Online Travel Agencies 2Q13 and 1H13: Priceline Closes the Gap at Home, Dominates Overseas

Summary

Headwinds, changes and new initiatives came from all directions in the second quarter of 2013, but global online travel agencies (OTAs) – Expedia, Orbitz and Priceline – as well as the public OTAs in Asia Pacific (APAC), continue to show strong growth amid a challenging environment. From the strengthening of the U.S. economy to the continued fragility of the Eurozone, from new business strategies and alliances of key marketing channels to increasing competition from international players in the domestic market, the three U.S. public OTAs had their work cut out for them. Still, aggregate total gross bookings of the OTAs rose in 2Q13.