Expedia Group reports increased demand for Cuban accommodations. Since May 2017, Expedia Group has seen increased demand for Cuba accommodations, specifically in June 2018, when compared to June 2017.
During that timeframe, Expedia Group reports growth in demand across all Cuban destinations. Strong performance in Havana, Varadero, and West Cuba have contributed to the rapid growth in demand across Cuba as a whole.
While the travel industry has been one of Cuba’s most important economic contributors for decades, Expedia Group has enabled global traveler access across a greater number of properties located throughout the island. Whether individual or chain lodgings, Expedia Group reports that four and three-star properties both received 45 percent share of demand during June 2018.
“Cuba offers a unique combination of history, culture and some of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the Caribbean. We are convinced of the potential of the island and are proud of our contribution to the country,” said Rafael del Castillo, senior director for Mexico and the Caribbean, Expedia Group.
Expedia Group continues to work closely with lodging partners throughout the country helping to boost sales and meet marketing goals, all while increasing the number of lodging partners. This increase in lodging partners opens up a wider variety of hotels authorized travelers can choose from when selecting their Cuban vacation.
“Expedia Group has had a huge impact for our brand. For the Be Live hotels in Cuba, which feature seven properties throughout Havana and Varadero, we have taken advantage of the company’s technological offering as well as the many analytic tools that have helped us develop our sales strategies more effectively,” stated Be Live Hotels. “The company’s global reach has been one of the biggest differentiators for us as it has brought us a larger variety of guests from all over the world. Our presence in those markets have been paramount to our positive outcome since Expedia Group’s started engaging with lodging partners in Cuba.”
From the travelers coming to Cuba, Expedia Group reports a share of demand during June 2018 of nearly 50 percent from the United States, and more than five percent from Mexico and United Kingdom. Additionally, the top feeder markets to Cuba during April, May and June of 2018 were United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and Mexico. Expedia Group also reports a spike in demand to Cuba during August 2017 and February and March 2018 – confirming the Caribbean’s high popularity during winter and summer months.
Other insights reported by Expedia Group include how far in advance travelers booked their Cuban trip, an important piece of knowledge for hoteliers to have in order to design their sales offering to target specific travelers. The average booking windows in Cuba as of June 2018, per point of sale were:
- UK: 48 days
- Mexico: 32 days
- US: 28 days
- Canada: 22 days
- Germany: 22 days
Expedia Group also reported almost 360 percent growth in mobile booking demand from the US to Cuba during June 2018 compared to June 2017.The average booking window for mobile bookings coming from the US was 15 days, highlighting the importance of effectively promoting last-minute sales and deals on Expedia Group sites.
Since May 2017, Cuban lodging partners have enjoyed free tools as part of their affiliation with the technology company including Expedia Group™ Partner Central, Expedia Group’s self-service website that offers tools and insights to help lodging partners stay informed and competitive in the marketplace; Rev+, a revenue management tool designed to provide actionable data and insights to empower lodging partners to make smart decisions to optimize their revenue; and Expedia Analytics, an advanced, action-driven insights tool for lodging partners that leverages the latest property, competitive set and market data to help them make informed decisions to maximize their bookings and revenue.
