Press release

New hot destinations make the top 10 for Christmas and New Year travel

December 10, 2024
Last updated: March 4, 2025
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Laura Cobbold
Laura Cobbold
Corporate Communications, Amadeus
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Unique Amadeus business intelligence data reveals substantial growth in hotel occupancy over the end of year holidays, with the Caribbean and Asia Pacific at the top of the list

As the holiday season approaches, hoteliers are preparing for a surge of travelers seeking warmer climates this year. Amadeus’ forward-looking business intelligence data today reveals the destinations that are currently recording the top hotel occupancy rates for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s (December 22 – January 4), showing year-on-year growth in some major markets worldwide.

According to AmadeusDemand360 ® data as of December 2, 2024, global hotel occupancy is up 4% from 2023. The top destinations for holiday travel are:

1. Lihue, Hawaii 93%

2. Montego Bay, Jamaica 91%

3. Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam 88%

4. Aruba 86%

5. Queenstown, New Zealand 86%

6. Macau, China 86%

7. La Romana, Dominican Republic 85%

8. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 85%

9. Bridgetown, Barbados 84%

10. Cebu, Philippines 84%

While the popularity of the Caribbean and Asia Pacific (APAC) remain consistent,the top ten list of countries is very different to last year’s . China is a new addition to the list, and most of these top destinations have individually seen substantial growth from last year. For example, Lihue in Hawaii has seen an 13% increase from 2023 in hotel occupancy, from 82% to 93%. Cebu, a waterfront city in the Philippines, has seen a 20% increase from 70% to 84% from last year.

The data also highlights significant growth in hotel occupancy at a regional level across Europe (13%), China (10%), Latin America (8%), Asia (9%) and the Caribbean (5%) from last year. Comparatively, growth in hotel average daily rate (ADR) is also seen across these markets, with the Caribbean up 15% and Latin America 9% on 2023 prices.

“The growth we are seeing this year in hotel occupancy in the international markets is positive news for hoteliers worldwide. Warm weather climates are very popular during the holiday season, and it’s interesting to see the shift towards exploring new destinations. The data highlights the continued, growing enthusiasm for travel, and presents a real opportunity for hoteliers to understand what is going on in their markets and launch marketing campaigns to tap into this demand. By having access to these forward‑looking insights, hoteliers can also better prepare their staff for peaks in occupancy and optimize their revenue strategies.” 

Katie Moro Vice President, Data Partnerships, Hospitality, Amadeus

The data is based on insight from Amadeus’ Demand360®as of December 2 for the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, December 22, 2024 – January 4, 2025.

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