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China hits Trip.com with US$765 million antitrust penalty after six-month investigation
The country’s biggest online travel services provider is accused of abusing its ‘dominant market position’
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Wency Chenin ShanghaiPublished: 10:32am, 25 Jul 2026Updated: 10:45am, 25 Jul 2026China’s market regulator has imposed a 5.2 billion yuan (US$765 million) penalty on Trip.com Group, the country’s largest online travel services provider, for “monopolistic conduct”.Trip.com – operator of its namesake international platform, China-focused siblings Ctrip and Qunar, and global site Skyscanner – had “abused its dominant market position”, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said on Saturday.
The market regulator confiscated 1.658 billion yuan in illegal gains and levied a fine of 3.521 billion yuan, the latter equivalent to 7.5 per cent of the company’s domestic sales of 46.958 billion yuan in 2025.
According to the announcement, Trip.com had engaged in anticompetitive practices since 2020 by leveraging its traffic-allocation algorithms, platform rules and technology. These tactics included forcing certain hotel partners into exclusive deals and demanding some of them offer their lowest online rates on the platform.
“We accept the ruling sincerely and resolutely,” Trip.com said in a statement on WeChat on Saturday, adding that it would reform its business model, foster healthy competition and implement rectification measures.
The company’s Hong Kong-listed shares slipped 0.8 per cent to HK$342.60 (US$43.69) on Friday ahead of the verdict. The stock has plunged from a peak of over HK$600 at the start of the year.
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