Thirty-nine percent of recent travelers say online media influenced their choice of travel services, with hotel/B&B Web sites having the most influence, according to Ad-ology Research. Online content also influenced 34% of visitors to local attractions like amusement parks, zoos, and concerts.

Nearly 50% of Americans used the Internet to research travel services recently. For consumers who are traveling, cost and value continue to be important considerations, with the most-researched topics being airfares and hotel/motel rates.

Online media topped traditional media, which influenced 27% of travelers and 32.7% of those visiting local attractions. Social media was most influential on the 18-to-24-year old demographic.

“People are still traveling, despite the economy, but they’re certainly doing their research before they go,” said C. Lee Smith, president and CEO of Ad-ology Research. Smith said that Web sites for specific hotels, attractions, and locations ranked highly in the survey, which he says is good news for providers. “Through their sites, service providers have the ability to give consumers lots of information, and that helps the consumer feel like they’ve made a smart choice,” Smith said.

Other key findings:

• 20.6% of consumers are influenced by positive comments on sites such as Tripadvisor.com
• Of traditional media, magazines were the most influential for travel services; newspapers were the most influential for local attractions
• More than 40% of consumers list safety as an important factor in selecting a local attraction

The Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey is conducted throughout the year by Ad-ology Research to study online, traditional, and social media influence on buying decisions.

Both reports: Media Influence on Consumer Choice: Travel & Vacation Services and Media Influence on Consumer Choice: Local Attractions are available for purchase and immediate download through Ad-ology.com. Each report includes 24 data charts, consumer-spending estimates by market, and additional marketing insights.

About Ad-ology Research

Ad-ology Research analyzes key marketing and advertising trends in over 440 industries and what motivates end-customers. The company’s research is used by over 2,000 advertising agencies, media properties and product marketing departments across the United States. Ad-ology Research is a division of Sales Development Services (SDS), Inc. – a Westerville, Ohio firm founded in 1989.

Methodology

Ad-ology Research surveyed an online consumer panel of 1,154 adults in a manner that is 98% representative of the adult population of the United States from January 5-8, 2009. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 2.9 percentage points.