CANCUN, MEXICO– October 13th, 2011- Expedia, Inc., the world's largest online travel company and one of the most important partners for the Mexican Caribbean, shared data today on the growth in travel bookings to Cancun and Riviera Maya made on the more than 100 Expedia® and Hotels.com® sites worldwide.

“Historically Mexico has been a popular destination among Expedia consumers, and we saw that trend continue as travel bookings to Cancun and Riviera Maya grew 32% in the second quarter over the previous year,” said Marco Tagliatti, vice president of lodging supply, Latin America and Caribbean, Expedia. “We believe this growth to be a direct result of the collaboration between Expedia and our more than 300 hotel partners throughout Cancun and Riviera Maya, and our collective efforts to increase demand for travel into Mexico.”

Also helping to drive demand are the long-standing relationships between Expedia Media Solutions and the local tourism boards in Cancun, Riviera Maya and Cozumel, which have served to increase visibility for these destinations among Expedia shoppers through online marketing campaigns that help differentiate the Mexican Caribbean from other sun and beach destinations worldwide.

Tagliatti is in town this week to attend Cancun Travel Mart, a travel industry tradeshow that gathers top tour operators and hoteliers from across 20 countries. During the event, he and other Expedia executives will meet with local tourism boards and hotel partners to discuss strategies for promoting travel to the Mexican Caribbean to Expedia’s global audience of travelers.

Key recommendations include:
• Look beyond the U.S. to source international demand. Some of the strongest demand for travel to Cancun and Riviera Maya is coming from travelers in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where growth rates are between 75 and 270 percent over the past year.
• Grow your package business. Expedia findings reflect the continued popularity of package bookings among consumers traveling to Mexican Caribbean destinations, with more than 76% of all hotel bookings for Cancun and Riviera Maya representing part of a vacation package component. Not to mention, package bookings are often associated with extended booking windows and longer lengths of stay than standalone hotel reservations.

Thursday evening the company will host a partner appreciation event for more than 250 members of the local hospitality community, where Expedia executives are expected to recognize several outstanding lodging partners from across Cancun, Riviera Maya and Cozumel that each led their respective markets in room nights booked on Expedia and Hotels.com sites through the first half of 2011. Award recipients will include:

All-inclusive
• GR Solaris Cancun & Spa, Cancun
• Blue Bay Grand Esmeralda, Riviera Maya
• Sabor Cozumel Resort & Spa, Cozumel

European Plan
• Gran Melia Cancun, Cancun
• Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya

“We are very excited to celebrate the successes that these hotel partners have achieved through their participation in Expedia’s online travel marketplace,” said Pablo Castro, director of market management, Mexico & Central America, Expedia. “By capitalizing on Expedia’s unparalleled global reach, valuable insights and targeted marketing opportunities, these hotels have successfully extended their visibility and attracted new travelers to their properties, growing their bookings through Expedia’s channels as a result.”

About Expedia, Inc.
Expedia, Inc. is the largest online travel company in the world, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes more than 100 localized Expedia.com®- and Hotels.com®-branded sites; leading U.S. discount travel site Hotwire®; leading agency hotel company Venere.com™; Egencia®, the world's fifth largest corporate travel management company; the world's largest travel community TripAdvisor® Media Group; destination activities provider ExpediaLocalExpert®; luxury travel specialist Classic Vacations®; and China's second largest booking site eLong™. The company delivers consumers value in leisure and business travel, drives incremental demand and direct bookings to travel suppliers, and provides advertisers vast opportunity to reach the most valuable audience of in-market travel consumers anywhere through TripAdvisor Media Group and Expedia Media Solutions. Expedia also powers bookings for some of the world’s leading airlines and hotels, top consumer brands, high traffic websites, and thousands of active affiliates through Expedia® Affiliate Network. (NASDAQ: EXPE) For corporate and industry news and views, visit us at www.expediainc.com or follow us on Twitter @expediainc.

Expedia and the Airplane logo are either a registered trademark or trademark of Expedia, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hotels.com is either a trademark or registered trademark of hotels.com, L.P in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. © 2011 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. CST: 2029030-50

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