Expedia, the world’s leading online travel company hosts a summit for South African hoteliers, tour operators and other travel suppliers on February 24 in Johannesburg and February 25 in Cape Town. Expedia will discuss how South African travel providers can generate bookings, and address gaps in demand and occupancy by distributing their products on Expedia and Hotels.com sites worldwide.

Travel professionals who attend the summit will benefit their businesses by learning:
- How to drive more demand among international travelers
- Best practices in online travel distribution
- Best practices for weathering the challenges posed by the global financial crisis

Expedia owns and operates more than 60 online travel booking sites worldwide, including Expedia and hotels.com sites in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and throughout Western Europe; and in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. More travelers book through Expedia than any other online travel company in the world. In EMEA alone, Expedia employees nearly 300 hotel revenue experts who understand the local business dynamics and the needs of hoteliers in the region.

“Expedia can offer South African hoteliers and tour operators the ability to reach a global audience of travelers,” said Diego Lofeudo, Director of Market Management, Expedia. “Because of our global leadership, paired with an understanding of local market dynamics in South Africa, Expedia offers strategic insights on how tourism companies can get better exposure for their products online.”