Expedia reports Dominican Republic leads in 2015 Caribbean travel demand

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.– The Expedia group, one ofthe world’s largest online travel companies, reported today a banner year forthe Dominican Republic in 2015, with the destination remaining the top producingmarket in the Caribbean.

Within the Caribbean region as a whole, the Dominicandestination of Punta Cana, continues to be the top producing market in 2015,followed by Puerto Rico, and Aruba. Additional in-demand destinations in theDominican Republic with large rates of growth in 2015 compared to the yearbefore include:

Santo Domingo with more than 25 percent growth

Puerto Plata with more than 30 percent growth

Samana with 45 percent growth

The United Sates was once again the top producing marketfor the Dominican Republic with an increase in demand of more than 20 percentgrowth in 2015 compared to 2014. Canada followed in second with nearly 20percent growth year over year and Brazil in third with nearly 30 percentgrowth.

Package bookings, transactions that combine components likeflights and hotel, continue to shine in the Dominican Republic generating muchhigher booking windows of more than 70 days and a length of stay of an average5.7 days.

“With a strong hospitality foundation and idyllic beachweather, the Dominican Republic continues to be the most popular Caribbeandestination for travelers from major markets like the U.S., Canada and Brazil,”said Demetrius Canton, Director of LodgingPartner Services for the Caribbean, Expedia group. “Expedia complements theisland’s top-notch tourism offering by being a valued partner and advisor tohotel partners and offers Expedia’s technology capabilities and tools to helpthem increase sales and their bottom line.”

The Expedia group’s market management team is attending theDominican Annual Tourist Exchange (DATE), from April 19 – 21, 2016 in PuntaCana, Dominican Republic. The Expedia group will host an E-Commerce Seminar onApril 19 at 3 p.m. at the Melia Caribe Tropical where Demetrius Canton and theDominican market management team will share market data, company announcementsand product launches. On April 18, Expedia will also host a PartnerAppreciation Cocktail event at the Pearl Beach Club to show their appreciationfor the great relationships forged between the company and the island’shoteliers.

Throughout the conference the team will liaise with valuedtravel partners to discuss the successes in the region and provide counsel on increasingvisibility and demand using Expedia group’s powerful technology and marketingtools. The team will also introduce Expedia® PartnerCentral (EPC)Conversations, which recently rolled out and encourages direct dialogue andengagement between hoteliers and booked guests, providing a more personalizedexperience for guests and enabling them to reach out directly to hotels toinquire about additional amenities and services.

EPC Conversations is just one of the ways ExpediaPartnerCentral enables hoteliers to connect with guests. Real-time Feedbackprovides hoteliers immediate visibility into guest sentiment by solicitingreal-time feedback after check-in by answering three quick questions sohoteliers can address concerns while the guest is still on the property.Expedia PartnerCentral also provides easy access to reviews from across allExpedia sites, allowing hoteliers to identify guest feedback that requiresattention and thank guests for staying with them.

Expedia seeks to continue to add more properties to itsportfolio in 2016 and to support tourism growth in the Dominican Republic andthe region. By working with the Expedia group, hotels in the DominicanRepublic gain exposure to the more than200 websites in more than 75 countries worldwide in 35 languages, in additionto a myriad of mobile sites and apps, from brands such as Expedia®,Hotels.com®, Travelocity®, Orbitz®, Hotwire®, Egencia®, Expedia® AffiliateNetwork and others.