Survey Says Online Travel Traffic Up

NEW YORK— Consumer interest in Internet travel bounced back at the end of last month as the number of travelers visiting leading websites climbed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, a survey released Oct. 8 reported. Traffic to seven out of the top 10 travel sites rebounded during the week ending Sept. 30 surpassing levels reported for the week ending Sept. 9, according to Nielsen//NetRatings, the survey by Internet audience measurement service. Delta Air Lines, UAL Corp.s United Airlines, Hotwire, Expedia and AMR Corp.s American Airlines websites were among those reporting the largest growth. Deltas Web site posted the largest gain in audience share for the week ending Sept. 30 compared with before the attacks— a surge of 32% in growth with 627,000 unique visitors. Uniteds online traffic gained 30% with 474,000 visitors while Hotwire jumped 11%, Expedia gained 7% and American Airlines posted 5% growth, drawing nearly 1.8 million visitors. “Discounted fares and heightened promotions are enticing surfers to continue to use the Internet to plan and book travel arrangements,” said Sean Kaldor, vice president of analytical services at NetRatings. Many online travel websites saw traffic plummet after the attacks, but have regained traffic as interest in travel purchases returned. According to Nielsen//NetRatings, Orbitz had 1 million visitors for the week ended Sept. 9. That figure dropped to 438,000 after the attacks but climbed to 978,000 in the last week of September. The survey did not question individuals on actual travel bookings purchased online. But Kaldor said the number of visitors getting into secure mode online— usually required to make a purchase— had returned to levels similar to before the attacks.