The Skift Travel Podcast
Is Google Killing Online Travel?
May 23, 2024
Pranavi Agarwal, Skift Senior Research Analyst, delves into Google Hotels' dominance, revealing which OTAs bid for bookings. Highlighting Google's role as a meta search engine, the podcast discusses its impact on online travel agencies and direct sites, its introduction of organic auction for travel listings, and its influence on the industry globally.
27:53
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Quick takeaways
- Booking holdings and Expedia groups dominate Google's sponsored results, showcasing their reliance on Google for bookings.
- Google's introduction of organic search results has democratized online travel, allowing smaller OTA sites to gain visibility.
Deep dives
Google's Impact on Online Travel Agencies and Hotel Bookings
Google's dominance in the online travel industry, particularly with the rise of Google Hotels, is affecting online travel agencies (OTAs). By becoming a major meta-search engine, Google is outcompeting OTAs like Book and Expedia, who spend billions in advertising on Google each year. Through web scraping, it was found that booking holdings and Expedia groups dominate Google's sponsored results, especially in the US, showcasing their reliance on Google for bookings.
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