Travel-related online spending plummeted 23 percent from August to September, according to a monthly survey released yesterday by Nielsen/NetRatings and Harris Interactive.
But even though the online travel industry took a severe hit following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, overall spending was up compared to the same period a year ago.
The $1.1 billion in travel spending in September was up 44 percent from September 2000, according to the survey.
Overall online spending for the month was $4.7 billion, 54 percent better than a year ago. The decrease in travel purchases were offset by several categories like books ($300 million, up 148 percent) and clothing and apparel ($494 million, up 79 percent) that saw large increases.
