• by Masha Geller , April 17, 2002

A good indication of this economic recovery we’re rumored to be going through is the renewed consumer interest in travel. Nielsen//NetRatings today has proof that there’s hope for us all.

"Online travel experienced robust growth in March, despite the rise in fees passed along to consumers in light of the recent decision by airlines to cease paying commissions to several online travel agencies," said Patrick Thomas, senior Internet analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings today.

"Spring and summer vacation planning and special fares have brought travel buyers back to the Web, resulting in strong double-digit gains among the top travel players," he added.

NetRatings reports that traffic to online travel destinations surged 12% to 51.2 million surfers in March, as compared to 45.9 million in February. Surfers at home and work flocked to the Web to take advantage of early spring airfare promotions and special vacation packages. Nearly 43% of all Web surfers accessed an online travel site in March, as compared to 39% the month prior.

Nine out of the top 10 online travel sites posted double-digit gains in March. Expedia claimed the No. 1 spot as the largest online travel destination, jumping 18% to 11.6 million surfers. Travelocity grew 24% in traffic to 10.2 million, while Orbitz.com (thanks in part to those super-annoying pop-under ads) attracted nearly 6.6 million visitors, posting a 14% gain.

Rounding out the top five list, Southwest Airlines drew nearly 5.2 million visitors, jumping 16% and CheapTickets.com surged 51% to nearly 4.4 million unique visitors.