Expedia Moves to Capture European Market

Citing saturation in US travel, Expedia will move aggressively to seize European market share, reports the Financial Times, with hopes that half its revenue will be international within 5 or 6 years. The travel giant hopes to move in while European competitors Thomas Cook and Tui Travel are distracted with their merger, then turn its attention to India next year.

Expedia, the world's top travel company, saw 24% revenue growth in the last quarter, with 5.6% in 2006. Nonetheless, the CEO is concerned about a downturn: “I can’t imagine consumer sentiment and the housing market not having some impact on travel next year.” Thomas Cook and Tui Travel’s merger, when complete, may also present challenges in Europe, he said. (More Expedia stories.)