OTAs seek a share of the business travel rebound

Booking.com and others have renewed efforts to attract business travelers, particularly SMBs and the unmanaged segment

According to most reports, business travel is on the rebound and will match, and perhaps exceed, 2019 levels. A growing number of online players want a piece of the action and are tailoring their initiatives accordingly.

Key takeaways

• Booking.com said its Booking.com for Business unit is tailored to the SMB market, citing internal data showing that business travelers stayed 5% longer on average in the first half of 2023 compared to 2019;
• Meanwhile, China's Trip.com Group has shared more details about its business travel initiatives under its Trip.biz unit, which recently launched a booking and approval app for the segment;
• Wego and Cleartrip are also expanding their business travel offerings. Wego has acquired corporate travel expense management platform Travelstop, while Cleartrip has acquired Flimkart;
• They have to compete with established travel management companies like American Express Global Business Travel, BCD and FCM, which have openly targeted the SMB and unmanaged traveler segments.

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