As the world heads toward the holiday season, hoteliers are preparing for demand as people look to travel over Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Amadeus is seeing a peak in demand over the Christmas and New Year period across major markets around the world.
Amadeus’ Demand360+ data as of November 27, 2023, showed that global hotel occupancy for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s is at 23 percent. This is up 10 percent from the same time last year. Globally, occupancy levels this festive season are trending ahead of 2022, reflecting a return of confidence in travel and a desire for warmer climates in some of the leading destinations.
According to hotel occupancy, the top destinations globally are:
- Los Cabos, Mexico, 77 percent
- Cape Town, South Africa, 71 percent
- Phuket, Thailand, 69 percent
- Cancun, Mexico, 69 percent
- Honolulu, Hawaii, 64 percent
- Tokyo, Japan, 61 percent
- Maldives, 59 percent
- Sydney, Australia, 58 percent
- Taipei, Taiwan, 58 percent
- Kahului, Hawaii, 57 percent
This festive season, it seems that travelers are prioritizing sun, nature, gastronomy, and culture, contributing to high occupancy levels across APAC and LATAM. Compared to last year, APAC is trending 8 percent higher, EMEA 7 percent, LATAM 4 percent, and NORAM is on par with 2022. Los Cabos, the top market, has seen a 16 percent increase in bookings since 2022.
The data also reveals travelers are still booking accommodations close to their intended travel dates. Booking lead times remain short as 56 percent of travelers worldwide are making hotel reservations within a week of their trip, up 4 percent from 2022. This presents hoteliers with an opportunity to make the most of last-minute demand.
“Christmas and New Year’s is undoubtedly a busy time for hoteliers. We are clearly seeing increased popularity in the APAC and LATAM regions as travelers look to book getaways. Having access to comprehensive forward-looking business intelligence data is important because it allows hoteliers to identify booking patterns and revenue opportunities so they can still drive last-minute demand while ensuring their property is staffed and ready to provide a great guest experience,” says Katie Moro, vice president, data partnerships, hospitality, Amadeus.
The data is based on insight from Amadeus’ Demand360+ business intelligence as of November 27, 2023, for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, December 24, 2023, through January 6, 2024.
