High-Flying Tigers of Online Travel

The Asia-Pacific region includes economies at polar opposites of the online development spectrum.

Australia, Japan and South Korea have advanced digital infrastructures with mature e-commerce and online travel sectors, according to Jeffrey Grau, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, Asia-Pacific Online Travel: Focus on China and India.

"At the other end of the spectrum, while countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia are less developed, they are growing fast," he said.

But the real action lies in the middle.

"It is the massive online travel markets of China and India that will drive growth in the region," Mr. Grau said.

eMarketer estimates that online travel bookings in China were worth $1.5 billion in 2006, and it projects that average annual increases of 60% will push the Chinese market to $15.4 billion in 2011.

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