A Typology of Travellers based on their Propensity to go online before, during and after the Trip

This article develops a typology of tourists based on the self-reported importance of Internet access before, during and after their trip. Survey results suggest the prevalence of five distinct tourist segments: Offliners (marginal Internet users), online planners (mainly going online before the trip), online explorers (who access online sources continuously before and during the trip), online keepsakers (who collect information and share before and after the trip), and online equilibrists (active online in all travel phases). Further, results support the importance of the internet in searching for general travel information. A learning curve is evident, as the most experienced travellers are also the most devoted online information searchers. The study implies that future Internet travel applications may more efficient if planned to transcend the borders between promotion, marketing, destination services and loyalty content.