Online travel giant TripAdvisor plans to roll out its Instant Booking function in India, marking its entry as a direct player in one of the world’s most competitive travel e-commerce markets.
"We are itching to launch it everywhere in the world, but the fact is that this is the first time we have got into the transaction area. India is definitely in the pipeline," said Helena Egan, director of industry relations at TripAdvisor.
No fixed date has been set for a launch, but could be as early as next year.
TripAdvisor launched the Instant Booking service in the US last year and later in the UK.
It has been steadily adding major hotel chains to the Instant Booking service, including Carlson Rezidor, Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels, all of which have a major presence in India.
The company says it has a portfolio of about 235,000 hotels that are instantly bookable without leaving the TripAdvisor site.
