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Online Travel

Why Skyscanner Is Closing Its Stand-Alone Local Recommendations App

Sean O'Neill photo
Sean O'Neill
ctrip group ceo jane sun owner skyscanner trip.com

Photo Credit: Ctrip CEO Jane Sun in conversation with Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein at the 2019 Aspen Action Forum in Aspen, Colorado in 2019. On September 16, Skyscanner, which is owned by Ctrip Group, will close the Trip by Skyscanner user-generated content website and mobile app once known as Gogobot. Ctrip Group

Skift Take

It's no surprise to see Skyscanner absorb the last bits of the user-generated reviews brand formerly known as Gogobot. But the price-comparison search company's bet on soliciting reviews from its own customers remains intriguing. The move highlights its ambition to become a superapp for travel.

Skyscanner, owned by Chinese travel giant Ctrip, will close Trip by Skyscanner next month, marking the end of the user-generated travel planning mobile app and website founded in 2010 under the brand Gogobot. Skyscanner pulled the plug at a time when consumers don't want to visit yet another travel website when they already visit so many to plan and book vacations. Also, Facebook and TripAdvisor have proved to be more popular sources of like-minded travel advice. Since acquiring the company in November 2017, Skyscanner salvaged its collection of reviews and photos of destinations and attractions. In recent months, Skyscanner has been importing the older Trip/Gogobot content. It plans to use the reviews and photos as a base to prod its users to post their own comments and images. The move comes in response to a key trend. A growing number of consumers want

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