Accommodation provider Stuba says it has experienced significant growth in sales to Asia from the UK during what it described as a “fantastic start” to the year for the new brand.
Stuba was formed following the merger of bed banks getabed and roomsXML last April, a move chief commercial officer Matt Stuart said had allowed it to divert more resources to sourcing Asia product.
Year-on-year sales to Vietnam are up 366%, Indonesia 46%, Japan 35%, Malaysia 30% and Singapore 23%.
“We’ve had a fantastic start to the year, particularly for sales to Asia from our UK source market,” said Stuart.
“Since the merger, we have had a much stronger focus on sourcing product in the region and it’s really paid off with some strong year on year growth.”
Stuart added “huge events” like the forthcoming Rugby World Cup later this year and 2020 Olympic Games, both due to be held in Japan, had firmly placed it on the map as a holiday destination.
“I think customers are looking for new experiences,” said Stuart. “There have also been a number of new hotels opening in South East Asia, which is helping drive numbers.”
It comes after Stuba earlier this month revealed the majority of agents using either getabed or roomsXML had migrated to the Stuba platform.
As of the first week of February, Stuba said 100% of roomsXML agents and 76% of getabed agents had made the move.
“Agents continue to be our focus,” said Stuart. “Our teams have been working really hard to ensure agents are visited, comfortable with the site and converting bookings in record time.
“It’s been a huge success, and the feedback from agents has been phenomenal – we really couldn’t have hoped for better.”