Boom times for Asia Pacific travel business: Hotelbeds

Urban destinations in the region attract a higher number of visitors each year. In line with this trend, the fastest-growing destinations were also major cities, with Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo at the forefront of the ranking, it said.

"MEAPAC is our largest geographical region, as well as one of our fastest-growing markets both in terms of source markets and destinations. Our investment in human talent and technological innovation are consolidating Hotelbeds' reputation in this region as the most forward thinking player in travel distribution. Our commitment to constant innovation and localisation, together with the tourism infrastructure improvements made in the region itself during the past few years, will undoubtedly continue to be key drivers for further growth," said Carlos Munoz, managing director, Hotelbeds.

Founded in Spain in 2001,  Hotelbeds (www.hotelbeds.com) has an online database of over 60,000 hotels in 180 countries. For the year ended September 30, 2013, Hotelbeds sold 18 million roomnights and outperformed the market with 20 per cent growth in total transaction values (TTV) to 1.8 billion euro.

According to Hotelbeds' statistics, thanks to its size, scale and market opportunities, the region is consolidating its position as a top global tourist destination, with visitors travelling mainly from the United Kingdom, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, China and Indonesia. At the same time, the top growing source markets for the region are China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

During this year, Hotelbeds has signed 225 new Key Partnerships and Preferential Partnership Agreements (PPA) with relevant hotel chains and independent hotels. These include Archipelago International, one of Indonesia's largest local chains; Far East Hospitality, a key player in Singapore; Jumeirah, Rotana and Kerzner, top chains in the Middle East; and Regal and Dorsett, chains whose core activities take place in Hong Kong.