Trip.com Group Photo: VCG

China's market regulator has opened a formal investigation into online travel platform Trip.com Group for suspected abuse of its dominant market position and monopolistic practices, according to an official notice released on Wednesday.

The probe was launched by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) following preliminary verification and in accordance with China's Anti-Monopoly Law, read the notice posted on the SAMR's official website.

In an online statement, Trip.com said that it will actively cooperate with regulatory authorities in their investigation, fully implement regulatory requirements, and work hand in hand with all parties in the industry to build a sustainable market environment.

"Currently, all of the company's businesses are operating normally, and we will continue to provide high-quality services to our users and partners," it said.

Following the release of the investigation news, shares of Trip.com Group plunged nearly 9 percent in late trading on Wednesday.

Previously, on December 8 last year, a homestay association in Southwest China's Yunnan Province publicly announced that it was soliciting evidence for potential antitrust action against Trip.com, targeting what it described as years of unfair competition by the platform. 

The association also released a decision on launching rights-protection efforts against improper competition by online travel agencies (OTAs), according to a statement on its official WeChat account.

In the statement, the association said it had received a large number of complaints from member businesses in recent years, accusing Trip.com and other OTA platforms of abusing their market dominance through practices such as forcing merchants to choose one platform over others, unilaterally raising commission rates, imposing unfair trading conditions, and restricting traffic exposure. 

These practices, it said, had seriously harmed operators' legitimate rights and disrupted fair market competition.

The SAMR's investigation forms part of China's broader push to normalize antitrust enforcement in the platform economy after years of scrutiny over the competitive conduct of major internet platforms. 

On November 15, 2025, the market regulator released a draft set of antitrust compliance guidelines for internet platforms for public consultation, and said in December that it is moving faster to finalize and roll out the rules.

SAMR spokesperson Wang Qiuping said the move aims to effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers and small and medium-sized businesses, guide platform companies toward compliant operations, and provide institutional support for building a healthy and orderly platform ecosystem.

The draft guidelines flag eight emerging monopoly risks, including cases where some platforms force merchants to keep prices no higher than on rivals - so-called "lowest-price-across-the-internet" rules. A SAMR official told a press briefing such practices may amount to abuse of market dominance or monopoly deals.

According to information on its official website, Trip.com is a one-stop travel service platform operating brands including Ctrip, Trip.com, Qunar and Skyscanner, offering a full range of travel products, services and differentiated content to users worldwide. The company was listed on the Nasdaq in 2003 and completed a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2021.

According to industry estimates, Trip.com accounted for 56 percent of gross merchandise value in China's hotel and travel market in 2024, while Tongcheng ranked second with a 15 percent share. Together, the two platforms are estimated to control over 70 percent of China's domestic OTA market, Beijing Daily reported in July, 2025.

Global Times