Mobile bookings fuel Expedia business in 2016
Mobile bookings fueled the Expedia travel site’s business in 2016, with destinations Punta Cana, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Aruba, and Montego Bay taking top billing. Punta Cana and San Juan accounted for 34 percent of all bookings, the company said.
Room nights grew 53 percent in 2016 compared to 2015, the company added.
“Although mobile bookings only made up 14 percent in 2016, mobile share grew 28 percent since 2015 — showcasing a growing trend in mobile bookings,” Expedia said.
The U.S. mainland brought in the majority of customers, with 83 percent of room nights, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada. The Expedia group also reported a higher growth coming from European countries like the Netherlands, with a 76 percent increase, and Spain with a 73 percent increase.
“Mobile bookers are also 12 percent more likely to stay in three-star properties compared to non-mobile bookers and 10 percent less likely to stay in four- or five- star properties. Forty-five percent of mobile bookers stayed at a four-star property, followed by 42 percent at three-star,” the company said.
Booking windows for mobile were shorter at 32 days on average, compared to non-mobile bookers (at 50 days on average).
Also, general booking windows tend to be longer for the Caribbean than most destinations around the world because most travelers have to fly to get to these destinations, Expedia said.
