Inbound hotel bookings remain strong overall, according to global travel wholesaler.
ORLANDO, FLA. – Tourico Holidays, a global leader in wholesale travel brokerage, shared data revealing a significant increase in year-over-year hotel bookings into the United States from Europe and Asia – with 20 percent growth and 19 percent growth respectively. The jump in inbound hotel activity was due, in large part, to a 100 percent year-over-year increase in bookings from China.
As a result of the increased demand for U.S. hotels, Tourico has opened several new domestic offices, built teams dedicated exclusively to contracting tertiary markets, and bolstered its U.S. hotel inventory, which is nearly 20,000 hotels strong.
“Brokering U.S. travel products is at the core of our business and it continues to account for a large portion of our global revenue,” said Ellen Forrest, Vice President of USA Product Development for Tourico Holidays. “As we continue to extend our reach and increase our presence in Europe and Asia, demand for our American hotel inventory continues to increase. To adequately meet that demand, we’re contracting more domestic suppliers and ensuring we have the proper local support to assist our clients.”
According to Tourico, New York City continues to be the fastest-growing hotel destination for inbound travelers – with Manhattan increasing by 32 percent, Long Island City increasing by 185 percent, and Brooklyn increasing by 463 percent. Tourico has also seen recent hotel booking growth in smaller markets throughout the country – including a 96 percent increase in Myrtle Beach, a 385 percent increase in Santa Fe, and an 81 percent increase in Phoenix.
Tourico has opened additional offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Seattle in the past year to support local hotel suppliers, contract new hotels, and to meet a growing worldwide demand for these markets. Tourico’s buying team is now larger than ever, procuring travel products across a number of vertical segments, including national parks, ski areas, theme parks and other popular travel interests and attractions.
Tourico pioneered the industry practice of pre-buying large hotel room blocks over twenty years ago and today the company has a larger United States “ExclusiveDeals” inventory than ever before. Last year, the company pre-purchased 44,000 room nights at a single New York City hotel, providing Tourico clients with exclusive selection and prices on hotel rooms at a four-star hotel in Midtown Manhattan. In April, Tourico extended its distribution agreement with Hotel Pennsylvania, the third largest hotel in New York City, by committing to purchase a quarter of the hotel’s rooms available through the end of this year.
“The demand for US hotels remains strong and we’ve made it our mission to ensure we have outstanding inventory at preferred rates – regardless of whether you’re headed to Manhattan or the Grand Canyon,” said Forrest.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
