China opens probes into four online travel booking platforms

Investing.com --Chinese regulators have opened investigations into four online hotel and travel booking platforms over suspected practices that may hurt competition and merchant rights, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.

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The investigations target Hangzhou Taomei Aviation Service, Tongcheng Network Technology, Tujia Online Information Technology (Tianjin) and Beijing Sankuai Information Technology, according to a statement from the Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation.

The probes follow a broader regulatory review of China's online travel sector and a meeting with hotel and travel booking platforms convened by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Authorities are examining business practices that may affect fair competition and the rights of merchants using the platforms.

The China Hospitality Association backed the investigations and called on booking platforms to provide greater transparency around their trading rules and algorithms.

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The industry group specifically cited search rankings, traffic allocation, commission rates and promotional programs as areas where platforms should provide clearer information to merchants.

It also called for greater industry self-discipline and closer cooperation between online booking platforms and hospitality businesses.

The latest action extends regulatory scrutiny of China's online hotel and travel booking industry after authorities imposed a 5.18 billion yuan ($765 million) antitrust penalty on Trip.com Group in July.

Trip.com was fined for abusing its dominant position in China's online hotel booking market.

The investigations signal continued regulatory attention on how major online travel platforms interact with hotels and other merchants, particularly in areas such as commissions, platform traffic, and promotional practices.

No penalties or findings against the four platforms named in the latest investigations were announced.

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Original Article

China opens probes into four online travel booking platforms

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