The pie charts compare the methods used by international students to book online English courses in Australia, the USA and Canada in 2009 and 2010.
Overall, booking patterns changed significantly in Australia and Canada, while the USA remained relatively stable. In particular, internet booking became the most popular method in Australia, whereas pre-booking with agents dominated in Canada by 2010.
In Australia, the distribution of booking methods was fairly even in 2009, with pre-booking through agents accounting for the highest proportion at 27%, followed by arrival (26%), internet (24%) and other methods (23%). However, by 2010, internet bookings had risen sharply to 39%, making it the most preferred option. In contrast, pre-booking fell dramatically to 11%. Meanwhile, arrival bookings increased moderately to 30%, while other methods declined slightly to 20%.
In the USA, there were only minor changes over the period. In 2009, all four methods were almost equal, with internet and other methods both at 26%, and arrival and pre-booking at 24% each. By 2010, pre-booking increased slightly to 28%, becoming the most common method. Internet usage fell marginally to 25%, while arrival remained unchanged at 24%. The proportion of other methods decreased slightly to 23%.
Canada showed the most noticeable changes. In 2009, arrival was the dominant method at 45%, while other methods accounted for only 6%. Internet and pre-booking made up 27% and 22% respectively. By 2010, pre-booking rose significantly to 35%, becoming the leading method. In contrast, arrival bookings dropped sharply to 26%. Internet use decreased slightly to 25%, whereas other methods increased considerably to 18%.