia said European mobile gross bookings had grown by 17% in 2015, outstripping the overall 5% increase in gross travel bookings and a 13% jump in the online travel market in the same period.
This had allowed OTAs in Europe to see a 16% boost in their own businesses during the same period, as they invest more in mobile technology than rival distribution channels.
Gasdia said: “OTAs are eating a larger and larger slice of the online market every year. It remains to be seen how they can stop that in Europe.
“OTAs are growing but don’t expect them to rest on their laurels. They’re investing in the mobile experience.
“This route is only going to get stronger moving forward.”
He added the growth rates represented a €35 billion slice in mobile gross booking value and with further growth predicted, Gasdia is confident who will continue to benefit from the increase.
“OTAs are always going to be better and faster when it comes to technology,” he predicted.
“It’ll come as no surprise that more travellers will turn to OTAs rather than suppliers when it comes to booking. It is an exciting space to watch.”
He also argued that European hotels have not done enough to protect their own booking channels, using as evidence the fact that more than half of European travellers now prefer to book a hotel via an OTA as opposed to directly.
Overall, Gasdia was also confident the European travel market will remain strong, pointing out that the 5% increase in leisure travel gross bookings far outstripped the 1.3% economic growth seen in Europe in 2015.
Online bookings will also only increase, he argued showing that nearly half of all travel bookings at a value of €150 billion are made online now, compared to 35% in 2011.
He said: “Travellers continue to become more and more comfortable in booking online.”
