Tripadvisor CEO on Company's Evolution From Advertising to a Booking Model
Photo Credit: Tripadvisor's Matt Goldberg (left) was interviewed by Skift Research's Seth Borko at Skift Global Forum on September 19, 2024. Skift
Skift Take
Tripadvisor's challenge is that it is no big deal these days to see a static image of someone who wrote a hotel or experiences review. Many people are accustomed to scrolling TikTok instead.
This isn't the old Tripadvisor, the one where the company was dependent on metasearch and chasing advertising clicks. At the new Tripadvisor, users can use generative AI for trip-planning and to book experiences, dining reservations and hotels.
In other words, "we are shifting from arbitrage economics to engagement economics," Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg told Skift's Head of Research, Seth Borko, at the Skift Global Forum.
Tripadvisor used to generate around 90% of its revenue from hotel and online travel agency advertising through its metasearch feature, Goldberg said. Playing the arbitrage game, Tripadvisor would d
