UK Domain Record Shattered as 560000 is Spent on a Single Letter

British travel agent CRUISE.co.uk (http://www.cruise.co.uk) announced that it has bought the domain name CRUISES.co.uk (http://www.cruises.co.uk) for a record $1,095,000, setting a new British record.

The purchase shatters the previous record for a .co.uk domain name, which was set in October 2007 when venture capital firm ASAP Ventures acquired recycle.co.uk for 150,000.

Seamus Conlon, MD of CRUISE.co.uk (http://www.cruise.co.uk), explains his willingness to part with such a large sum of money in terms of online presence:

"The word 'Cruises' consistently ranks at the top of Google, with 'cruise' just behind. We wanted the top positions so that when internet users are searching for cruise deals, reviews or news we are the first port of call."

The news is a clear indication of the vast rewards that dot com investors the world over are hoping for through success in the rapidly expanding domain market, and will likely see more and more internet users dabbling in these kinds of investments.

Top five highest prices for .co.uk domain names

1.cruises.co.uk, 560,000 - purchased January 2008, by www.cruise.co.uk

2.recycle.co.uk, 150,000 - purchased October 2007

3.ink.co.uk, 130,425 - purchased 2007

4.mobile.co.uk, 120,000 - purchased 2007

5.taste.co.uk, 110,000 - purchased 1997

World's most expensive domain names (USD)

1.sex.com $12 million - purchased 2005

2.porn.com $9.5 million - purchased 2007

3.business.com $7.5 million - purchased 1999

4.diamond.com $7.5 million - purchased 2006

5.beer.com $7 million - purchased 1999