What’s at Stake as Google Adds More Travel Planning Tools?
Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google has recently launched a new set of tools for online travel planning and hotel booking as it works to build its Search app into the one-stop shop for all sorts of travel and accommodation planning. Making Google Search the go-to app for online travel planning is one way for the company to draw traffic to its platforms, which it then monetizes by showing advertisements to visitors. Brands including hotels, airlines, and car rental companies that cater to travel are slated to spend $227.1 billion on online advertisements globally in 2018, according to Zenith.