- Over 20% growth in room nights compared to previous year, with Spain main market of growth and APAC growing strongly.
- Hotelbeds’ B2B network of more than 60,000 clients worldwide driving high-value non-domestic guests to Southern Italy and its islands.
- A trebling of preferred agreements with leading hotels under exclusive terms and conditions has enabled Hotelbeds to meet increased B2B demand for the region – with a 30% plus increase in hotels overall in the South of Italy and islands over the last year.
Palma, October 8h 2019. Hotelbeds, the world’s leading bedbank, today provided an update on the Italian market whilst participating at TTG Rimini in Italy.
Year on year room night sales for the South of Italy and islands have grown more than 20%.
Spain is the main source market driver of growth for hotel bookings in the South of Italy, supported by other markets with a significant increase such as the UK, the USA, Germany and Italy.
Meanwhile Asia-Pacific continues to grow as an important source market for Italy, with an overall growth of 60% compared to last year – with Australia and China climbing ten positions, from 22nd to 12th.
This strong growth has been driven by a 180% increase in the number of preferred agreements that Hotelbeds has with leading hoteliers across the region, under exclusive terms and conditions. Such agreements offer greater stability in booking volumes for hoteliers whilst at the same time providing competitive rates for B2B customers around the world.
Additionally, during the last year Hotelbeds has increased by over 30% the number of unique hotels available overall, mainly located in top destinations such as Sicily, Naples, North Sardinia, Sorrento and Puglia.
Altogether Hotelbeds has attracted this year guest bookings from B2B clients from more than 100 source markets to the South of Italy, including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
The strong growth of international travellers visiting the region demonstrates the great value that Hotelbeds offers to hoteliers by making available its extensive network of 60,000 B2B travel trade clients, including high-value B2B clients, such as retail travel agencies, traditional tour operators, points redemption and loyalty scheme, and airlines.
Bookings via such B2B buyers on average provide guests whose travellers pay more per night, cancel less, book further in advance, spend more in destination and comeback more often.
Oriol Garriga, Director of Contracting for Italy at Hotelbeds says: “Hotels across the South of Italy and the islands really value the non-domestic bookings that we are able to offer them as these represent incremental bookings they couldn´t have gained easily for themselves. Additionally such guests typically pay a higher rate, cancel less, stay for longer, spend more at the hotel and come back more often.
“Who doesn´t want guests like that? As a result of this our contracting team have been able to close three times more preferred agreements – under exclusive terms and conditions – than the year before, resulting in a virtuous circle of more bookings and then more demand from hoteliers to work with us.”
Hotelbeds will participate at the TTG Travel Experience fair in Rimini, Italy taking place from Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 October, and can be found on stand 078-083, in hall A1.
