Overview

Major tourism and travel companies have expanded their businesses by acquiring and investing in various travel service providers. This diversification allows them to strengthen their presence in different areas of the industry, such as online travel agencies, travel management companies, car rentals, and accommodation. The image below highlights some of the key acquisitions made by leading travel groups.

Dominant tourism companies have diversified by investing in and acquiring various travel players across the value chain. 

• Booking Holdings has the most diversified portfolio, with acquisitions spanning online travel agents, travel management companies (TMC), metasearch, car rentals, experiences, enterprise solutions, and other businesses. 
• In contrast, the Saudi giant Sierra Group is still in the early stages of its diversification journey. While they have a strong presence among online travel agencies and travel management companies, they recently acquired the car rental company Lumi and expanded their portfolio within accommodation and destination management companies.