Bing claims substantial rise for flight and hotel voice searches on Cortana

The number of people using Cortana to search for hotels was said to be up 343% while flights search numbers have risen by 277% year-on-year. Continue reading →

More than a threefold annual rise in UK consumers using the Microsoft Cortana digital assistant on mobile devices to search for hotels is being claimed by the company.

The number of people using Cortana to search for hotels was said to be up 343% while flights search numbers have risen by 277% year-on-year.

However, no raw volume figures were provided to support the growth percentages.

New data from the Mircosoft search engine Bing revealed that 95% of all searches for flights and accommodation are brand driven.

The top trending flight destinations, which are claimed to have received the most growth, are led by Krakow in Poland, followed by Orlando, Bali, Almeria, Croatia, Sri Lanka and Gibraltar.

The international points of interest showing the greatest growth for this summer are Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, Lanzarote, Tivoli, Colosseum, Alhambra and Patagonia.

Bing Ads head of insights, Thom Arkestål, said: “It has been predicted that by 2021 more than four billion mobile OS-based assistants will be in use globally.

“We will likely see this number rise as consumers realise the potential of digital assistants to improve their everyday lives, something we are already seeing with smart home devices such as the Cortana-powered Amazon Echo, becoming integral to homes across the country.

“As digital assistance gains continued momentum in the UK, marketers must be aware of the affect this has on search strategies.”