Hotelbeds Continues to Accelerate its Development in Asia Pacific

          - Hotelbeds' growth confirms the strength of the MEAPAC region as a top global tourist destination.          - The United Kingdom, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are the main source markets travelling to Hotelbeds' largest geographical region.

          Hotelbeds, the No.1 Global B2B Bedbank, has reported solid growth in the Middle East, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands during ITB Asia, the trade show for the Asian travel industry held in Singapore from 29 - 31 October.

          According to Hotelbeds' statistics, thanks to its size, scale and market opportunities, the MEAPAC region is consolidating its position as a top global tourist destination, with visitors travelling mainly from the United Kingdom, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, China and Indonesia. At the same time, the top growing source markets for the region are China, Indonesia and the Philippines.

          The development of tailor-made IT solutions and an increasing company presence in local markets have played a key role in the good results achieved during 2014. In addition to this, the signing of new agreements was a key driver of growth for Hotelbeds in the region. In this regard, Hotelbeds has signed 225 new Key Partnerships and Preferential Partnership Agreements (PPA) in 2014 with relevant hotel chains and independent hotels. These include Archipelago International, one of Indonesia's largest local chains; Far East Hospitality, a key player in Singapore; Jumeirah, Rotana and Kerzner, top chains in the Middle East; and Regal and Dorsett, chains whose core activities take place in Hong Kong.

          Urban destinations in the region attract a higher number of visitors each year. This is shown in Hotelbeds' figures towards the region's most vibrant cities, which are consolidating as top global tourism and business hubs. As such, Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur were the most visited destinations within MEAPAC. In line with this trend, the fastest-growing destinations were also major cities, with Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo at the forefront of the ranking.

          In the words of Carlos Munoz, Managing Director, Hotelbeds, "MEAPAC is our largest geographical region, as well as one of our fastest-growing markets both in terms of source markets and destinations. Our investment in human talent and technological innovation are consolidating Hotelbeds' reputation in this region as the most forward thinking player in travel distribution. Our commitment to constant innovation and localisation, together with the tourism infrastructure improvements made in the region itself during the past few years, will undoubtedly continue to be key drivers for further growth."

          About Hotelbeds

          Hotelbeds (www.hotelbeds.com) is the No.1 Global B2B Bedbank with an online database of over 60,000 hotels in 180 countries. For the year ended 30 September 2013, Hotelbeds sold 18 million roomnights and outperformed the market with 20% growth in Total Transaction Values (TTV) to EUR1.8 billion.

          Hotelbeds was founded in Spain in 2001. In 2007, the company became part of the Accommodation & Destinations Sector of TUI Travel PLC, the international leisure travel company.

          Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hotelbeds

          Media contact:                                                           

          Andrew Ang          Ruder Finn Asia          Tel. +65-6336-4035          anga@ruderfinnasia.com 

          Hotelbeds Communications Department           Marta Lopez de Cervantes             Tel. +34-68-200-35-85          mlopez@tuitravel-ad.com             

          Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20141029/8521406326