Expedia, Inc. discussed newly-released data at the annual Feria Internacional de Turismo (FIT) showing positive growth in bookings made to Argentina on the company's more than 100 Expedia-brand and Hotels.com-brand travel booking sites worldwide this year.

"Argentina is an increasingly popular travel destination, with growth of more than 80 percent in the number of bookings to Argentine hotels this year versus 2010," said Marco Tagliatti, Expedia vice president of lodging for Latin America. "The growth is coming from international travelers, who are traveling in the greatest numbers from the U.S., Brazil, the U.K., Australia and Spain."

Expedia has a hotel market management team dedicated to working with hotels in Argentina who want to offer their property on Expedia and Hotels.com sites around the world, and attract international travelers. Expedia market managers provide strategic counsel and market insights to their hotel partners, Current recommendations for local hoteliers include:

- Incorporate a mobile booking channel into your property's distribution strategy.  Expedia has seen strong continued growth in bookings made via its mobile channels, especially in metropolitan areas as more consumers around the world use mobile devices to book their hotel stays.
- Look to international travelers as a source of new, incremental demand.  According to Expedia, some of the strongest demand for travel to Argentina is coming from Europe and Asia-Pacific, with each region growing between 50 to 125 percent over the past year. 

In addition, local tourism boards such as Inprotur have partnered with Expedia Media Solutions, to promote Argentina as a tourist destination to international travelers. Expedia's cost-per-click product TravelAds has also been especially helpful in extending visibility for hotels, with participating properties experiencing average returns of 10 times their investment.

Expedia executives, including Tagliatti, are in Buenos Aires this week to attend FIT, where the company will meet with local tourism officials and members of the Argentine hospitality community to discuss strategies for promoting Argentina as a top travel destination to Expedia's global audience of travelers.

Thursday evening representatives from Expedia, Hotels.com, and Expedia Media Solutions will host a partner appreciation event for more than 200 members of the local hospitality community, where Expedia executives are expected to recognize several outstanding Buenos Aires hotel partners across three categories:

Top Producers 2011
Unique Luxury Park Plaza
Caesar Park Buenos Aires
Hollywood Suites

Top Producing Hotel Chain 2011
Unique Hotels Collection

Fastest Growing Hotel 2011
Vista Sol Buenos Aires

"Participating at FIT gives us the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our local hotel partners, who by partnering with Expedia have been successful in bringing international travelers to Argentina, and growing their business in the process," said Rafael del Castillo, Expedia director of market management for South America. "We're very encouraged to see the growth Expedia has delivered to Argentina hotels over the past year, and we remain confident that by working closely with local properties we can continue to develop strategies for efficiently marketing Argentina as a top destination to the nearly 60 million travelers that visit our sites each month."