From South Florida Caribbean News

Montego Bay, Jamaica – Expedia Group™ participated in this year’s Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX), which took place September 23-25.

The Expedia Group market management team took advantage of this annual event to meet with lodging partners, talk strategy and showcase the latest data findings that are key to travel partner’s businesses.

The use of internet and mobile devices as platforms to shop and purchase travel products is rapidly increasing and has transformed the Jamaican tourism industry.

Expedia Group serves as a valuable actor in the local tourism sector and due to its mobile booking platforms reports a spike in mobile demand during January – June 2018, when compared to the previous year, to the following Jamaican destinations:

• Ocho Rios, over 10 percent growth from U.S. travelers
• Negril, over 20 percent growth from U.S. travelers
• Negril, nearly 40 percent growth from Canadian travelers
• Kingston, nearly 10 percent growth from U.S. travelers

Year Over Year Mobile Demand Growth

To better understand the importance of mobile demand in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean, the top inbound mobile demand penetration markets in the Caribbean were the United States, with almost 90 percent growth YoY; the United Kingdom, with more than 100 percent growth YoY; Canada, with almost 150 percent growth YoY; and Brazil with more than 70 percent growth YoY.[1]

“Expedia Group’s strong offering of effective solutions, technology and marketing expertise continue to have a strong impact on Jamaica’s tourism growth. Our objective is to keep seeking opportunities with hotel partners and to demonstrate the added value of partnering with Expedia Group,” said Nuno Sales da Ponte, Director Market Management in the Caribbean, Expedia Group. “JAPEX allows us to meet with our valued Jamaican lodging partners one-on-one, discuss the latest data reports we’ve gathered for Jamaica and what’s in store for the future in terms of trends, new technology and new strategies.”

Expedia Group also reported that the top in-demand Jamaican markets in the second quarter of 2018 when compared to the same time in 2017 were Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Negril, Kingston, and Port Antonio.

Additionally, the company highlighted that demand for different property star ratings during the same time frame mentioned above were as follows: more than 45 percent for three stars, nearly 40 percent for four stars, and almost 15 percent for five stars.

Moreover, over 70 percent of demand generated during this time was for all-inclusive stays to the island nation.

Expedia Group seeks to continue to support tourism growth in Jamaica and the Caribbean region. By working with Expedia Group, hotels in Jamaica gain exposure to more than 200 websites in 75 countries worldwide in 35 languages, in addition to a myriad of mobile sites and apps, from brands such as Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Travelocity®, Orbitz®, Hotwire®, Egencia®, Expedia® Partner Solutions and others.

[1] Based on Expedia Group data for 2017 vs. 2016 hotel stays, Egencia and Expedia Affiliate Network brands excluded.