THE INFLUENCE OF OTA CHANNELS ON THE TOURISM INDUSTRY

Abstract

The article devotes the analysis of the most popular OTA channels in the world and their impact on the tourism industry. The differences between metasearch platforms (e.g., Trivago, Kayak, Google Travel) and OTA channels are discussed. Using the example of the European and Asia-Pacific regions, the impact of OTA channels on the generation of additional income and employment is considered. It was established that the use of these channels also led to a decrease in accommodation rates in the respective regions. It has been found that the use of OTA channels by independent and chain hotels is somewhat different in different countries. Among the large number of OTA channels in the world (more than 400 in the world), the most popular are Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, Agoda and Hotels.com. A comparison of the key indicators of visits to the sites of the leading OTA channels was made according to the data of 2021 and 2023. It was established that the most common models of commission remuneration are network and retail, and a comparison of the commissions for leading OTA channels was also made.