Paradise Island, Bahamas – Packaging hotel rooms and airfare together will help put ‘heads in beds’ for Cayman.
According to Brett Minzner of Expedia, that company is making package deals a big push for 2012.
“Cayman had a 2 per cent growth in 2011 with strong group business in top properties like Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort and The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Expedia is focussing on package deals, which tend to have a much longer booking window and longer stay. There are also fewer cancellations,” he told the Compass.
Another priority for Expedia is to draw more international business to the Caribbean in general, moving the reliance away from the traditionally-biggest market of the United States.
In the case of the Cayman Islands, the recently-announced commencement of flights by Cayman Airways to Panama will open up eight new South American destinations thanks to links with Copa Airlines, the national flag carrier of Panama.
“Copa has extended its network significantly over the last year and spillover from their marketing has helped the region,” said Demetrius Canton, director of market management at Expedia.
He said that Brazil has shown fantastic growth and other Caribbean islands had benefitted from introducing direct flights to that destination. As a result, it has become the fourth biggest market for Expedia.
“A middle class has emerged which can travel and they are also big spenders,” Mr. Canton said.
The Cayman Islands is not suitable for all-inclusive resorts, Mr. Minzner said, because there are so many great restaurants in the destination and it remains a safe place. Expedia, he said, was always interested in running island promotions in conjunction with the Cayman Islands Tourism Association and the Department of Tourism.
“If all sectors of the economy participate, from water sports, tour ops and restaurants to hotels, points of interest and more, we can look at two for one promotions, or $5 discounts in participating shops, for example.
“Destinations that do big offers benefit; that’s big in the sense of having the entire sector involved rather than a big financial investment or commitment,” he said.
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