Indeed, tbe Social Travel Report by independent media agency Total Media, based on a sample of 1,375 people, says this segment of travellers are leading the trends in social media in travel.

The report, which says that large numbers of consumers are opting to book accommodation, flights and activities direct online based on the advice of fellow holidaymakers, adds that the use of social media is prompting significant numbers of consumers to book direct, with less than 10% saying they visit travel agencies.

Online reviews from the likes of TripAdvisor are now more influential than brochures, advertising, travel supplements and agents, the study says.

The study found that almost 70% of consumers use the internet to book their holidays, compared to 23% by phone and just eight per cent in-store within travel agents.

Consumers aged 35-44 were found to be most likely (74%) to book online. Price (80%) was cited as the main reason for using the internet along with information (53%) and convenience (50%).

Although less than 10% of bookings are made through travel agents, 60% of consumers using agencies said they did so because they valued their “expert advice”.

Surprisingly, the age group most likely to visit a travel agent is 16-24 year olds, some seeking advice on how best to structure gap year travel arrangements.

When it comes to hotel accommodation, 37% of holidaymakers booked direct via the internet for short trips (five nights or less) while 24% booked direct for long trips (more than five nights); significantly more than did so via travel agents or tour operators.

The report found Expedia was the leading online resource for consumers planning long trips (more than five nights) with 25%, followed by Tripadvisor and lastminute.com with 22%. Lastminute.com was regarded as first choice for short trips with 24%.

Google Earth and Google Maps also ranked highly (usedby 14% and 17% respectively), while the “long tail” of travel information destinations online (ranking below 10% of visitors), included Ebookers, Lonelyplanet, Travelocity, Teletext, Opodo, Yahoo, the Foreign Office, BBC, Telegraph and Daily Mail.

A quarter of British travellers say that online reviews by strangers help determine their travel plans compared to 14% for online advertisements, 13% for TV travel programmes, 11% for travel magazines, newspaper supplements and 9% for TV advertising and direct mail.

Only recommendations by friends (28%) and family (24%) ranked on a par with online reviews.

The study found that more than 30% of Britons over the age of 16 had written a holiday review online, rising to almost 40% for over 25’s.

Almost half of travellers over 45 are using websites to recommend or warn fellow travellers by posting a review of their travel experiences online.

The age group least likely to use the internet to exchange views on holiday destinations are 16 to 24 year olds.

Hotels and places to stay is the category most likely to be reviewed online (34%) compared to countries to visit (25.6%) and airlines (24.7%).

Almost as many people have now reviewed an airline, hotel or country as they have talked about it face to face.

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