1. Sector Report
Summary: Holiday
Sector Report –
April 2010
Greenlight
www.greenlightsearch.com/sectorreports
Greenlight
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www.greenlightsearch.com/sectorreports

2. Page 2/4
Sharm el Sheikh and Turkey top long and short
haul holiday searches
Sharm el Sheikh and Turkey proved the two most searched for long haul and short haul destinations when
UK consumers went online in February to find a holiday. This is according to the latest research by
Greenlight, the UK’s leading independent specialist search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click
(PPC) consulting firm.
Greenlight’s report ‘Holiday Sector Report – Issue 5’, classified 356 of the most popular global destinations
that people in the UK travel to between November 2009 – February 2010. It profiled which search terms
they use to find holidays for each location, assessed how popular each search term was and determined
the 60 most prominent websites and brands and the size of the online audience they reached as a result of
having keyword-specific visibility.
Key findings from the report reveal:
There were 8.3 million searches performed in February 2010 for holiday-related keywords. This was
a decrease of 23% since January when 10.9 million searches were made;
European destinations accounted for 2.4 million searches in February, a 92% increase on October
2009 volumes;
Directline Holidays, Thomson and Holiday Hypermarket were the 3 most visible holiday websites in
natural search* achieving 66%, 61% and 56% visibility, respectively;
The term ‘Turkey holidays’ was searched for 550,000 times, accounting for 23% of all short haul
holiday searches. ‘Cyprus holidays’ and ‘Lanzarote holidays’ followed with 12% and 7%,
respectively;
The term ‘Sharm el Sheikh holidays’ was searched for 368,000 times, accounting for 15% of all long
haul holiday keywords.
(Table 1 showing Greenlight’s top 5 of the 60 most visible holiday websites in natural search, shows below. If you are unable to view it please
contact marketing@greenlightsearch.com)
© Greenlight Marketing Ltd, 2010 Greenlight | Sector Report Summary: Holiday Sector Report – April 2010

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Table 1: Top 5 of the 60 most visible holiday websites in natural search, UK
Category No. Domain Monthly reached Monthly missed % reached
volume volume
Natural Search 1 directline-holidays.co.uk 5,548,248 2,810,636 66%
2 thomson.co.uk 5,083,502 3,275,382 61%
3 holidayhypermarket.co.uk 4,682,571 3,676,313 56%
4 thomascook.com 3,877,592 4,481,292 46%
5 travelsupermarket.com 3,740,399 4,618,485 45%
Source: Greenlight
Greenlight also conducted a detailed level of monitoring and analysis to determine which advertisers
appeared in the paid search space**. An advertiser’s share of voice is based on: how often it was present in
Google, which ad position it bid for and the associated search volume for the keywords it bid on.
Across the top 90 holiday keywords, First Choice was the most visible advertiser attaining 49% visibility.
This was achieved through bidding on 70 keywords, at an average ad position of five. Low Cost Holidays
followed with 46% then Thomas Cook with 37%.
Of the top 10 advertisers in paid search, four were direct providers: First Choice, Thomas Cook, Thomson
and Direct Holidays.
(Table 2 showing Greenlight’s top 5 of the 60 most visible holiday advertisers in paid search, shows below. If you are unable to view it please
contact marketing@greenlightsearch.com)
Table 2: Top 5 of the 60 most visible holiday advertisers in paid search, UK
Category No. Advertiser % share of
voice
Paid Search 1 firstchoice.co.uk 49%
2 lowcostholidays.com 46%
3 thomascook.com 37%
4 thomson.co.uk 34%
5 directholidays.co.uk 31%
Source: Greenlight
Google research has shown that most travel-related queries are performed on Mondays, with slightly fewer
on other weekdays. The fewest travel-related searches are made over the weekend, with Saturday seeing
the least number of queries. However, Greenlight’s research reveals that on the whole, advertisers failed to
recognize the importance of high consumer search activity between Monday and Wednesday.
Please note: If you plan use any information in this summary, please link any references to Greenlight via the following:
http://www.greenlightsearch.com/sectorreports/
© Greenlight Marketing Ltd, 2010 Greenlight | Sector Report Summary: Holiday Sector Report – April 2010

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Notes:
Greenlight’s, ‘Holiday sector report’ profiles search behaviour in this sector. It assesses which websites and
aggregators are the most visible in natural and paid search results, and hence have the greatest share of
consideration when UK-based searchers go to Google to search for web hosting services.
For more information about Greenlight’s research:
Yetunde Akinwale
T: +44 (20) 7253 7000
E: marketing@greenlightsearch.com
Web: http://www.greenlightsearch.com
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this report summary and the full sector report available on
www.greenlightsearch.con/sectorreports is for information only and should not be relied upon to enter into any
business transaction or to make any commercial decision. Whilst Greenlight has made every effort to ensure the
accuracy of this report, Greenlight cannot accept any liability for any error or inaccuracy found within this
document and no warranty is provided regarding its completeness or its suitability for any purpose. The content
of the report is the copyright of Greenlight Marketing Limited. The reader may use and circulate the report
within its own business organisation. However, it is not permitted to exploit, distribute, sell or otherwise make
use of the report for commercial gain. It is permitted to reproduce extracts of the report for public interest,
provided that the publisher credits Greenlight as the source of the work.
About Greenlight
Greenlight is an independent specialist SEO and PPC consulting and technology firm, the largest of its kind in
Europe and the fastest growing. With over 100 blue-chip clients including Vodafone UK, Interflora, Co-operative
Financial Services, Nespresso and ghd, and a multitude of awards to its name, Greenlight is a leader in the search
marketing space, and is recognised worldwide for its commitment to delivering record ROI for its clients and
investing in the future of search.
Greenlight is considered the premier thought leader in the sector, publishing widely read industry reports,
original research, speaking at most trade events, and delivering a highly respected search training programme in
conjunction with the IDM. Greenlight was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in London, with offices in New
York.
*Natural Search - Listings in search engine results pages that appear because of their relevance to the search terms
**Paid Search – an Internet advertising model used on websites, in which advertisers pay their host only when their
ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market
© Greenlight Marketing Ltd, 2010 Greenlight | Sector Report Summary: Holiday Sector Report – April 2010