look-to-book ratio

The look-to-book ratio is a figure used in the travel industry that shows the percentage of people who visit a travel Web site compared to those who actually make a purchase. This ratio is important to Web sites such as Priceline.com, Travelocity.com, and Expedia.com for determining whether the Web sites are securing purchases. To improve their look-to-book ratios, such sites sometimes resort to offering incentives such as naming your own price, providing live travel agent chatting, and using imaging technology to showcase travel locations.