Expedia Inc., the world’s largest online travel agency with more than $17 billion in annual gross travel bookings, plans to grow even larger early next year when it establishes operations in India.
Sharat Dhall, managing director of Expedia’s yet-to-be launched India subsidiary, confirmed in mid-October that the company will launch a Web portal specifically for Indians. The announcement put an end to several years of speculation about when – or if – Expedia would enter India.
“We will be starting our own Web site in India shortly,” Dhall said in a statement.
“We have the strength of our international experience and exposure. Based on that, we will build our Indian operations with a long-term view.”
Himanshu Singh, managing director of Travelocity.com India Pvt. Ltd., the Mumbai-based subsidiary of Travelocity.com LP, Expedia’s largest competitor, responded to the news by essentially challenging Expedia to “bring it on.”
11/09/07 Chris Nelson/IndUS Business Journal, US
Saturday, November 10, 2007