Yahoo Finance 12 Best Alternatives to Expedia in 2024
In this article, we will take a look at the 12 best alternatives to Expedia in 2024. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Best Alternatives to Expedia in 2024.
Tourism Industry: Recovering From a Global Pandemic
The pandemic gravely impacted the global tourism industry. In light of the travel ban and new restrictions, the inbound and outbound tourist flows in all countries dropped drastically. However, the industry is recovering quickly post-pandemic. According to a report by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2023, international tourism was able to recover 88% of the pre-pandemic levels. The travel restrictions in place have created a pent-up demand that is now fuelling the growth of the market. In 2022, the number of international tourists was recorded to be 325 million. The number of international tourists increased by 34%, from 2022 to 2023, to reach 1.28 billion.
The tourist rates across various regions around the globe are recovering differently. The non-uniformity is caused by various factors including government policies, ease of traveling, and tourist attractions in the region. In 2023, the Middle East had the strongest tourism recovery rate and was able to surpass the pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the number of international tourist arrivals in the Middle East was 22% ahead of the pre-pandemic levels. Europe was able to recover 94% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, while Africa recovered 96% and the Americas recovered 90%.
The recovery of international tourist arrivals is adding to the global economy as well. In 2023, the estimates of tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP) point to $3.3 trillion. The TDGDP rate corresponds to 3% of the global GDP which is the same as the pre-pandemic level in 2019. The international tourism is expected to reach the pre-pandemic levels in 2024. Some estimates even suggest the surpassing of the pre-pandemic levels by 2% in 2024.
Online travel booking platforms provide unmatched ease when planning a trip. The deeper penetration of digital solutions including travel booking platforms and apps is expected to further the growth of the international tourism industry.
Major Players in the Online Travel Booking Space
Expedia Group Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE), Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB), and Trip.com Group Ltd (HKG:9961) are among the most notable companies in the online travel booking industry.
Expedia Group Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) offers a wide range of services including booking hotel rooms, airline seats, car rentals, and destination services through various brands including Vrbo. It is a giant in the travel and tourism industry. The company has grown significantly over the years, expanding its portfolio, acquiring new brands, and forming strategic partnerships to enhance the travel experience for its customers. On February 8, the company reported earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2023. The company reported an EPS of $1.72, beating estimates by $0.02. The company's revenue for the quarter grew by 10.28% and amounted to $2.89 billion, ahead of market consensus by $8.67 million. As of March 26, Expedia Group Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) has surged nearly 36.28% over the past six months. Here are some comments from the company's earnings call:
"Our fourth quarter results once again reflect another quarter of accelerating performance on the top and bottom line, with revenue and EBITDA growing double digits to record levels. This continued strong quarterly performance resulted in full year results at the highest levels we have ever seen across lodging bookings and overall revenue in EBITDA. For full year 2023, we delivered over $104 billion in total gross bookings, growing 10% versus last year, including almost $74 billion in lodging bookings, growing 11%, with the hotel business growing even faster at 18%. We drove $12.8 billion of revenue, growing 10%, and we also generated $2.7 billion of EBITDA, with EBITDA margin of 21%, which grew faster than revenue at 14%, and resulted in year-over-year margin expansion of almost 75 basis points. In addition, our B2C business saw meaningful sequential acceleration in year-over-year revenue growth in the back half of the year, and generated marketing leverage for the full year. "
Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB) is an American company that operates an online marketplace for short- and long-term homestays and experiences. The company was founded in 2008. On March 4, Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB) announced a variety of new features including verified listings and highlights for top homes. Under this new feature, 1.5 million listings across multiple countries are undergoing verification. The verification is expected to increase reliability and has been noted to reduce cancellations by the host. Host cancellations have decreased by over a third due to new tools and policies. Additionally, 100,000 low-quality listings have been removed since last year.
Trip.com Group Ltd (HKG:9961) is a Chinese-owned multinational travel service conglomerate with a rich history and a significant global presence. On January 22, rip.com Group Ltd (HKG:9961) announced a partnership with LATAM Airlines Group. The partnership entails implementing the New Distribution Capability (NDC) to enhance the travel experience for customers. This agreement aims to streamline ticketing processes, offering connectivity to over 144 destinations across 22 countries and regions. By adopting NDC standard technology, customers gain access to a wider range of airline offerings and ancillary services, along with detailed information on change and cancellation policies. The collaboration includes integrating a shopping engine for ticket sales and providing cost advantages to suppliers and customers.
Expedia is one of the most widely used travel booking apps in the world. As of March 26, the Expedia app has more than 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store and has more than 4.1 million reviews on the App Store. It is a giant in the online travel booking industry. However, there are a variety of different platforms as well. We have made a list of the best alternatives to Expedia, let's now take a look at them.
12 Best Alternatives To Expedia In 2024
Our Methodology
To make our list of the best alternative to Expedia, we have used a consensus approach. We consulted more than 10 rankings online that listed the best alternatives to Expedia. We extracted the names that appeared in 50% of our sources. We then ranked our items based on the average customer ratings and total number of reviews across the App Store and the Google Play Store. The average customer rating is our primary metric and the total number of reviews is our secondary metric. The list has been arranged in the ascending order of the primary metric and the secondary metric has been employed as a tiebreaker.
It is important to note that we have only considered items with total reviews of more than 100,000 and a customer star rating of at least 4.6. The number of reviews and customer ratings are prone to change over time. The data we have collected is based on search results on March 26, 2024.
12 Best Alternatives to Expedia in 2024
12. TripAdvisor
Average Customer Ratings: 4.6
Total Number of Reviews: 1,786,200
The TripAdvisor app enables users to plan and book their trips with ease. The TripAdvisor app provides features including finding reviews, making reservations, and sharing travel experiences. It has an average customer rating of 4.6 across source platforms. The aggregate number of reviews across sources amounted to a staggering 1,786,200.
11. Trip.com
Average Customer Ratings: 4.65
Total Number of Reviews: 346,600
Trip.com is a travel app that offers a variety of services to help users plan and book their trips. The app also emphasizes data privacy and security practices, allowing users to request data deletion if needed. It is one of the best alternatives to Expedia. Trip.com has an average rating of 4.65 across sources. The total number of reviews across sources as of March 26 is 346,600.
10. Trivago
Average Customer Ratings: 4.65
Total Number of Reviews: 511,300
Trivago allows users to efficiently plan their trips. It offers hotel price comparisons where users can compare rates from over 1 million hotels and more than 250 booking sites worldwide. Trivago is known for its Trivago Rating Index (tRI) and Trivago Hotel Price Index (tHPI), which rank destinations and display average accommodation prices respectively. The average rating of Trivago across sources is 4.65.
9. Airbnb
Average Customer Ratings: 4.65
Total Number of Reviews: 2,201,600
Airbnb is an American company founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky. It is one of the best alternatives to Expedia. Airbnb offers a wide range of accommodation options, including vacation rentals, apartments, and unique stays. The platform allows hosts to list their properties and guests to book accommodations. Airbnb has an average rating of 4.65 across sources. The total number of reviews is a staggering 2,201,600 across sources.
8. Travelocity
Average Customer Ratings: 4.7
Total Number of Reviews: 519,000
Travelocity is an online travel agency offering services for booking hotels, flights, vacation packages, cars, and cruises. The platform allows users to search and book accommodations, flights, and activities. Travelocity also provides a booking tracker to manage past, current, and future bookings. The app has an average rating of 4.7 across the sources.
7. Booking.com
Average Customer Ratings: 4.7
Total Number of Reviews: 4,801,500
Booking.com is a prominent online travel agency that offers a wide range of travel and accommodation services globally. It was founded in 1996. It is one of the best alternatives to Expedia. It has an average rating of 4.7 across sources based on 4,801,500 reviews across sources.
6. Orbitz
Average Customer Ratings: 4.75
Total Number of Reviews: 439,100
Orbitz has a user-friendly interface to search and book flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities. Users can access the app on both Apple and Android devices. The app provides various features such as last-minute hotel bookings, free cancellation options, and exclusive mobile deals for savings on accommodations.
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Disclosure: None. 12 Best Alternatives to Expedia in 2024 is originally published on Insider Monkey.
