TripAdvisor Travellers Reveal 2010 Trends

Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair (4th Year Running): Best & Worst Airlines

LONDON, December 21 - TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest and most popular travel community,
today announced the results of its annual travel trends survey of more than
700 Britons, revealing that travellers are unable to predict the final cost
of their flight, with nearly one-third paying unexpected additional costs at
check-in.

Flight Costs

Travellers have become more surprised by the final price of their air
ticket in the past three months. As a result of 'add-ons,' 73 percent have
been surprised by the final cost of flight, up five percent from a survey
conducted in September.*

Additionally, 32 percent, up 18 percent from three months ago, have
checked in at an airport and paid additional costs they were not expecting.

Top Airlines

The favourite airline for British travellers is Virgin Atlantic, for the
second year running, followed by British Airways and Singapore Airlines. For
the fourth year in a row,Ryanair is travellers' least favourite airline by an
overwhelming 41 percent, up from 30 percent last year. Eighty-two percent of
travellers said that the brand of airline is at least somewhat important when
making a booking decision, with 41 percent identifying it as very or
extremely important.

When choosing an airline, the most important factor is price followed by
preferred route. Twenty-three percent are willing to fly the same airline, if
it's the cheapest option, after a really bad experience on a flight.

Leisure Spending

Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of travellers will spend more than
GBP1,700 on leisure travel next year, with more than one-quarter (28 percent)
spending more than GBP5,300.

Mobiles and Wifi

British travellers are in favour of staying connected while flying, as 62
percent think Internet access should be allowed on flights, up 16 percent
from last year. Nine percent are even willing to pay extra for it. In
regards to mobiles, 13 percent think they should be allowed on flights,
compared to 10 percent last year.

Germs While Travelling

H1N1 virus threats will cause British travellers to be more concerned
about germs when travelling this year, with 26 percent packing hand sanitizer
and 28 percent washing their hands more frequently. Seven percent of
travellers' holiday plans are likely to be affected by concerns about illness
or the flu in the upcoming year. Additionally, 10 percent of travellers find
the biggest traveller faux pas is sneezing or coughing without covering up.

Environmentally Conscious

Fourteen percent of British travellers will be more environmentally
conscious in their travel decisions in 2010 than they were last year, far
less than the French (20 percent), Italians (30 percent) and Spaniards (23
percent) revealed in a survey of 2,800 European travellers. According to
Brits, the most suitable country to plan an eco-friendly holiday is Sweden,
followed by Norway and Switzerland. One-fifth (21 percent) of travellers said
there aren't enough resources to easily plan an eco-friendly holiday.

Holiday Activities

Over three quarters of British travellers will visit a historic site in
the next year, 68 percent are likely to visit a national park and over half
(52 percent) will go to the theatre or opera. Nearly one-quarter (22 percent)
are likely to attend a festival and 27 percent will go hiking.

Additional British Traveller Tidbits:

    - Fifteen percent have taken slippers from a hotel room, while 10 percent
      have taken a washcloth and 9 percent towels.

    - Thirty-three percent would do a holiday "house swap" if given the right
      opportunity.

    - Perhaps because of its implementation at some U.K. airports in the past
      year, only 67 percent are comfortable with the new body scanners,
      compared to 80 percent last year.

    - Sixteen percent of travellers will book their holiday earlier this year
      than last year.

    - Rude seat recliners (33 percent) and children kicking the back of seats
      (32 percent) top the traveller faux pas onboard a flight.

Troncones, Mexico is TravelCast's Emerging Hotspot for 2010

The TripAdvisor TravelCast identifies up-and-coming travel destinations
based on site data**, including increases in search activity and postings
for the past year on TripAdvisor.

TripAdvisor TravelCast Top Five World Destinations for 2010

    1. Troncones, Mexico
    2. Nairn, Scotland
    3. El Chalten, Patagonia
    4. Patara, Turkey
    5. Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

*600 Britons took part in the TripAdvisor survey (September 2009)

**Site data on TripAdvisor.com

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*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2009

For further information or interviews, please contact: Betsy Croft, TripAdvisor, +44(0)20-3320-3230 / +44(0)7519106430, bcroft at tripadvisor.com