Expedia reports increase in travel demand for Jamaica in 2015

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Expedia group, one of the world’s leading travel companies, has reported that travel demand to Jamaica on all Expedia sites grew nearly 20 percent in 2015 when compared to 2014.

Package bookings, transactions that combine components like flights and hotel, continue to increase in Jamaica with a nearly 20 percent increase in 2015 year over year. Some Jamaican destinations that experienced a noteworthy increase in package bookings in 2015 compared to 2014, included:

• Ocho Rios with more than a 30 percent increase

• South Coast with a nearly 60 percent increase

• Port Antonio with a 75 percent increase

New data from Expedia group also indicates that the United States remains the key feeder market for Jamaica with a reported growth of nearly 25 percent in 2015 year over year. Canada and the United Kingdom are other key markets for Jamaica, growing at nearly 15 percent and nearly 35 percent respectively as well during the same time frame.

“Expedia continues to support Jamaica’s growth with its local presence and its constant rollout of effective solutions… As properties continue to benefit from the company’s wide-range of tools, technology and expertise, we continue to build relationships with hotel partners who see the benefit of Expedia,” said Demetrius Canton, director of lodging partner services for the Caribbean, the Expedia group.

Representatives from Expedia’s market management team attended the Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), the destination’s premier trade event and the single most important business generator for Jamaica’s tourism industry, April 29 – May 1, 2016, at the Montego Bay Convention Center.

Throughout the three-day conference, Expedia executives shared the latest news, information on innovative marketing tools and recommendations on how hotel partners can take advantage of Expedia’s mobile technologies, tools and market intelligence to achieve increased visibility and incremental demand for their properties.

Expedia seeks to continue to add more properties to its portfolio in 2016 and to support tourism growth in Jamaica and the Caribbean region. By working with the Expedia group, hotels in Jamaica gain exposure to the more than 200 websites in more than 75 countries worldwide in 35 languages, in addition to a myriad of mobile sites and apps.