Priceline.com Inc (PCLN), Expedia Inc (EXPE), Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (OWW): Is Buying This Stock a Good Idea?

And as far as the traffic-related issues that Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) is facing with Tripadvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP) are concerned, it only serves to highlight the fact that the company failed to innovate in its efforts to tap more online consumers. But then again, Expedia cannot get away by blaming it all on the macro economic scenario, as evidenced by the results posted by smaller peer Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:OWW), which actually seems to be doing quite well.

Orbitz Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:OWW)’s second-quarter revenue went up in line with Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN), as the results reflected a consistent rise in online hotel and vacation package booking. The company has also raised its revenue outlook for the full year, and noted that consumers were increasingly booking holiday packages and hotel rooms through their mobile devices, a fact which might work in favor of Priceline as well. All these point to the fact that the online travel market is really doing quite well now and the trend is likely to continue in the near future.

Looking forward
Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN)’s intelligent acquisitions and strategic investments do seem to have paid off in a major way. As far as the near term is concerned, the strong trend of summer bookings as claimed by its management speaks of good times ahead.

However, as I said in the beginning, it’s the lure of getting travel-related bookings at customer-dictated prices that’s going to be the deciding factor in favor of Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN), especially in times of economic hardship when people have less cash to spare. And it works even better when the times are good, as there’s no dearth of bargain hunters. That apart, the next big play will be in Asia, and the company’s success in this region will indeed be a crucial factor.

But, the good thing is that Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) has now increased its focus on the Asian region, realizing its immense potential.