What is Travel Cycle

The internet is increasingly adopted to plan tourism trips, being used to consult various information sources and search different types of information. However, previous research does not provide an in-depth perspective of the role of Internet in the pre-trip stage. The main objective of this chapter is to understand the role of the internet in the pre-trip stage, the type of sources consulted, and information searched, as well as how this search is affected by sociodemographic characteristics, daily hours using the internet, and travel behavior. A questionnaire survey was carried out (N=299), administered face-to-face and online, to people living in Portugal who made a leisure trip of three or more nights in the last three years. Descriptive analyses, t tests, and correlations were performed. Results are relevant to support the decision making of tourism organizations when conveying information on the internet and in providing appropriate services to each target market.