Mobile devices will continue to eat away at desktop's share of travel bookings for at least another four years - accounting for almost a third of online transactions this year.
Figures from eMarketer indicate that combined mobile and tablet transactions in the US will hit 51.8% in 2016, up from 43.8% last year.
The research house estimates that the decline of desktop bookings will continue until at least 2019, as consumers become more comfortable mobile devices and "don't mind booking accommodations and airfare on small screens".
Some 62% of leisure travellers will research a trip on a mobile device this year, up by 26% on 2015, with the figure expected to rise again to 73% in 2016.
Out of the 48.5 million US travellers who book trips via a mobile device this year, 79% (38.1 million) will use a smartphone. A fewer number of travellers, 31.3 million, will use a tablet to book a trip in 2015 (some 64% of all mobile travel bookers).
Tablet bookings are not growing at the same rate as mobiles, eMarketer says:
eMarketer forecasting analyst Oscar Orozco, adds:
"Hotels, airlines, and online travel sites are better optimizing their websites for mobile bookings. As a result, people are finding a simpler and easier path to purchase and booking their trips right on their devices. This bodes well for the industry as a whole."
NB:Mobile travel image via Shutterstock.