Yalago, part of the Emirates Group, is one of the world’s fastest-growing leisure bed banks, with hotel bookings up 92% in 2022 compared to the previous year.
The wholesale specialist reports on the latest trends across all markets around the world, revealing all-time highs in year-round traveler numbers, spend per booking and length of stay.
The majority of travelers (45%) are spending 30% more per booking, opting for wider meal plans such as all-inclusive, and booking five-star hotels. They are also staying longer, averaging five nights per stay, up from four nights in previous years.
Astrid Kastberg, General Manager of Yalago, said: “As more and more destinations open up to international travelers, we are seeing very strong demand for all of our key destinations. Looking ahead, as flight capacity continues to expand to meet pre-pandemic , a trend we expect to continue, especially for some of our key source markets in the Asia-Pacific region, which have yet to return to pre-pandemic flight capacity.
“Through our industry experience and partnerships, we aim to support global travel companies with their growing hotel portfolios for leisure travelers. Our expertise in destinations in Dubai, Indian Ocean, Florida, Spain and beyond established a global reputation and continues to build on these destinations as well as new locations around the world.
“For example, the UAE, US, Maldives and European cities remain very popular, while in the past few months we have seen a huge increase in bookings in Southeast Asia. Across Asia, five-star resorts are in short supply, but through our exclusive discounts and value-added services remain affordable and attractive.”
As the “winter sun” trend continues to dominate Yalago’s current bookings, its most popular travel destinations for hotel bookings between December 2022 and March 2023 are Dubai, Phuket, Singapore, Bali in order of popularity , Florida and the Canary Islands of Spain. Meanwhile, New York City, Paris and London emerged as New Year’s Eve hotspots, most popular with global tourists.
In 2023, Yalago’s core focus will be on expanding its hotel portfolio, offering a wider range in European cities, Asia Pacific and the Americas, particularly the US and Brazil. This will expand the reach of these hotels to a wider global audience as tourism to these regions becomes more popular.
The company is also expanding its presence through global market teams to enhance its localized knowledge and expertise. As well as operating an existing UK office through a dedicated Yalago Retail Connect, the company has recently appointed business development managers for the US, Switzerland and Spain and expanded its team in Dubai, with a view to further expanding its presence in 2023 global footprint. This will include building and expanding teams in the UAE, UK, US, Brazil, Latin America, Asia and across Europe.
Yalago continues to grow its product portfolio, team and customer base globally, and has extensive plans to head into the new year.
Yalago will participate in major trade events in 2023, including ITB Berlin, ATM Dubai, IPW San Antonio, ITB China, ITB Asia, FIT Argentina and WTM London. – trade arab news agency