NEWS FROM HOTELS.COM

Tourists still in search of Middle Eastern Promise

Syria has topped the list of fastest rising destinations in January 2011, experiencing an increase in hotel searches in January of 486% when compared with the same time last year, according to figures released today by Hotels.com.

Other destinations prominent in the Hotels.com January hotlist provide a key insight into where Brits are looking to travel in 2011 and it appears sunshine is high on the agenda. Popular destinations include Spanish hot spot Menorca which took the second place spot (up 466%), Gibraltar (up 445%) and Crete (up 446%) along with the usual popular American cities of Las Vegas (up 434%) and Orlando (up 442%).

Ireland, also saw a surge in searches with Kinsale receiving a 430% increase and capital city Dublin experiencing a 417% boost.

Alison Couper, Communications Director at Hotels.com, said: “Syria is definitely an up and coming destination for a Middle Eastern break and our January search figures support this. The number of tourists going to Syria is expected to rise by up to 40 percent this year according to their government; with historic Damascus, Ugarit in northern Aleppo (the archaeological site) and year round hot temperatures proving popular with Brits.”

1 Damascus, Syria 486%
2 Menorca, Balearics 466%
3 Medina, Saudi Arabia 457%
4 Malia, Crete 446%
5 Gibraltar 445%
6 Fort Lauderdale, USA 444%
7 Orlando, USA 442%
8 Las Vegas, USA 434%
9 Kinsale, Ireland 430%
10 Dublin, Ireland 417%

-ENDS-

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As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets, Hotels.com offers more than 130,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and serviced apartments worldwide. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its customers, plus there are 1.8m reviews from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers make an informed choice when booking. Hotels.com has recently launched its Welcome Rewards customer loyalty programme in the UK, where customers can earn a free night for every ten nights stayed (subject to Welcome Rewards terms and conditions as set out at www.hotels.com). Hotels.com won the Gold Award for best hotel booking site in Webuser magazine in February 2009. Travellers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centres on 0871 200 0171.