Trip.com Group’s Acquisition of Travix Hints at Appeal of Smaller Travel Agencies
Skift Take
Smaller online travel agencies try to make money by grabbing nickels and eurocent coins ahead of the steamrollers of global advertising behemoths. The underreported story of why China's largest travel company acquired a tiny Dutch travel group highlights the phenomenon.
Trip.com Group bought online travel agency group Travix from corporate travel giant BCD Travel in December. Regulators okayed the sale last month, though only Dutch media noticed. The companies didn't disclose the price of the transaction.
The deal gave the Chinese travel titan an Amsterdam-based set of brands, including Vayama, Vliegwinkel, and CheapTickets.nl.
Trip.com Group is coy about why it bought the company. Here's a look at some likely rationales. Plus, we'll consider which other European companies might be targets for mergers and acquisitions by online travel giants and private equity firms.
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One rationale for Trip.com's interest in Travix may be the Dutch company's approach to selling plane tickets. Some backstory, first: In 2015, Ctrip, the company's operating name at the time, bought Travelfusion, a tech vendor that powers searching, booking, and payments f
