A PYMNTS Company

Australia: Booking.com’s meteoric rise sparks travel industry concern

By  |  January 14, 2015

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released a public competition assessment on Wednesday, detailing its reasons for approving Expedia’s $703 million purchase of Wotif.com Holdings. It approved the transaction in October, but until now it has not given details of the full reasoning behind the decision, which was criticised by some hotels concerned it would lead to them paying higher commissions to online travel agents in this market.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Several European countries have been investigating the issue. Last month, Italy, France and Sweden agreed to a preliminary undertaking from Booking.com that would allow hotels to offer lower rates through other online travel agents, but not through individual hotel websites. A German court decision last week cleared the way for German regulators to push Booking.com and Expedia to remove their rate parity clauses in that country.

    We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

    Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

    Add as Preferred Source

    Full Content: Sydney Morning Herald

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.