San Juan, Puerto Rico – Expedia Group, the world’s travel platform, participated in the Annual Conference on Tourism by Discover Puerto Rico, to share with the tourism industry data, insights and knowledge from the local travel industry.
Miriam Hernandez, Director, Market Management Expedia Group in the Caribbean and Ana Paradela, Director, Business Development Expedia Group Media Solution in Latin America and Caribbean, participated in the session of the event focused on speaking about Online Travel Agents (OTAs) & Wholesalers, where several experts talked about the new vision of OTA’s in the Caribbean destination.
“We are evolving beyond being a distribution channel to the travel industry, to become a full-service platform designed around building experiences that redefine the meaning of partnership in the travel space. We listen to all types of partners. Our job is to empower all of them on our marketplace, so that they can stay ahead of consumer trends”, said Hernández.
In the Annual Conference of Tourism, both Miriam and Ana mentioned that after the rough times that came from the last hurricane season, the country remains a popular destination on Expedia Group’s travel platform.
Data from the first half of the year (January to June 2019), showed that the international demand to Puerto Rico grew a littler over 60% (YoY), with San Juan as the top city preferred by international travelers.
During the first half of 2019, United States remained the top international feeder market to the city, but Canada was the international market that grew the most in demand, with 85% (YoY).
Other emerging markets showcasing significant year over year growth in demand for the island destination include:
- Bahamas, with more than 400% growth YoY
- Spain, with more than 70% growth YoY
- Brazil, with more than 70% growth YoY
During the first six months of the year, Expedia Group identified a spike in demand from Brazilian travelers in January, while Canadian travelers showcased an increase in demand from January to March.
For travelers coming from the United States to Puerto Rico, the demand increased more than 63% (YoY), with the following top five in-demand markets:
- Condado
- Isla-Verde-Carolina
- Old San Juan
- Ponce
- Dorado
Regarding to the travelers’ choices, according to Expedia Group numbers, the four-star properties made up 29% of demand. The average booking window for Puerto Rico during the first half of the year was 34 days, and the average length of stay was 2 days.
By hosting the event and showing Puerto Rico’s market results, Expedia Group reinforces its commitment to put its data to work for its travel partners, and to power the travel industry through information and innovation.
“Expedia Group’s platform will continue to offer different tools and solutions to help travel partners to drive incremental revenue and acquire new customers. At the same time, we will continue to work hand in hand with all the stakeholders within the local travel industry, to attract more travelers to this wonderful Caribbean destination”, concluded Hernández.
