SYDNEY, 13 February 2020: Booking.com and Agoda topped the SiteMinder list of Asia’s top distribution channels that deliver the highest booking revenue for hotels worldwide.
SiteMinder revealed its annual list of the top 12 distribution channels noting the meteoric rise of Trip.com to fifth place in the chart in just a year.
Covering 20 of the world’s top tourism destinations, the lists reveal the fast-growing successes of both direct booking strategies for hotels and the growth strategies of the travel industry’s consolidation-hungry giants.
Within 14 of the 20 tourism destinations monitored, direct bookings — gained via a hotel’s website — either climbed the list from the previous year or maintained their position among the top five spots.
Major standouts
The debut of Airbnb in six markets within Europe, Africa and the Americas, less than two years after launching its first global hotel technology partnership with SiteMinder supports traditional hospitality providers.
The addition of Trip.com in another European market—Italy—alongside France, where the Chinese powerhouse made its western debut last year.
New players in the chart. WebBeds brands JacTravel, totalstay, Destinations of the World and Sunhotels join this year’s top 12 list.
The re-entry of Australia-headquartered Flight Centre Travel Group in the country’s top 12, after four years, was significant.
The debut of Lastminute.com in two markets within EMEA, proving the continued rise of spontaneous decision-making among today’s consumers.
SiteMinder’s senior director of global demand partnerships, James Bishop commented: “The swift rise of Airbnb in many markets is evidence of the hotel industry’s openness to adopting Airbnb as a partner and the benefits they are seeing from selling an experience, not simply a room. It is also evidence that Airbnb users no longer just look for homestays and spare spaces.
He added: “Direct online reservations continue to contribute strongly to hotel revenue globally, with hotel websites remaining among the top four channels in the majority of markets and, in many instances, jumping up the ranks.
“It is clear that hoteliers are actively seeking to drive direct bookings, through greater knowledge and innovation, as well as investments in metasearch. We are also seeing technology providers supporting this appetite by adding professional services to their direct booking offerings, effectively acting as digital marketing agencies for hotels.”
In Asia, the top 12 hotel booking channels in 2019, based on total gross revenue made for SiteMinder’s customers, were:
1. Booking.com
2. Agoda
3. Expedia Group
4. Hotel websites (direct bookings)
5. Trip.com
6. Hotelbeds
7. Traveloka
8. Goibibo
9. Global distribution systems
10. Flight Centre Travel Group
11. HotelsCombined
12. Tiket.com.
“It is important hoteliers are aware of how the booking landscape is changing and how their guests are choosing their accommodation,” said SiteMinder regional vice president – Asia Pacific, Brad Haines.
“Of note in our list of the 12 most popular booking channels is Trip.com, which has risen over the past year and is testament to the value that Chinese travellers have had on Asian economies.”
SiteMinder’s platform processed 105 million online hotel bookings for travellers in 2019 to bring its 35,000 hotel customers a total of USD35 billion in revenue.
