Heading into the festive season, hoteliers are preparing for a spike in demand as people look to travel.

Amadeus is seeing a peak in demand over the Christmas and New Year period across major markets around the world.

Demand360+ data shows that global hotel occupancy for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s is already at 23 per cent - up ten per cent 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 per cent
• Cape Town, South Africa - 71 per cent
• Phuket, Thailand - 69 per cent
• Cancun, Mexico - 69 per cent
• Honolulu, Hawaii - 64 per cent
• Tokyo, Japan - 61 per cent
• Maldives - 59 per cent
• Sydney, Australia - 58 per cent
• Taipei, Taiwan - 58 per cent
• Kahului, Hawaii - 57 per cent

The top destinations in EMEA are: 

• Cape Town - 71 per cent
• Edinburgh - 57 per cent
• Dubai - 48 per cent
• Jeddah - 47 per cent
• Vienna - 47 per cent
• Abu Dhabi - 46 per cent
• Paris - 45 per cent
• London - 41 per cent
• Rome - 40 per cent
• Amsterdam - 38 per cent

Rome has seen the biggest increase in demand, up 33 pent from 2022, followed by Edinburgh which has moved up to the second most popular, up 24 per cent since 2022.

Vienna has increased 12 per cent and London 11 per cent since 2022.

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 eight per cent higher, EMEA seven per cent, LATAM four per cent and NORAM is on par with 2022.

Los Cabos, the top market, has seen a 16 per cent increase in bookings since 2022.

The data also reveals travelers are still booking accommodation close to their intended travel dates. Booking lead times remain short as 56 per cent of travelers worldwide are making hotel reservations within a week of their trip, up four per cent on 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.

More Information

The data is based on insight from Amadeus’ Demand360+ business intelligence as of the 27th of November for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, December 24th, 2023, to January 6th, 2024.