A holiday is the perfect excuse to get away from the overbearing presence of mobile devices. Although the digital distance comes with slight irony – many people use their smartphones to book flights and accommodation. Travellers also rely on taking pictures with their phones so they can instantly upload and share on social media.
The following infographic provides a clear overview of the relationship between travel and mobile technology. The statistics compares different countries such as India, China, Brazil, USA and UK, analysing who is leading the way with mobile technology. Amongst the interesting facts is that once travel arrangements are made and it’s time to catch a flight, 75% of smartphone users connect their devices to a free airport Wi-Fi network so they can check flight information services, wait times at security checkpoints, time to reach departure gate and even airport parking.
Another source of data taken from Expedia indicates that people plan their trips while already on the go: More than 65% of people who book a hotel room within 24 hours of checking in do so from a mobile device. More than 15% of travellers who book a flight 24 hours or less in advance do so via mobile. Smartphones have given new power to the harried, last-minute traveller in recent years. Hotels with ratings between two and three stars are most commonly reserved via mobile devices, indicating that they’re likely the best (or most available) last-minute lodging option.
Judging from the information it’s clear that mobile technology has impacted people worldwide in how they manage travel bookings, with 5% of apps in the app store being travel apps. Furthermore, its brought to our attention that mobile Internet usage could soon take over desktop Internet usage.
