BELLEVUE, Wash.:--- The Expedia® group, the world's largest online travel company, reported today that travel demand garnered via Expedia.com® and Hotels.com® points of sale for St. Maarten/St Martin hotels grew nearly 20 percent in 2013 when compared to the previous year.
The Expedia group provides hotel partners with access to tremendous volume and variety of travelers worldwide through more than 150 websites in more than 70 countries worldwide, in addition to a myriad of mobile sites and apps, from brands such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire®, Egencia®, Expedia® Affiliate Network and Venere®.
The Expedia group continues expanding its global footprint with the launch of new portals, investing in campaigns and mobile technologies while developing tailor-made market strategies for hotel partners to attract a diverse array of clients in a variety of countries. Expedia reports an increase in demand from international markets to St. Maartin/St. Martin from countries such as Brazil (more than 100%), Germany (more than 20%), and The Netherlands (nearly 20%). The United States, by far the top producing international feeder market, continues to grow at more than 25%.
The Expedia group's market management team attended SMART, the destination's most influential industry event, from May 14-16, 2014. During the conference, the company's market management team will have an opportunity to discuss trends and online marketing tools and programs available via the company's multiple platforms that could provide increased visibility and incremental demand for the destination. Moreover, the team is expected to share 2013 successes while also meeting with valued hotel partners and reinforcing the company's commitment to the region.
"We believe that St. Maarten/St Martin has the ideal conditions to grow further as a tourist destination, which is why it represents a growing market for us in the Caribbean. It is our privilege to promote the destination to our global audience of travelers," said Demetrius Canton, Director of Market Management in the Caribbean for Expedia. "The Expedia group attracts 60 million travelers a month from more than 70 countries through its significant investments in marketing and technology. When a hotel partners with Expedia, in addition to getting access to these travelers, our market management team provides valuable data-based market insight to help a hotelier capture this demand in a way that makes strategic sense for their business."
