Puerto Vallarta, Mexico — On September 22, 2011, Expedia, Inc., the world’s largest online travel company released data on the growth in travel bookings to Mexico made on the more than 100 Expedia- and Hotels.com branded sites the company operates around the world.

"Mexico remains a favorite destination for our travelers worldwide, with over 1.5 million people booking travel to Mexico using Expedia websites in the last year," said Marco Tagliatti, vice president of lodging supply, Latin America and Caribbean, Expedia.

"Bookings made on Expedia to Mexico grew more than 30 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2011, and Expedia’s commitment to Mexico has also grown as we continue to work closely with the Mexican tourism industry to promote travel to the country by travelers from around the world."

One particular success story for Expedia in Mexico has been the extraordinary growth of bookings to the country’s capital, Mexico City. "This year, bookings to Mexico City have grown over 50 percent compared to 2010. This reflects the positive business dynamics of the largest city in Mexico, and also the fact that Expedia offers more hotels in Mexico City than any other online travel company in the world," said Pablo Castro, director of market management for Mexico & Central America, Expedia.

Expedia executives were in Mexico City last week for the 2011 International Tourism Fair of the Americas (FITA) in Mexico City, where Expedia executives met with Mexico tourism authorities and hotel partners to discuss strategies for promoting travel to Mexico to Expedia’s global audience of travelers.

Mexican hotels continue to see value in working with Expedia. In fact, over the past year more than 250 new hotels have joined the roster of over 1,800 hotels in Mexico already promoting themselves through Expedia’s online marketplace.

In addition, the Mexico Tourism Board and some of the country’s top destinations including Cancun, Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan already work closely with Expedia to help promote Mexico as one of the world’s leading travel destinations to nearly 60 million unique monthly visitors each month.

Pablo Castro, director of market management for Mexico & Central America, represented Expedia on an expert panel titled "Llevando el Ritmo, Marketing Interactivo" (Leading the way: Interactive Marketing), on September 23rd at the Expo Bancomer, Santa Fe.

Expedia was the only online travel company on the panel, which also featured other key industry experts in the digital marketing and technology realms. Castro discussed travel trends and strategies in online marketing and travel distribution.