China fines Trip.com USD 765 million for monopolistic hotel deals

Beijing,UPDATED: Jul 25, 2026 12:12 IST

China said on Saturday that it has imposed penalties of nearly 5.2 billion yuan (USD 765 million) on Trip.com Group, operator of the country’s largest online travel platform, over claims of monopolistic conduct. The action includes the confiscation of more than 1.6 billion yuan (USD 245 million) in what the regulator called illegal gains and a fine of over 3.5 billion yuan (USD 520 million).

Trip.com, which runs Ctrip and Skyscanner among other brands, was also directed to refund about 122 million yuan (USD 18 million) that it was withholding from hotel operators. The company said it "sincerely accepts and will resolutely comply" with the penalties.

In a statement, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said Trip.com had restricted market competition through practices such as entering into exclusive partnerships with some hotels and giving them prioritised traffic allocation. It said the company barred some hotels from working with rival platforms and asked some hotel operators present on multiple platforms to ensure that rates on Trip.com were the lowest available online.

The regulator said Trip.com had been abusing its dominant market position in the sector since as early as 2020. It added that the company’s conduct had "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 said it had started its investigation into Trip.com in January.

Responding to the decision, Trip.com said, "(We will) systematically implement the rectification measures item-by-item and ensure their full execution." The case centres on the regulator’s findings that the company used its market position to limit hotel operators’ choices, influence pricing across platforms and restrict competition.

With PTI Inputs

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