Google Travel Service Makes Threat To Expedia And TripAdvisor

Besides dominating several businesses from online information searching to free maps service, Google is going to set its very first footprints in the online travel business. The domain “google.com/travel” is expected to have a full launch soon.

Though the phrase of “Google” commonly considered as a verb when you are about to search something on the internet, it’s still nothing in the world of online travel service when putting it in a comparison with a unique travel site like TripAdvisor or Expedia. In an effort to build a more dedicated travel platform, Google has worked on developing its own travel site. Last year, the company introduced a bunch of new offerings for smartphones through this platform and now it will be ready for use on desktops as well.

With such an aggressive plan, the search giant is threatening traditional travel platforms. At the sideline of a conference held last year in Las Vegas, Expedia CEO Mark Okerstrom admitted that Google is becoming Expedia’s most important rival. Set it aside, TripAdvisor Inc. is also competing with the behemoth in the online travel service.

People usually plan for their trips and look for hotels or restaurants online separately when having time. However, they often find hard to archive their own choices later. The company plans to pop up more data for travelers on its Google Maps. For those who already logged on the system, reservations from local hotels and restaurants will be prompted immediately.

Unlike travel agencies, Google doesn’t distribute travel products. Instead, the company will primarily generate the traffics coming to the site rather than processing bookings from travel merchants.