IN the last six years the percentage of tourists who book their holiday in the Alicante Province through the internet has increased from 28 per cent in 2008 to 58 per cent in 2014. This growth is expected to continue this year and is a practice that generates an economic movement benefiting both businesses (hotels and airlines) and the individual tourists, who find an average discount of 10 per cent by booking online.
Promotions, give-aways, free sessions in beauty centres, discounted theme park tickets and late check out in hotel rooms are just some of the benefits travellers are finding by going online.
This widespread use of the internet and the ease of buying airline tickets online has completely reversed the habits of tourists when booking the holiday, directly affecting classic travel agencies.
Some of the major hotel chains on the Costa Blanca have already cut most of their relationships with classical tour operators, including the Servigroup chain which has some 9,000 beds. President, Jose Maria Caballe, said: “It’s the future and we are seeing it every day. In 2013, 35 per cent of all our sales were made direct through the websites of the hotels themselves and last year the percentage rose to nearly 43 per cent.”
British holidaymakers are leading the online revolution with an estimated 71 per cent reserving their breaks online.
