TripAdvisor: An Itinerary for Growth

In 2019, TripAdvisor was one of the best-known and most-trafficked online travel sites. For nearly 20 years, its founder and CEO Steve Kaufer had steered TripAdvisor through many phases of growth and profitability, but recently the company’s growth had started to slow. TripAdvisor was an aggregator of travel information, including travel listings, third-party content, and a vast array of user reviews. Most of its revenue derived from selling advertising on a cost-per-click basis to online travel agencies (OTAs), such as Expedia and Travelocity, and suppliers, such as Hilton and Starwood. TripAdvisor relied largely on Google for both organic and paid traffic. As Google began to promote its own travel search services and OTAs as well as travel suppliers focused on increasing direct traffic, TripAdvisor sought to diversify its offerings with listings and information for vacation rentals, restaurants, and experiences. In addition, the company had created a new team called Core Experience (CoreX) to forge an integrated product strategy across its business units and to deliver a more seamless user experience. Could Kaufer and his executive team fend off threats and restore the business to its historical pattern of double-digit growth?