Bratton speaks at E-marketing Insight Conference

	Online Consumer Research Panel Gives Industry Marketers Insight on e-Travelers
	SAN FRANCISCO, CA (August 24, 2006) — Destination Analysts' David Bratton (www.destinationanalysts.com), spoke today at Gammet Interactive's E-Marketing Insight Conference in Chicago, Illinois. His speech to industry technology marketing professionals reviewed new consumer research from a survey of online travel planners.
	The survey, featuring an exclusive panel of travel consumers, reveled new attitudes and opinions toward online travel planning. The panel answered several questions from an online survey covering topics that ranged from web searches to e-mail newsletter subscriptions. The survey results show how e-travelers search for travel venues online, what motivates the choices they make and how they perceive e-mail and web promotions. A few key findings:
		The majority of online planning is taking place less than one month prior to arrival - 31% of e-travelers began planning their last overnight trip or getaway four weeks prior to arrival
		Online travelers are becoming more efficient in the travel planning process - 24% of online planners took less than an hour to plan their last overnight trip or getaway in 2006 compared to 31% in 2005
		Search engines are still dominate, but destination sites are gaining ground - A majority of online travel planners still rely most frequently on search engines when researching travel, but destination web sites are beginning to capture a larger share of traffic with an 11% increase over 2005
		Consumers know where they are going, but they are looking for things to do - 73% of all consumers began their planning session with a specific destination already selected, but did not have any specific activities planned
		e-Travelers are requesting more travel information from their favorite destinations, attractions, hotels and resorts - 61% of online travel planners say they have subscribed to an e-newsletter when visiting a travel web site and 72% of those subscribers listed the reason as “wanting to keep updated on a particular destination, attraction, hotel and resort”
	Bratton summarized the survey's findings,“This research clearly shows that consumers are becoming increasingly saavy in their travel planning. Given the way travelers are using the Internet to plan their trips, it's also clear that destinations are operating in a highly competitive arena. Not only are consumers spending less time planning their travel, they consult only a few online resources, and start with the big players, online travel agencies like Expedia or hotel and airline websites. These findings illustrate to destination marketers the need for highly effective and focused marketing strategy and implementation in the online sphere.”
	For more details on this research contact Gammet Interactive or Destination Analysts.
	Gammet Interactive (www.gammet.com) is a Pinckney, Michigan-based marketing technology advisory firm offering services to integrate technology-marketing programs with existing tourism industry promotional plans.
	About Destination Analysts: Based in San Francisco, California, Destination Analysts (www.destinationanalysts.com) is one of the travel industry’s premier boutique marketing and research consultancies. As a relatively new, but fast growing independent consulting firm, Destination Analysts work has served major travel industry players such as the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau, DDB Seattle, the Fiji Visitors Bureau, the USDA Forest Service, and Mering & Associates. The needs of our clients are carefully analyzed and are the centerpiece of everything we do. David Bratton, founder of Destination Analysts, says it best, "Our entire reason for existing is to help our clients thrive, and our goal is always to provide them with affordable and innovative methods to make their marketing soar."