The Expedia Group says it is happy to fully cooperate with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), which last week launched a questionnaire for operators to voice their competition concerns about the online travel agency market.
The ACCC announcement was endorsed by the Accommodation Association of Australia last week, with the body’s CEO, Richard Munro, saying “the Accommodation Association has been advocating for the ACCC to re-examine the level of competition in the online travel agency market for some time, therefore the Association is pleased that the ACCC is currently consulting with operators in our industry on this issue”.
Expedia Group contacted HM with a statement saying it would fully cooperate with the ACCC.
“The Expedia Group is aware of the consultation and is happy to cooperate with the ACCC during its enquiries,” Expedia Group said.
“Expedia has always believed that travellers have the right to feel confident in the choice, quality and price of the travel they book.
“That’s the role we, and many other online travel sites, have played in the global travel market for nearly 20 years, helping hundreds of thousands of accommodation providers, including in particular small accommodation providers who want to compete with each other for consumers’ business and helping consumers discover these properties quickly and efficiently.
“The result has been a marketplace where accommodation providers gain global exposure to consumers who find value and efficiency in shopping for travel through our world class travel brands and our significant investments in marketing and technology,” Expedia Group said.
Munro said On behalf of operators, the Accommodation Association intends to make a submission to the ACCC.