Above: the Dominican Republic (CJ Photo)
By Alexander Britell
MONTEGO BAY – Demand for travel to the Caribbean region grew 20 percent in the first three quarters of 2013, according to a new report from Expedia.
The fastest growing markets last year were the Dominican Republic, which saw a 33 percent increase in demand, followed by St Martin/St Maarten, which saw a 35 percent increase compared to the first three quarters of 2012.
The company announced the news during the Caribbean Travel Marketplace conference in Montego Bay this week.
“Over the course of the year, we added 180 new lodging partners ranging from boutique hotels to large resorts and created a lot of demand for the region,” said Demetrius Canton, director of Market Management for Expedia. “We are looking forward to an even more successful 2014.”
St Lucia was next at 24 percent, followed by Aruba, which grew by 21 percent.
The company said that travel demand for the Caribbean grew the most in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil.
Demand from Mexico posted the fastest growth, with 70 percent year-over-year growth, followed by Germany at 53 percent year over year and the Netherlands at 38 percent.