by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:30 AM ET, Sat July 25, 2026
Trip.com group (Photo Credit: Trip.com group)
China is fining Trip.com Group, which owns travel booking platforms including Trip.com, Ctrip and Skyscanner, for monopolistic conduct in China, totaling 5.2 billion yuan, or $765 million, in penalties.
According to the Associated Press, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation pinned the group with monopolization tactics due to restricting market competition with exclusive partnerships for some hotels and prioritizing traffic allocation to those exclusive partnerships, while preventing some hotels from working with competitor booking sites and ensuring those that did offered the cheapest rates on Trip.com Group’s booking platforms.
The government regulator said that the corporation was abusing its position from 2020.
Trip.com’s monopolization tactics “eliminated and restricted market competition, constrained hotel operators from conducting cross-platform business, infringed upon hotel operators’ right to set their own prices and harmed consumer interests,” the regulator’s statement said.
The Chinese government, which began investigating Trip.com in January 2026, has confiscated “illegal gains” of over $245 million and imposed a $520 million fine. The company will also have to refund about $18 million it was withholding from hotel operators.
On Saturday, July 25, Trip.com Group said it “sincerely accepts” the government’s penalty and “will adopt rectification measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations to implement the decision’s requirements. The Company will strengthen its long-term governance mechanisms and strive to contribute to the sustainable development of the travel industry.”
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