Expedia Awaits Comeback of International Travel to Solidify Market Share Gains


Skift Take

After shutting down or selling eight businesses — some of which were relatively inconsequential — since the beginning of 2020, Expedia Group doesn't expect any more such asset dispositions as part of its drive to make the company simpler and more focused. But selling brands may turn out to be the easiest part of the exercise.

There are so many asterisks in online travel competition these days because of Covid dynamics, and Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern realizes that only when international travel recovers will the winners and losers sort themselves out. During Expedia Group's second quarter earnings call with financial analysts Thursday, officials described picking up market share in short-term rentals, for example, in core markets such as North America. "And if you look at a market like EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), which came back strong over the summer and came back principally in domestic that obviously favors some of the other players," Kern said, presumably referring to Booking Holdings, among others. "And our business in places like EM