WASHINGTON, United States--With the winter holidays on the horizon, the Expedia group is reporting a large influx of searches and interest for travel to the Caribbean.
As snowbirds start traveling south, the Expedia group’s in-depth insights for holiday travel can provide hoteliers the opportunity to better connect with travellers and target the right consumers.
The Caribbean is seeing a large influx of group travel (bookings with three or more people) around the Christmas holidays with an increase in searches of more than 30 per cent for Christmas Day and nearly 25 per cent for New Year’s compared to holiday travel searches for 2016.
Per Expedia group search data, the Caribbean destinations with the highest amount of interest for travel during the month of December compared to the same month in 2016 are:
* Punta Cana up nearly 10 per cent
* San Juan up nearly 10 per cent
* Montego Bay up nearly 25 per cent
* Aruba up nearly 15 per cent
“The holiday season is always an exciting time for the Caribbean, as the region receives a wave of travellers from top markets like the US and Canada who are looking to escape the winter cold,” said Rafael del Castillo, Senior Director, Resorts, Market Management, the Expedia group.
“Expedia is proud to work with our Caribbean hotel partners to ensure they are capitalising on the heavy influx of travellers. Winter season represents an opportunity for partners to utilise Expedia’s platforms, tools and strategies to increase visibility and bookings. Expedia’s local market management team is present to serve as a support system to hotel partners and to provide specific recommendations for hoteliers to best navigate the holiday season.”
Data indicate that nearly 30 per cent of bookings for the holidays happen more than three months in advance, and about 20 per cent between 31 and 60 days ahead.
Additionally, more than 15 per cent of holiday travellers book their stays less than six days in advance, which allows hotels to push last-minute travel deals to entice these travellers to choose their property.
The Expedia group’s hotel partners can take advantage of the company’s experience and understanding of holiday trends to set rates with certain booking windows that can best attract target audiences.
Valuable insights also allow hoteliers to fully plan their marketing and distribution strategy depending on their intended audience.
Inbound markets to the Caribbean with the highest interest for travel during the month of December compared to the same month last year were the US with nearly 15 per cent growth and the UK and France with nearly 20 per cent growth from each market.
During this time frame, the Caribbean is also seeing growth through mobile searches and packages, which combine aspects like hotel, airfare and/or car bookings. (South Florida Caribbean News) ~ Caribbean360 ~
