Online Travel Agencies 4Q and Full Year 2015: Mergers and Acquisitions Reshape the Market

Summary

Major deals and alliances dramatically altered the online travel agency (OTA) landscape in 2015. Leading OTAs took key steps to strengthen their positions across markets: Expedia acquired domestic competitors Travelocity and Orbitz, and vacation rentals powerhouse HomeAway in the U.S.; Bravofly Rumbo purchased – and rebranded itself as – lastminute.com Group in Europe; and Priceline gained a significant foothold in China by investing in Ctrip, which in turn clamped down on competition through investments in its long-time rivals eLong, Qunar and others.