The internationals online accommodation reservation platform, Booking.com, has had a good run in Africa. Recording over 23,700 unique stays across the continent; despite the fact, there are current travel advisories cautioning travelers to avoid certain parts of the continent. The continent also receives tourists on a season basis, following the seasonality of wildlife activities.
“We’re pleased with the growth that we’ve seen in Africa in recent years and are looking forward to continuing to developer our business across the continent,” said Joost Vermeulen, the Regional Manager of Booking.com in the Middle East and Africa.
Vermeulen further reveals that following the opening of their first office in Cape Town SA, back in 2007, Booking.com has recording surging customers demand. Leading to the opening of more offices across Africa; two in SA (Johannesburg and Cape Town), two in Morocco (Marrakech and Casablanca), one in Kenya (Nairobi) and one in Ghana (Accra). In total, Booking.com employs about 100 staff.
Booking.com started off with just a few properties enlisted on their site. Currently, they have over 23,700 unique stays for customers who can book accommodation located across the continent. From conveniently-located city apartments to posh rural houses for those holiday season getaways.
Vermeulen believes their stay in Africa has been worth it, and there is still more room for Booking.com to grow. He says, Booking.com is committed to ensuring travelers discover the beauty Africa has to offer, while at it, they also intend to spearhead the economic growth of the local communities. Their local communities’ empowerment program will be accomplished through partnerships with other stakeholders.
Stats released by the site show that on a daily basis, there are more than 1,200,000 rooms reserved per night on both the site (booking.com) and the mobile app. This is bookings made worldwide for both business and leisure.
Bookings made on small, family-run bed and breakfasts to the executive apartments and even five-star luxury suites. The site was founded back in 1996 and is now available in 40 different languages. It has 1,125,104 active properties listing across 225 different countries.