Travel aggregators like Booking.com, Airbnb, Tripadvisor and Kayak.com dominate the online travel search and booking market across flights, hotels, rental cars, tours and more.
We set out to research the largest of these travel aggregators, and find out what they’re doing right.
Here is a narrative overview of the 10 largest online travel agencies, along with key details like founding date, annual revenue, number of employees, and growth rate, followed by a summary table:
- Booking Holdings (formerly Priceline.com) was founded in 1996 by Jay S. Walker in Stamford, Connecticut. It operates travel fare aggregators like Booking.com, Priceline.com, Agoda, Kayak, and OpenTable across over 200 countries. In 2023, Booking Holdings reported revenue of $21.37 billion, net income of $4.29 billion, over 23,600 employees, and significant growth after the pandemic downturn.[1][2][5]
- Airbnb, founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk in San Francisco, is known for its unique accommodations and experiences. It generated $9.92 billion in revenue in 2023, showing strong post-pandemic recovery with a market cap of nearly $93 billion.[3][6]
- Trip.com Group, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Shanghai, is a leading online travel services provider in China. It owns brands like Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Trip.com, reporting over $33 billion in market cap and rapid growth, especially in the Asian markets.[1][4]
- Expedia Group, with brands like Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire, and Trivago, was founded in 1996 and is based in Seattle. It has a market cap of around $14.6 billion and serves customers across 75 countries, with over 600 million monthly visits to its sites.[1][4]
- MakeMyTrip, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Gurugram, India, is one of the leading online travel companies in India. It has a market cap of over $8.4 billion and continues to expand its offerings and presence.[4]
- TripAdvisor, founded in 2000 in Needham, Massachusetts, is known for its travel guidance, reviews, and booking services. Despite a market cap of only $2.5 billion, it remains a major player in the online travel space.[4]
- Despegar, founded in 1999 and based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is a leading online travel company in Latin America operating across 20 markets with a market cap of over $1 billion.[1][4]
- Yatra Online, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Gurugram, India, is another major Indian online travel services provider with a market cap of around $920 million.[4]
- eDreams ODIGEO, founded in 1999 and based in Luxembourg, is one of Europe’s largest online travel companies with over 18 million customers across 43 countries. It has a market cap of around $170 million.[4]
- Tuniu, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Nanjing, China, is an online travel company focused on packaged tours, with a market cap of around $130 million.[4]
Summary Table:
| Company | Founded | Annual Revenue | Employees | Market Cap | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Booking Holdings | 1996 | $22.00B | 23,600 | $126.70B | Strong post-pandemic |
| Airbnb | 2008 | $10.24B | 6,907 | $94.40B | Rapid recovery |
| Trip.com Group | 1999 | $4.58B | 44,000 | $33.56B | Expanding in Asia |
| Expedia Group | 1996 | $12.00B | 16,500 | $14.61B | 600M+ monthly visits |
| MakeMyTrip | 2000 | $0.40B | 3,450 | $2.25B | Growing in India |
| TripAdvisor | 2000 | $1.50B | 2,200 | $2.50B | Major player |
| Despegar | 1999 | $0.58B | 4,000 | $1.09B | Leading in Latin America |
| Yatra Online | 2006 | $0.12B | 1,500 | $920M | Indian market |
| eDreams ODIGEO | 1999 | $0.50B | 1,700 | $170M | European focus |
| Tuniu | 2005 | $0.08B | 2,000 | $130M | China tours |
Table Sources:
- Booking Holdings: Stock Analysis
- Airbnb: Business of Apps and Stock Analysis
- Trip.com Group: MacroTrends
- Expedia Group: Expedia Financials
- MakeMyTrip: Statista
- TripAdvisor: Statista
- Despegar: Despegar Financials
- Yatra Online: Yatra Financials
- eDreams ODIGEO: eDreams ODIGEO Annual Report
- Tuniu: MarketWatch
Citations:
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1039616/leading-online-travel-companies-by-market-cap/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booking_Holdings
[3] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1193134/airbnb-revenue-worldwide/
[4] https://companiesmarketcap.com/online-travel/largest-companies-by-market-cap/
[5] https://www.bookingholdings.com/about/factsheet/
[6] http://www.econ.ucla.edu/sboard/teaching/tech/Airbnb.pdf
[7] https://companiesmarketcap.com/travel/largest-travel-companies-by-market-cap/
[8] https://www.forbes.com/companies/booking-holdings/
[9] https://www.forbes.com/companies/airbnb/
[10] https://www.statista.com/topics/2704/online-travel-market/
[11] https://csimarket.com/stocks/BKNG-Revenue-per-Employee.html
[12] https://www.searchlogistics.com/learn/statistics/airbnb-statistics/
[13] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/february-week-2-top-online-travel-agencies-siemlus-39whc
[14] https://www.statista.com/topics/9469/booking-holdings-inc/
[15] https://skift.com/2021/09/17/a-new-list-of-the-most-valuable-public-travel-companies/
[16] https://www.globaldata.com/company-profile/booking-holdings-inc/
[17] https://mize.tech/blog/online-travel-agencies-market-share-across-the-world/
[18] https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/earnings-call-booking-holdings-sees-robust-growth-in-q4-plans-for-future-93CH-3313553
[19] https://www.cloudbeds.com/online-travel-agencies/market/
[20] https://companiesmarketcap.com/booking-holdings/revenue/
