Spanish hotel market: SiteMinder analysis finds online hotel bookings have doubled in five years
A country analysis by the global hotel industry's leading cloud platform, SiteMinder, has revealed online hotel bookings in Spain have virtually doubled over the past five years. The finding is based on data from Euromonitor International, which reports that hotels in the world's most tourist-ready economy earned €7.3 billion from bookings made through the Internet in 2017 – or, 98 percent more than the €3.7 billion registered from Internet-based hotel bookings in 2012.
Today's announcement comes as SiteMinder counts down to its sixth consecutive appearance at Fitur, the world's tourism trade fair for the Ibero American markets, this week.
Mateus Coelho, Regional Manager for SiteMinder's Iberian and Brazilian markets, says, "With an enviable climate, excellent beaches and cities that offer all kinds of activities, Spain has the opportunity to reach travellers from all over the world who want to experience all the country has to offer. It is essential that local hotels take advantage of this opportunity by being more visible online and allowing potential guests to make their reservations instantly and safely through the web."
The analysis by SiteMinder suggests Spain's hotels are indeed capitalising on the growing volume of tourists arriving each year – by taking ownership of their supply. While third-party sites continue to contribute 57 percent of the country's online hotel sales, their contribution is a drop from the levels seen in previous years and it is expected to drop to below 50 percent within the next three years.
"Direct hotel bookings have grown 113 percent in the last five years, indicating a closer relationship between Spanish hotels and their guests. A holistic distribution strategy therefore has to be a priority in 2018, for any hotel in Spain that is looking to compete and stand out in a highly-saturated market," says Mr Coelho.
Barcelona remained Spain's most popular destination in 2017, followed by Madrid and Palma de Mallorca, which attracted the second and third-highest number of arrivals into the country. Almost four-in-five travellers were under 50-years-old.
About SiteMinder
SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the only software platform that unlocks the full revenue potential of hotels, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangalore, Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London and Manila. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 115 million reservations worth over US$45 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com.
Maria Cricchiola
Director of Brand Communications & PR
+61 2 9056 7415
