Internet Feels Effects of Economic Slowdown

The nation’s economic quivering sent a ripple through the online travel industry from April to May, according to the Forrester Online Retail Index, but those who think the Internet sky is falling “are dead wrong,” an analyst says. The value of airline, hotel and car rental bookings made on the Internet declined nearly $295 million, according to Forrester. But the drop “simply reflects” the “overall softness in consumer leisure travel,” says Henry Harteveldt, a Forrester senior analyst.