Tourico sees strong growth in US hotel bookings from Asia

Tourico Holidays has reported a sharp increase in hotel bookings into the United States from Asia.

The travel wholesaler said that the year-on-year growth of 19% for bookings originating in Asia was driven by a 100% jump in reservations from China.

New York City continues to be the fastest-growing hotel destination for inbound travellers (from all global regions), with bookings for Manhattan hotels increasing 23%, Long Island surging 185% and Brooklyn jumping 463%.

Other nationwide growth included a 96% rise in bookings in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a 385% jump in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and an 81% increase in Phoenix, Arizona.

“Brokering US travel products is at the core of our business and it continues to account for a large portion of our global revenue,” said Ellen Forrest, Tourico’s vice president of USA product development. “As we continue to extend our reach and increase our presence in Europe and Asia, demand for our American hotel inventory continues to increase. To adequately meet that demand, we’re contracting more domestic suppliers and ensuring we have the proper local support to assist our clients.”

As a result of the increased demand for US hotels, Tourico has opened several new domestic offices, added more staff and increased its US hotel inventory to almost 20,000 hotels.

Last year, the company pre-purchased 44,000 room nights at a single New York City hotel, and in April 2016 the company extended its distribution agreement with Hotel Pennsylvania, the third largest hotel in New York City, by committing to purchase a quarter of the hotel’s rooms available through the end of this year.

“The demand for US hotels remains strong and we’ve made it our mission to ensure we have outstanding inventory at preferred rates – regardless of whether you’re headed to Manhattan or the Grand Canyon,” Ms Forrest added.