CANCUN, MEXICO and BELLEVUE, Wash.
(NSDQ-NMS:EXPE)
Oct. 14, 2010 – Expedia, Inc., the world's largest online travel company, today released booking data from its global websites showing growth in demand to Mexico among both travelers both inside and outside of Latin America over the past year. Bookings for domestic travel within Mexico are seeing triple-digit growth, and International bookings for travel into Mexico made on Expedia® and Hotels.com® sites worldwide have increased by over 25 percent year over year, with the majority of bookings coming from the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Bookings made by consumers in Mexico and other Latin America countries for travel within Latin America have seen near-triple-digit growth rates.
“The growth we’re seeing in Mexico travel is a sign of recovery for a market that has weathered a number of challenges in the last couple of years,” said Marco Tagliatti, vice president of Latin America lodging supply for Expedia. “More than ever before, domestic and international consumers are using the internet to research and book their travel. The strength we’re seeing in Mexico illustrates the value Expedia can deliver to our hotel partners and the impact we can have on a market’s overall performance.”
Over 20 percent more hotels have signed on to work with Expedia this year versus last year. By working with Expedia, they have access to the nearly 50 million travel shoppers each month who currently visit the more than 90 Expedia and Hotels.com travel booking websites around the world, including Expedia.com.mx and Hoteles.com for Mexico consumers.
“Expedia’s marketing reach and revenue management expertise have been invaluable in helping us reach and attract travelers from around the globe,” said George Hunter, Director of Sales, Leisure & Business Travel for Grupo Posadas. “Our partnership with Expedia has truly afforded us a level of visibility we would not be able to attain on our own.”
Expedia Media, the advertising sales division of the company, has developed relationships with more than a dozen convention and visitors bureaus (CVB) throughout Mexico, partnering to stimulate continued travel demand for destinations around the count ry. In fact, over the past three years, Expedia Media has successfully executed one of the most significant investments by a tourism board in company history, promoting all Mexico destinations mainly on Expedia and hotels.com in the US and Canada. These efforts have resulted in year over year increases in room night bookings and air ticket sales.
The Expedia Latin America market management team is in Cancun this week attending the annual Cancun TravelMart, and will host a partner appreciation event to honor top producing Mexico hotel partners the evening of October 14. Earlier this month, Expedia also hosted an ecommerce seminar for approximately 100 members of the Cancun and Riviera Maya hotel industry. Expedia hotel revenue management experts were on hand to present an overview of online travel trends and distribution strategy opportunities available to local Expedia hotel partners.
About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the largest online travel company in the world, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes more than 90 localized Expedia.com®- and Hotels.com®-branded sites; leading U.S. discount travel site Hotwire®; leading agency hotel company Venere.com™; Egencia®, the world's fifth largest corporate travel management company; the world's largest travel community TripAdvisor® Media Network; destination activities provider ExpediaLocalExpert®; luxury travel specialist Classic Vacations®; and China's second largest booking site eLong™. The company delivers consumers value in leisure and business travel, drives incremental demand and direct bookings to travel suppliers, and provides advertisers vast opportunity to reach the most valuable audience of in-market travel consumers anywhere through TripAdvisor Media Network and Expedia Media Solutions. Expedia also powers bookings for some of the world’s leading airlines and hotels, top consumer brands, high traffic websites, and thousands of active affiliates through Expedia® Affiliate Network. (NASDAQ: EXPE)
Expedia is either a registered trademark or trademark of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PRESS ONLY:
In Mexico:
Edelman
Outside Mexico:
press@expedia.com
+1 425 679 7991
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