Online travel bookings have exploded

Joburg and Cape Town have enjoyed phenomenal growth in nett room nights sold in 2014; Joburg has seen 26% growth in 2014, three-and-a-half times that seen in 2011, while Cape Town enjoyed 31% growth. Interestingly, the reach of mobile has expanded almost seven times since 2012.

Growth from the German, Indian and American markets far exceeded other international source markets for South Africa in terms of online travel bookings, with 50% year-on-year growth in nett room nights sold from the German market, 41% from India and 44% from the US.

Expedia's Area Manager, Ross Kata, attributes this growth, among other factors, to the favourable exchange rate for inbound travellers visiting South Africa. "The rand exchange rate has certainly acted as a tailwind for Expedia, making South Africa a far better value-for-money prospect for international travellers, which still comprise 90% of our online bookings. The international traveller profile Expedia offers our hotel, guest house and lodge partners in southern and East Africa is unrivalled. Not only are the longer lengths of stay more favourable for our partners, the booking window of an average of over 30 days and lower cancellation rates ensure properties can yield their rates up and not down for last-minute bookings."

Increasing partnerships

Expedia has set its sights on increasing its partnerships across southern and East Africa in 2014. As such, the recently awarded South African Tourism Top Producing Online Tour Operator will be hosting a summit for existing and prospective partners on 8 May in Durban, providing key insights into local hospitality and online booking trends, a platform for networking, and tips and tools on how to reach the coveted international traveller through its innovative marketing solutions.

"What differentiates us further and what we will introduce further at our summit is Expedia's package facility, which automatically draws best-priced elements into a package that can be customised by our partners, as well as our multiple brands and over 7500 affiliates.

"We also pride ourselves on the personal attention to each of their partner's specific business goals every step of the way," explained Ross.

For more information on the summit, contact Claire Pitter on moc.aidepxe@rettipc-t