Almost nine out of 10 travel companies are planning to increase or maintain online spending, according to a new global survey released at World Travel Market today by Frommer’s^® Unlimited, the business-to-business division of Frommer’s, a branded imprint of Wiley.

The survey of 225 travel companies was undertaken with global travel news service TravelMole and included airlines, agents, tour operators and consolidators, hoteliers, tourist boards, car rental, rail, travel insurance, publishing and cruise companies. More than half of those surveyed (54%) said they planned to increase budgets and just over a third plan to maintain online budgets. A full copy of the report is available from www.frommers.biz/research.

Frommer’s Unlimited General Manager Joel Brandon Bravo said: “This is the second year we've undertaken this survey and we were impressed to see a similar overall trend as the same point last year with half of marketers planning to increase online spend. But we were particularly interested to see the changes in where people were planning to increase their spend and the increased focus on content such as multilingual, destination and unique content as well as social media marketing.&rtquo;

Key trends identified in the research include a continued shift away from traditional online advertising. Twenty-two percent of the respondents said these budgets will decrease next year.

Search engine optimization continues to be the top priority for web content budgets. SEO was selected as most important by over 84% of respondents compared to 67% last year. Fifty-seven percent said they will increase spending on search engine optimization compared to 67% in 2008.

Unique content and destination content are second and third in importance for marketers, with around half saying they will increase content in this area and many more taking note of its importance. Unique content is now being included in 81% of marketing plans, nearly double last year’s of just 41%. Adding destination content is in the plans of 80% of respondents, up from 57% last year.

Over a third of the respondents said they are planning to add content to drive search traffic. Increasing conversions was the main reason identified for adding content in 2008 but that’s slipped into second place for just 29% of the sample in 2009. Frommer’s Unlimited speculates that that those surveyed could have found that more qualified traffic driven to their site will increase conversions.

A big change this year is the emphasis on social media, as 60% of the Frommer’s Unlimited global survey sample said they would be increasing their spending in this area next year. This is the top area singled out for budget increases.

There is also evidence that companies are looking to more international markets this year with the number planning to invest in multilingual content increasing from 13% to 79%. English is the most common language used to reach customers (98%) and 65% of the survey say they will be targeting European and 53% Asian language markets.

Mobile phone delivery, audio and video are still ranked as lowest priorities for the year ahead but identified as top future initiatives.

The overwhelming issue facing respondents is still keeping content up to date. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed identified this as a problem - up from 66% last year. Creating content which is consistent with brand values, dealing with multiple sources of content, and being able to integrate content effectively with products was highlighted by a third of respondents. Further issues volunteered by the survey sample included problems with unique content for SEO and translation issues.

Media Contact:
Sarah Gorback, Wiley
Email: sgorback@wiley.com
Tel: +1 201-748-5629

Lucy Pennington, Debbie Hindle at bgb communications
Email: lpennington@bgb.co.uk, dhindle@bgb.co.uk
Tel: +44 20 7902 2990

About Frommer’s^® Unlimited

For over 50 years, Frommer’s travel guides have been the trusted choice to help travellers explore destinations the way the locals do. Frommer’s Unlimited enables businesses to create high-value propositions for their customers by leveraging Frommer’s travel expertise, rich content resources and technical capabilities. Products and services provided by Frommer’s Unlimited include global destination and events content, private label Websites, mobile applications and custom publishing. Whether your customers are venturing close to home or across the globe, whether your budget is limited or limitless, Frommer’s Unlimited delivers the most candid and reliable travel and event information, anywhere and anytime. Frommer’s is a registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Frommer’s is a branded imprint of Wiley.

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace. Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.