Expedia is no longer an OTA — it's becoming the plumbing
Expedia's acquisition of CarTrawler, announced in May 2026 and completed on 1 September, follows its earlier purchase of Tiqets for attractions inventory and marks a significant pivot. This isn't primarily a consumer-facing story; it represents a deliberate shift towards owning the underlying B2B infrastructure that powers much of the travel industry. CarTrawler is an Ireland-based B2B platform for car rental, ground transport and insurtech, and Skift reported the deal as Expedia's second B2B acquisition of 2026. Expedia's stated aim is to become a one-stop B2B supplier of inventory and technology to its partners.
This move positions Expedia not as a direct competitor for every booking, but as the plumbing through which many bookings flow. It means consolidating access to car rental aggregation and attractions inventory, and standardising how these components are sourced across the industry. For traditional retail agencies, this shift can create a squeeze. When your competitors are sourcing from the same consolidated pipes, differentiation becomes challenging, and a race to the bottom on price becomes a real risk.
Where the platform layer breaks: group logistics it was never built for
While platforms excel at aggregating individual bookings, their API-driven inventory stacks often fall short when confronted with the complexities of group logistics. Take securing a compliant coach for a school group during a major event such as the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games: compliant fleet availability tends to tighten long before departure, a scenario a standard aggregator is not designed to handle. It takes forward planning and direct supplier relationships, which platforms do not offer. You can find more on this specific challenge in our guide to Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games group logistics.
Similarly, coordinating ferry-and-coach combinations across the Adriatic for a classical studies or literary itinerary demands manual sequencing, careful timing, and direct communication with multiple operators. An API cannot easily manage the nuances of a delayed ferry impacting a coach connection, or the specific safeguarding requirements for under-18 groups, such as vetted guides, careful room allocation and allergen protocols. A car rental platform's inventory model is typically built around individual travellers and a card transaction, not a school trip that needs an invoice for the lead teacher and complex contingency planning. The vetting, contracting and insurance that platforms tend to strip out are precisely what a dedicated DMC can provide, giving group leaders resilience and peace of mind.
The 6-12 month read for tour operators
For tour operators planning European group programmes, the implications of this B2B consolidation are likely to become tangible over the next two booking cycles. Expect attractions inventory, increasingly routed via platforms, to consolidate pricing visibility. This means your retail competitors may see the same rate cards as you, making price-based differentiation difficult. The real opportunity for distinctiveness lies in components that aren't on these platforms: privatised site access, after-hours visits, or supplier arrangements that a DMC can negotiate directly, subject to availability and each site's policy.
We are advising partners that spring and summer 2027 are the periods where proactive contracting can make the most difference. Coach-heavy programmes are best planned well ahead of departure, and earlier still for trips overlapping with major events or festivals, although booking early does not by itself guarantee fleet. This is also why contracting directly with smaller, family-run hotels matters: a DMC can give access to inventory that is not on OTAs. For further insights into upcoming booking windows, refer to our analysis of Europe's top destinations for the upcoming months.
What operating in Europe since 2007 actually adds
Operating in Europe since 2007 translates into a layer of expertise and operational resilience that cannot be automated. This includes coach operator vetting, checking compliance with EU Regulation 561/2006 on driver hours and not working with providers who fail it. Guides are matched to the theme of each programme and assessed for group suitability and safeguarding. This human element is critical, especially when managing school or youth groups.
When a ferry from Igoumenitsa to Bari cancels late at night, someone has to reroute coaches and rebook accommodation; how out-of-hours support works is agreed with each client before departure. That kind of contingency planning is beyond what a platform is built for. We also aim to give per-pax cost transparency, showing where a platform's 'all-in' price can leave out components groups actually need, like local taxes, specific entry fees, or specialist guides. Themed programmes, from Odyssey literary tours across Greece and Italy to slow-travel autumn weeks in smaller European cities, are built on this foundation of direct relationships and operational know-how.
The strategic question for B2B partners this year
As the B2B travel landscape shifts, tour operators face a strategic question: if your core inventory comes from the same platforms as your retail competitors, how do you defend your margin and maintain programme distinctiveness? The cost of switching to direct-DMC sourcing must be weighed against the potential cost of losing programme originality and the operational headaches that arise when platforms fail to support group-specific needs.
Platforms genuinely help with transparent FIT (Free Independent Travel) car hire or simple attraction tickets. However, for group compliance, complex logistics, and contingency planning, they can actively harm your operation. The practical next step for many is to identify which of your 2027 programmes should sit entirely outside the platform stack, leveraging the bespoke services of a DMC. Partners contracting early tend to focus on programmes where direct supplier relationships and in-country expertise are paramount. For ideas on where to focus, consider our insights on slow travel in smaller European cities.
If you're shaping 2027 group programmes, send us your shortlist of destinations and group profiles via our team and we'll review which components belong with a DMC and which are fine on a platform.
