By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas has experienced a 35 percent increase in hotel bookings and a 20 percent increase in total gross demand in bookings over the past year, according to Expedia Group manager Betty Julia Estrada.

Ms Estrada, senior business development manager for the Caribbean, said new properties such as Baha Mar, and displacement from last year's hurricane season contributed to the country's growth.

She spoke to reporters during an Expedia Event held at Breezes Resort during which the group went over the latest travel trends, marketing insights, new developments, The Bahamas' booking numbers and the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation's campaign results.

Ms Estrada said out of the group's 200 companies in 75 countries in 35 languages, The Bahamas is one of its "premier destinations".

"We have a wonderful partnership with the ministry as well as with the Nassau Island Promotion Board and individual properties," she said.

When asked how marketing has increased tourism in the country, Ms Estrada said: "At this time last year, we saw a year over year demand in growth from 2016 to 2017 of nearly 10 percent."

"This year we're at nearly 30 percent for the same time period in total gross demand in bookings.

She said: "Total gross bookings would be air and hotel. On the hotel side alone, 2016 to 2017 we were at a growth of about five percent."

"This year, for the same time period, January through March, we are over 40 percent increase…in bookings. So those are numbers to be proud of."

However, the main contributors to the country's growth are "new properties such as the Baha Mar complex that [have] come onto the scene, as well as some displacement from last year's hurricane season," Ms Estrada said.

"Our audience is very interested. They are in love with the Bahamian product. So it's not a difficult sell," she noted.

When asked how The Bahamas compares with other countries in the region, Ms Estrada said while it is difficult to directly compare different destinations, she reiterated The Bahamas is one of the company's most "popular destinations and one of our most popular products".

"Like I said, it's not a tough sell and people are interested and they want to learn more.

"And they kind of get their first taste coming to Nassau, and then they begin to realise 'oh my goodness, there's a universe of experiences that I can have'.

"So we want to help those travellers stay in-destination longer, and really go out and island hop a little bit and explore the culture, the music, the cuisine, everything that it has to offer."

Promotion is about "getting the right message, to the right traveller, at the right time," she added. These include dedicated email blasts, expandable video ads, display banners, and social media campaigns.

In terms of the latter, Ms Estrada also discussed the company's new concept, "The Creative Partnership for The Bahamas".

"We're working with both the private and public sector to bring this project to fruition where we would send in five travel influencers to have a very unique and diverse experience."

"The Bahamas is a complex and a beautiful destination. It really merits a lot more than a banner, or a video, or even a television commercial."

"So we want to bring The Bahamas to life through this creative partnership where we send in top social travel influencers that have their own independent audiences as well as leveraging our platforms and data to showcase The Bahamas through their eyes, inviting the public to share and layer on top of that their own experiences and then coupled with a satellite media tour, to really bring out all of the different types of experiences and activities, the biodiversity."

"There's nearly 1000 islands. How can you put that into just one little banner?"

Ms Estrada could not reveal who these influencers would be yet, as the project is currently still in the development stages.

She also could not give a specific launch date for the project. While she said they would like to launch in the "softer fall season", a number of factors still need to be "worked out" before a date can be confirmed.

However, she is confident the initiative will bring a lot more of what The Bahamas has to offer to a "greater audience".

Ms Estrada also referenced the importance of having gatherings with industry partners on a regular bases.

"We meet on an individual basis and very regularly as well, to communicate new opportunities and new features that Expedia's offering to help them develop their business on their own and then collectively," she said.