Online Travel Firms Map Strategies To Capture The Weekenders

Vacations these days often mean long weekends — and online travel sites are providing more services for such customers.

A study by online travel tracker PhoCusWright found that 84% of leisure travelers this year took or plan to take at least one long weekend trip.

"People are working harder than ever and are crunched for time," said Lorraine Sileo, PhoCusWright analyst. "The idea is to take a break without spending too much time away from the office."

She says the other factor is cost. High gasoline prices, credit worries and other pressures on consumers are fueling a move toward more weekend trips rather than more costly week-plus getaways, Sileo says.

The rise of long weekend vacations can be good news for online travel providers. According to the annual study by PhoCusWright, weekend travelers spend $6 of every $10 on travel Web sites, vs. just $3 of every $10 for those taking vacations of a week or longer. PhoCusWright did phone interviews with 500 online travel shoppers.

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