Tripadvisor set to build on fourth quarter profit hike

Increased advertising revenue helped online travel reviews giant TripAdvisor raise fourth quarter profits by 19% to $22 million from $18.4 million a year earlier.

Increased advertising revenue helped online travel reviews giant TripAdvisor raise fourth quarter profits by 19% to $22 million from $18.4 million a year earlier.


Revenue jumped by 30% in the period to $137.8 million. Full year revenues for last year were $637.1 million, a 31% increase over 2010.


Revenues from click-based advertising totalled $99.8 million for the fourth quarter, a 24% year on year rise.


Revenues from display-based advertising came in at $22.9 million, up by 26%.


TripAdvisor’s improved fourth quarter figures came after the company was spun off from Expedia in December.


Chief executive Steve Kaufer said: “The fourth quarter capped an exciting end to a great year for TripAdvisor, as we grew our valuable user and content base, extended our platform and product offerings, and completed our spin-off from Expedia.


“In 2012 we expect to build upon our success and continue to drive shareholder value making the necessary investments to accelerate growth and profitability.”


TripAdvisor, which has 19 travel and advertising brands, operates in 30 countries and has 50 million users a month.