Booking vs. Expedia: Two global e-tourism platforms fight over online reservations

Booking and Expedia dominate the field of global tourism on the Internet, startupnewsdigest.com notes in the following report:
Their domain is online booking of flights, hotels, apartments, cars etc. through different e-tourism platforms.
Booking Holdings owns Booking.com. It has 23,000 employees, earns almost $ 12.7 billion in sales and had a net income of $ 2.3 billion in 2017.
The challenger is Expedia with 22,000 employees, almost $ 10 billion in sales and a net income of $ 378 million in 2017. According to a recent survey from Hotrec, Booking Holdings is the leader in online booking of hotel rooms in Europe with a 60% market share in 2016, followed by Expedia Group with 20%.
Both e-tourism platforms boast an impressive galaxy of brands. With nearly 200 travel booking sites in nearly 75 countries, Expedia Group works in almost all fields. Either as an online travel agency (Expedia), hotel comparison (Trivago), hotel reservation website (Hotels.com) or business travel (Egencia, Traveldoo).
The same goes for Booking Holdings, which is represented as a booking site Booking.com or as a search engine Kayak as well as an online travel agency Priceline. If one focuses on the last quarters, Booking Holdings wins the round of profits. In the second quarter of 2018, the group registered a net income of nearly $ 1 billion, compared to 1 million for Expedia Group.
This difference in profitability can be explained in particular by significantly different economic models. At Booking Holdings, agency revenue is dominant, with nearly $ 9.7 billion out of a total of 12.7 billion in 2017.
Connecting customers and tourism professionals as a marketplace
That is to say Booking Holdings is defined mainly as a third platform that connects customers and tourism professionals as a pure marketplace. This highly profitable model requires above all marketing and technological investments. At Expedia Group, merchant revenues are in the majority, with nearly $ 5.4 billion out of a total of $ 10 billion last year. Thus said, Expedia Group works chiefly in terms of resale, like a distributor.
The main asset of Booking Holdings remains Booking.com. Its hotel reservation platform concentrates the majority of its revenues and has an impressive hitting power.
“We have 29 million rooms available around the world, spread across 140,000 destinations and 230 countries, and Booking.com allows nearly 1.5 million reservations per day in 43 languages,” notes Vanessa Heydorff, Executive Director of Booking.com in France, Spain and Portugal.
According to reports, Booking.com made more than 2 million hotel partners during 2017. In comparison, Expedia Group claims “only” 590,000. Moreover, when we compare the number of nights reserved, the victory comes back to Booking Holdings, which achieved double numbers in 2017 than Expedia Group.
Nevertheless, Expedia Group has a secret weapon: packaging. The Expedia Travel Agency combines its hotel offerings with those of its 550 partner airlines, 25,000 travel-related activities and cruise companies.
“We can provide a complete trip for online customers, from flights to hotel rooms to car reservations, and we can go further than securing a dry booking,” points out Jean-Philippe Monod, vice president of Expedia Group.
Expedia launches its advantage add-on service
In June 2018, the Expedia brand launched its advantage add-on service, which saves up to 42% on the price of a hotel booked alone and offline, as long as you book a flight, a car or another package at the same time.
The commissions charged as an agency are between 10 and 20 percent on average. Booking and Expedia are often accused by tourism professionals to cut their margins. “Some hoteliers complain, but they just have to calculate how much it would cost them to do it all by themselves. Visibility on the Internet is not free. We innovate efficiently to enable them to generate transactions and we buy a lot of advertising from Google,” Jean Philippe Monod answered.
Similarly, Booking Holdings is investing heavily in Google’s and Facebook’s targeted advertising. Its web marketing budget rose to $ 3.4 billion in 2016.
Finally, these two e-tourism platforms are constantly investing in the AI and personalization of offers, the heart of their business. Expedia Group has announced an investment of almost 1.3 billion euros in 2018 in these areas.
They are also forming strategic alliances. In June 2018, Booking.com invested $ 500 million in Didi Chuxing, the Chinese Uber, to interconnect their respective platforms. The company also invested $ 450 million in the Chinese marketplace dedicated to Meituan-Dianping services (a diversified online platform, in the hotel, catering, entertainment, with group buying service) in October 2017.
Read more at startupnewsdigest.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
10/02 16:58
Saudia: New seasonal connection Jeddah – Heraklion in summer 2025
10/02 14:54
10/02 14:40
1 in 4 fall in love while traveling - Valentine's Day survey
10/02 09:34
10/02 07:49
Decisions for 6 hotels in Rhodes, Spetses, Crete, Kalamata, and Agia Marina Fthiotidas
10/02 07:44
09/02 19:36
Rethymno Carnival 2025 | The event of the theme “Come to the Light” is fantastic
09/02 07:32
How can tourism contribute to the growth of Greek cosmetic products in Britain
09/02 07:29
Castle scholars from all over the world promote Frogakastello in Crete
08/02 18:02
Landing of Kantanos-Selinou Municipality in Reisen Hamburg 2025 exhibition
08/02 08:24
Chris Nassetta, Hilton: Optimistic about 2025 despite market challenges
08/02 07:19
07/02 23:09
Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Paxos, Lefkada, Zakynthos and Chania
07/02 18:40
Olga Kefalogianni in HORECA | Greece has experience in managing natural phenomena
07/02 15:06
FedHATTA: “Opening up” of Greek travel agencies to the Iranian market
07/02 14:35
07/02 13:49
07/02 13:26
Applications for the Best Tourism Villages 2025 are now open
07/02 13:02
Springer Reisen: 20 connections to Greek islands this summer
07/02 12:26
Greece: Nearly 30 million international air arrivals in 2024 - Who traveled where
07/02 11:19
Europe as a single tourist destination - A. Fiorentinos at the Destination Europe Summit 2025
07/02 06:55
Positive prospects for tourism in 2025 but major “thorns” remain
07/02 06:41
British travel agents “discover” Naxos - Record arrivals in 2024
07/02 06:14
Donation from HEDNO for the restoration of the Ottoman Bath of Kalloni in Lesvos
06/02 18:58
Work on the Thessaloniki Flyover is progressing at a rapid pace
06/02 18:54
Sports Tourism | Ministerial meeting for the Euroleague Coaches Conference 2025
06/02 18:25
29.3 million international air arrivals in 2024, with clear signs of an extended season
06/02 16:43
06/02 15:49
06/02 14:42
Sotheby’s: The Athenian Riviera is first in demand for luxury properties
06/02 13:48
06/02 12:05
Travelers are paying attention to cost and quality, few to sustainability
06/02 11:57
Wyndham and HR Group expand into Germany, Austria and the Netherlands
06/02 07:37
How will Naxos deal with the risk of water shortages ahead of the tourist season
06/02 07:28
Attica Region: There is no overtourism in Athens - a warning for infrastructure
06/02 07:16
Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Rhodes, Chania, Itilo and Sivota
06/02 07:05
06/02 06:11
Municipality of Folegandros: Prohibition of roaming or grazing animals in tourist areas
05/02 19:57
Milos Municipality attempts to block second investment for 5-star hotel
05/02 19:03
National Action Plan for Cycling, with development in cycling tourism
05/02 16:51
05/02 15:46
05/02 12:41
The first robotic restaurant with artificial intelligence at Barcelona Airport
05/02 12:40
Athens Airport: 2025 started on a positive note,+14.5% passengers in January
05/02 12:35
How foreign travel professionals will promote Greek destinations
05/02 11:45
Tourism: 4 Greek islands capture Americans’ 2025 vacation interest
05/02 07:04
Grants for a boat shelter in Halkidiki and hotels in Chania, Zagori, and Koroni
05/02 07:02
05/02 06:53
Conde Nast Traveller | Crete among the 29 best places to visit before summer
05/02 06:22
05/02 06:14
05/02 06:13
Holy Metropolis of Rhodes: Digital Promotion of Museums Network and Monuments
05/02 06:09
04/02 22:49
Main Patras-Pyrgos highway section due to finish July 31, open to traffic soon
04/02 20:18
Hellenic Republic President to receive new Ambassadors of Vietnam, Ireland, and Sweden
04/02 19:53
04/02 17:31
Pan-Cretan Forum | Promoting Cretan products in Cretan hotels for the 13th year
04/02 16:05
SKY Express: Free tickets for children and teachers on Santorini-Athens flights
04/02 14:57
04/02 14:40
04/02 14:01
SkyUp Airlines: Two new connections to Athens and Corfu from Moldova
04/02 11:34
Rethymno Hoteliers head | The upcoming tourist season is predicted to be "quite good"
04/02 11:25
European Hotels: "Stop" on single-use plastic packaging from 2030
04/02 07:13
Greek hotels: Revenues in 2024 soar 11% above 2023 - read the latest investments
04/02 06:58
Filming at Kallimarmaro Stadium in Athens to create an electronic map
03/02 23:01
03/02 18:11
03/02 17:15
Chania: Smart barriers to protect the Venetian port and its visitors
03/02 16:02
Rhodes: The season kicks off on March 28, wounds from "Bora" storm remains
03/02 15:53
03/02 15:08
Promotion of Lesvos in Istanbul - Participation in EMITT 2025
03/02 14:48
03/02 13:14
Wyndham Hotels: Agreement with Zafido Holding for a new hotel in Piraeus
03/02 12:25
03/02 11:03
HolidayCheck: These are the 50 most popular Greek hotels in Germany for 2025
03/02 10:29
Cruises to Chania make a positive first impression in 2025 - 1,347 visitors daily
03/02 06:38
iAlonissos: Digital promotion of local natural and cultural attractions
03/02 06:25
5 new hotel investments in Lefkada, Rhodes, Ios, Karystos and Trikala
02/02 20:08
The travel profile of expatriates from Australia - the rescue of Rex
02/02 06:48
01/02 13:58
Tourism in Turkey beats expectations - 62 million arrivals, $61 billion in revenue in 2024
01/02 07:04
Volotea: Codeshare cooperation with Aegean to run on 13 routes
31/01 18:11
10 new hotel investments in Corfu, Rhodes, Paros, Ios, Skiathos, Samos, Kalambaka and Kranidi
31/01 17:49
Booking.com | Hotels: Don't leave negative guest reviews unanswered
31/01 10:18
The Region of Crete at the FITUR exhibition - Promising prospects from Spanish-speaking markets
31/01 10:15
ITEP Survey: Hotel Performance stagnant in Greece in December
31/01 07:03
Municipality of Agrinio reacts to photovoltaic plant in Kremaston Lake - threat to tourism
31/01 06:54
31/01 06:07
Mitsis Group: Donation of an architectural study to enhance a beachfront in Crete
31/01 00:02
Commission: First comprehensive European strategy for tourism coming
30/01 23:08
Greek Culture Ministers to attend European conference in support of Ukraine's heritage
30/01 18:58
Cruise: Viking Libra to make maiden voyage in 2026 from Piraeus
30/01 17:56
Record year in 2024 for international air transport – Now “flying” above 2019
30/01 17:50
Accessible tourism on the beaches of the Municipality of Agios Vasilios, Crete
30/01 16:40
Travel | London is now the top destination for Greeks abroad
30/01 16:23
Aegean: 40% increase in available seats from Saudi Arabia in 2025
30/01 16:04
UK Tourism | Lesser-known destinations and experiential travel the main trend in 2025
30/01 14:35
Pancretan Association of Hotel Managers Seminars underway for 2025
30/01 13:22
Airbnb is “sweeping” Europe - Demand is growing faster than supply in Greece
30/01 11:17
Airbnb | 76 billion euros in revenue for hosts in Europe in 2024
Saudia: New seasonal connection Jeddah – Heraklion in summer 2025
How can tourism contribute to the growth of Greek cosmetic products in Britain
1 in 4 fall in love while traveling - Valentine's Day survey
Landing of Kantanos-Selinou Municipality in Reisen Hamburg 2025 exhibition
Decisions for 6 hotels in Rhodes, Spetses, Crete, Kalamata, and Agia Marina Fthiotidas
Castle scholars from all over the world promote Frogakastello in Crete
Rethymno Carnival 2025 | The event of the theme “Come to the Light” is fantastic
Applications for the Best Tourism Villages 2025 are now open
Media report: Hamptons to bring New York-style luxury to Northern Greece
Grant payments for 4 hotel investments in Paxos, Lefkada, Zakynthos and Chania
FedHATTA: “Opening up” of Greek travel agencies to the Iranian market
Greece: Nearly 30 million international air arrivals in 2024 - Who traveled where
Olga Kefalogianni in HORECA | Greece has experience in managing natural phenomena
Chris Nassetta, Hilton: Optimistic about 2025 despite market challenges
Springer Reisen: 20 connections to Greek islands this summer
Tourism in Turkey beats expectations - 62 million arrivals, $61 billion in revenue in 2024
5 new hotel investments in Lefkada, Rhodes, Ios, Karystos and Trikala