BEIJING — In a major regulatory crackdown on the country’s tech and travel sectors, Chinese antitrust authorities have hit Trip.com Group—operator of China’s largest online travel agency—with nearly 5.2 billion yuan ($765 million) in fines and penalties for abusing its dominant market position.
The ruling was announced on Saturday by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), following a probe launched in January into the platform’s business practices.
Unfair Deals and Coerced Pricing Exposed
According to market regulators, Trip.com Group—which owns major international and domestic brands like Ctrip and Skyscanner—has systematically engaged in anti-competitive tactics since at least 2020 to maintain its stronghold on the hospitality market.
The agency found that Trip.com coerced hotel operators into exclusive partnerships by promising prioritized traffic allocation on its app while banning them from listing rooms on rival platforms.
Key violations cited by SAMR include:
Forced Exclusivity: Barring partner hotels from collaborating with competing booking platforms.
Price Parity Demands: Forcing hotel operators present across multiple platforms to guarantee that room rates on Trip.com remained the lowest online.
Restricting Market Growth: Depriving hoteliers of their autonomy to set room prices independently and restricting cross-platform commerce.
"Trip.com's behavior eliminated and restricted market competition, constrained hotel operators from conducting cross-platform business, infringed upon hotel operators' right to set their own prices, and ultimately harmed consumer interests," SAMR said in an official statement.
Financial Break-Down of the Penalty
The $765 million total compliance penalty consists of three distinct financial levies imposed by the state regulator:
Monetary Fine: Over 3.5 billion yuan ($520 million) in direct penalties for antitrust violations.
Confiscated Earnings: More than 1.6 billion yuan ($245 million) in "illegal gains" accumulated through unfair practices.
Operator Refunds: An additional 122 million yuan ($18 million) withheld from hotel partners, which the company has been ordered to return immediately.
Trip.com Vows Full Compliance
In a public statement issued shortly after the regulator's order, Trip.com Group acknowledged the decision, expressing full cooperation with government authorities.
"Trip.com sincerely accepts and will resolutely comply with the penalties," the company stated. "We will systematically implement the required rectification measures item-by-item to ensure their full execution."
The enforcement action signals Beijing's ongoing commitment to reining in market concentration among massive digital platforms, ensuring fair market access for small business vendors and protecting consumer choice across the digital economy.
