Soon after, Google entered into talks to purchase fare shopping powerhouse ITA Software. In 2010, Alphabet purchased, an online travel review site similar to TripAdvisor. Looking ahead for growth opportunities, Google seized upon lucrative openings to expand into the travel industry, and its parent company Alphabet began gobbling up key players specializing in travel search a decade ago. Google Spreads Wings into Travel Operations If Google continues to encroach on competitors and develop products that fail to deliver on claimed efficiencies - at the expense of American consumers - greater regulatory scrutiny may cloud the company’s future. Consolidation of the travel market under Google could potentially hinder competition and leave consumers at a disadvantage, fueling arguments for renewed antitrust enforcement against the tech giant. As Google has emerged as the de-facto launch pad for all trip planning, users are being pushed to pick options that enrich Google at their expense.
Travel is next on Google’s target list for market dominance, and the future for jetsetters and backpackers alike look dim. Discovering new destinations is now infinitely easier and cheaper to navigate because of the Internet. Beyond that, travelers can book stays through Expedia, or directly on the hotel website itself. TripAdvisor supplies thousands of user-verified reviews and booking options for hotels, bed and breakfasts, and specialty lodging. Travelers of all budgets rely on Airbnb for short-term home and apartment rentals. College students try Couchsurfing for free. Vacationers looking for summer villas have HomeAway and Vrbo. Kayak or Momondo let bargain hunters comparison shop for the best flight deals. Online travel communities like ThePointsGuy and FlyerTalk offer advice on opportunities to maximize loyalty status and redemption rewards. Digital disruption in the travel industry - from the growth of the sharing economy, the shift from live agents to online booking, and the rise of big data analytics - has made globetrotting more affordable and accessible. Many vacation plans were put on hold this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but when tourism comes roaring back to life, travelers have at their fingertips a goldmine of trip planning forums and booking options online. The religious faithful make the trek to Jerusalem and the Vatican seeking holy wonder. Backpackers scale the peaks of Machu Picchu and the Himalayas just to capture the views. City lovers flock to Tokyo and London in search of world class shopping and fine dining. “To travel is to live,” once said the great Hans Christian Andersen. Jessica Vu, Note, Globetrotting in a Google Run World: Google Takeover of Travel Market Risks Stifling Competition and Consumer Experience, Harv. Special thanks to Juliette Turner-Jones and Shub Chandrasekaran for helpful insight and comments. from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007. from Harvard Law School in 2010 and her B.A.
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