Expedia opens bookings for Cuba
Online travel giant Expedia Inc has now started taking hotel bookings for Cuba.
The service is open to worldwide customers on Expedia.com and other brands includuing Hotels.com, Travelocity and Orbitz.
The company is bullish on the market despite general tourism for US travelers still officially banned.
"We’ve been working around the clock with Cuban hoteliers to offer this iconic, culture-rich destination to our global consumers, with the added convenience of online booking through a trusted travel partner," said Demetrius Canton, Expedia director of market management for the Caribbean.
Expedia websites are offering traditional hotel and B&B accommodations with customers able to pay online at the time of booking.
"I see a lot of potential. We are talking about the largest country in the Caribbean with significant hotel expansion plans," Veronica Vega, Expedia area manager for the Caribbean.
"We are very excited about being able to facilitate travel and give people the independence to select their itinerary."
While airlines and cruise lines have entered the market in numbers, few US based hotel groups have made the leap.
Starwood Hotels entered the Havana market and Airbnb has been selling vacation rentals for more than a year.
Inbound tourism to Cuba was up 13% in 2016 to four million and this year is expected to surpass that.
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