The Cayman Islands has the connectivity to be able to reach non-traditional markets, according to a website expert.
Marco Tagliatti, vice president of Lodging for Latin America and the Caribbean for Expedia, told the Compass that 2012 was “a time of unique opportunities”.
“The Cayman Islands is a destination that has a lot to offer for consumers – with 365 scuba diving sites and attractions for all ages and interests like Stingray City, Turtle Farm [etcetera]. Expedia market managers may provide the expertise, marketing tools and support for Cayman Islands to leverage its comprehensive tourism offering and be more competitive in the on-line marketplace.
“Some of the suggestions for Cayman are to look out for the non-traditional markets. With great connectivity year-round from the USA, seasonal flights from Canada, weekly flights to London and bi-weekly connecting service with Panama, it’s easy to reach the destination from almost everywhere in the world,” he said.
Demand up
Mr. Tagliatti noted that travel demand to the Caribbean as noted through Expedia sites had increased more than 20 per cent during the second quarter of 2012 compared with the same period in 2011. Whilst the majority of demand came from travellers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Brazil and France the top five fastest-growing markets for the Caribbean were Finland (up 170 per cent), Australia (50 per cent), Brazil (40 per cent) and Switzerland and Norway, where travel demand was up by 30 per cent.
“International demand presents a huge and growing opportunity for hotels in the Caribbean to attract guests from around the world, and 2012 is the perfect time for these properties to implement a more robust strategy for targeting travellers outside of the region and focus where the growth is,” Mr. Tagliatti said.
He added that the company’s focus was on working with destinations and hotels on ways to market to potential new customers, whilst maintaining and reinforcing demand for the destination in traditional, top-producing countries.
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