January 2019 Business View Caribbean

8 9 Jamaica: Travel packages including four-star hotels increase in popularity With over three million visitor arrivals in the first three quarters of this year per the Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica’s four-star hotels have increased in popularity with travelers who search for packaged deals. Package demand at four-star properties in Jamaica has increased almost nine percent year-over-year from travelers coming from the US. Additionally, Expedia recorded an increase of US mobile demand to the Caribbean destination with hotels of every rating reporting an increase above ten percent year-over-year. Similar to Dominican Republic data, upscale stays tend to be longer averaging about four days. Bahamas: Four-star properties leading the pack The majority of demand to The Bahamas across Expedia Group sites is attributed to four-star stays, a segment which represents almost 75 percent of the package demand. This star rating is popular among travelers coming from the US, showing an increase of more than 65 percent year-over-year, for Canada, almost 160 percent, and for the UK almost 40 percent increase year-over-year. Five-star stays represent a little over four percent of the package demand in The Bahamas. As with the Dominican Republic, booking windows and length of stay averages tend to be longer for travel to upscale and luxury properties in The Bahamas. Five, four and three-star properties all reported booking windows that exceed 60 days. Similarly, these hotel categories averaged stays of four days. Bahamian EP properties and all-inclusive properties are both growing at similar rates, which is four times more than the overall growth in the Caribbean. OPENING LINES