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U.S. Online
Travel Market to Soar Overall
growth predicted to rise 70 percent, while online managed
business travel expected to almost triple in the next five
years.
Total Online Booking Revenue and
Channel Share, 2003 to 2009 |
| Year |
U.S. Online
Travel Booking
Revenue |
Percentage of
Total U.S.
Travel Revenue |
| 2003 |
$46 billion |
20% |
| 2004 |
$54 billion |
23% |
| 2005 |
$62 billion |
26% |
| 2006 |
$70 billion |
28% |
| 2007 |
$77 billion |
30% |
| 2008 |
$84 billion |
31% |
| 2009 |
$91 billion |
33% |
| Source: JupiterResearch Internet Travel Model, 2004 |
http://nl.internet.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=1,186v,1,5ohm,39i8,9iwl,dd24?
ClickZ Stats
MSN Search one step closer
to launch (November 10 2004, update November
11) MSN has upgraded their tech preview of their new search
engine to a more advanced public beta test site. This site
will run in parallel with the regular MSN search site and
portal, currently both are powered by the Yahoo! search engine
(Inktomi) .
So MSN is not rushing it. They want the new search engine
to be as good as Google's before they do a proper launch --
which is clearly the most sensible thing to do.
The company seems very optimistic. MSN chief executive Steve
Ballmer told shareholders on Tuesday that "We will catch
up, we will surpass [Google]". But then again, this is
exactly the kind of thing you are supposed to tell shareholders.
Among the new features added to the MSN search engine is a
"Near Me" button that restricts your search to your
local area. The feature is based on your computers IP address,
but you may also set the geographical location manually.
There is extensive support for advanced searching. A separate
"Search Builder" link opens up a more advanced search
form on the search page itself. You may limit your search
to specific domains, countries, languages or regions or to
pages that link to a defined URL. The "Search Builder"
then transforms your query to the correct Boolean syntax.
Another innovation is the search engine algorithm sliders.
Yes, you may adjust the search ranking by degree of match,
page popularity and freshness.
It is this type of innovation that gives Microsoft a chance
against Google. However, there is no reason to believe that
MSN will overtake Google as the leading search portal in the
very near future. This technology is not better than Google's,
and Google has built a better brand. However, searchers will
definitely benefit from getting such a strong alternative
to Google.
Note:The beta search page may be unavailable at times. There
are obviously many who would like to test out the new search
engine.
Note: Beta URLS are:
MSN Global: http://beta.search.msn.com
NineMSN: http://beta.search.ninemsn.com.au
NZ: http://beta.search.xtramsn.co.nz
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