As you can see from the list of stories, it was a relatively quiet week in the world of online travel, with Booking.com garnering most of the attention. From my perspective, as Booking.com gets closer to delivering on Glenn Fogel’s vision for a “connected trip” (accommodations, air, activities, diverse payment platform), Booking.com will soon become the dominant player in online travel. Enjoy.
Booking.com Expands Experience Offerings
(“Booking.com Taps Klook to Broaden Experiences Offerings,” October 4, 2022 via Phocus Wire)
Last week, Booking.com announced that it had entered into a strategic partnership with tours and activities platform, Klook. The partnership will soon allow users of Booking.com to access and book tours and activities in 175 cities across 30 markets. The announcement comes on the heels of similar prior activities additions by Booking.com (Viator and Musement in 2021 and 2020, respectively) and its sister company, Priceline (Musement in 2022).
Booking.com’s Proposed Purchase of Online Travel Agency Approved
(“Booking.com's Etraveli Deal Gets First-Phase Clearance From U.K. Regulator,” September 29, 2022 via MLex) (subscription may be required)
Speaking of the Connected Trip… The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) last week gave its approval of Booking.com’s proposed purchase of online travel agent, Etraveli Group, whose brands focus on online flight sales. The deal still awaits approval from the European Commission.
