Online Travel Industry

Travel that is researched and/or booked via the internet. It constitutes all aspects of the travel experience, be it airlines, car, hotels, cruises, and tours, etc. It also includes those research sites that help the consumers to chose a brand or specific travel component (e.g. flights on sidestep.com), hotels or travel destination (e.g. tripadvisor.com). The online travel industry also includes Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc., in additional to the more traditional travel brands, such as American, Marriott, Hertz, etc., who also offer an online booking system.