Google is stripping search features for European travelers to avoid fines from regulators. The revamped results will show two units for flight and hotel searches — one for aggregators and booking sites, one for direct suppliers — with the supplier unit now restricted: users in the EU can no longer filter by travel dates, check live pricing, or use tags like "budget" or "boutique" within results.

Near-term

How fast should European hotel distribution teams shift budget from Google's degraded supplier unit into metasearch and paid direct channels?

Independent hotel owners lose direct-search visibility · OTAs and metasearch platforms gain default placement · Vacation rental managers lose the EU search unit entirely

Google has narrowed EU travel search three times since the DMA took effect in 2024, each round shifting more traffic value toward Booking Holdings, Expedia, and other commission-based intermediaries.

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Google's generative AI search results in the EU: whether the same supplier restrictions extend once Google clarifies AI Overviews' treatment.

HomeToGo's push to restore vacation rental search: whether Google brings a rental unit back to the EEA page.

Next quarter's EU booking-mix data: whether OTA commission volumes confirm the 30% shift Google is citing.

Global OTA revenue is projected to reach $88 billion in 2026 and $96 billion in 2027, according to Skift Research. Growth has settled into a steady 8-9% range after swinging from a 51% collapse in 2020 to a 56% rebound in 2021, with growth easing from double-digit rates in 2021-2023 to single digits from 2024 onward.

The interface layer is where travel distribution power is quietly changing hands, and the companies gaining or losing default placement are the ones setting strategy in response.

Glenn Fogel of Booking Holdings, Ariane Gorin of Expedia, and Priceline CEO Brigit Zimmerman take the stage in New York, September 22 to 24, alongside leaders from 590 companies working out who controls the new intent layer.

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Expedia has long been seen as the B2B leader in online travel. New BTIG estimates say Booking Holdings may actually be ahead with around 196 million B2B room nights in the last 12 months versus Expedia's 170 million.

In this clip from Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast, Jamie Lane breaks down why B2B is nearly half of Expedia's entire business while it is only 15% of Booking's, and what that difference says about where each company is actually placing its bets.

How are public travel companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to understand global market movements. Paid subscribers get full access here.

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