News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Fri. Dec. 1, 2017: As snowbirds start traveling south this holiday, interest is growing in for at least three Caribbean destinations including one recently impacted by the 2017 hurricanes.
The Expedia group is reporting a large influx of searches and interest for travel to these Caribbean destinations. They are:
1: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Expedia says it is seeing a spike in interest in the Jamaican resort area this year, compared to the same period last year. Searches for Montego Bay are up nearly 25 percent this year compared to 2016 according to Expedia group search data. Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, is anticipating a “strong winter season given the new resorts that have opened in the last 12 months on the island as well as an increased airlift from our main markets, the USA, Canada, U.K., and Europe.”
2: Aruba
Coming in at second on the top three Caribbean searches is Aruba. According to Expedia, searches by potential travelers for Aruba are up by nearly 15 percent this year, compared to the same period last year.
3: San Juan
Despite being affected by Hurricane Maria, San Juan, Puerto Rico seems to be also be on the radar of potential travelers more than other Caribbean countries. Expedia reports that searches are up by 10 percent this year, compared to the same period last year.
The company also reported that as a whole, the Caribbean is seeing a large influx of group travel (bookings with 3 or more people) around the Christmas holidays with an increase in searches of more than 30 percent for Christmas Day and nearly 25 percent for New Year’s compared to holiday travel searches for 2016.
“The holiday season is always an exciting time for the Caribbean, as the region receives a wave of travelers from top markets like the U.S. and Canada who are looking to escape the winter cold,” said Rafael del Castillo, Senior Director, Resorts, Market Management, the Expedia group. “Expedia is proud to work with our Caribbean hotel partners to ensure they are capitalizing on the heavy influx of travelers.”
