Trip.com Under Anti-Monopoly Investigation, Controls Over 60% of China's Online Travel Market
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 16 2026
0mins
Should l Buy TCOM?
Source: Benzinga
- Investigation Launched: China's State Administration for Market Regulation has initiated an anti-monopoly investigation into Trip.com, focusing on its hotel booking operations, which accounted for 44% of its revenue in Q3, potentially forcing the company to end exclusivity agreements and divest rival investments.
- Market Share Concentration: Trip.com controls over 60% of China's online travel market through a series of acquisitions and investments, maintaining a strong market position despite challenges from Meituan and Alibaba.
- Stock Price Plunge: Following the announcement of the investigation, Trip.com's stock fell 22% over four trading days, wiping out approximately $9 billion in market value, although its share price remains up 54 times since its IPO, indicating investor anxiety about the future.
- Uncertain Future Outlook: The market regulator is expected to impose fines exceeding $1 billion on Trip.com, but the greater concern lies in potential divestitures of key investments, particularly in Tongcheng and Qunar, which could significantly impact its market dominance.
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Analyst Views on TCOM
Wall Street analysts forecast TCOM stock price to rise
7 Analyst Rating
7 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 54.690
Low
82.00
Averages
85.00
High
90.00
Current: 54.690
Low
82.00
Averages
85.00
High
90.00
About TCOM
Trip.com Group Limited is a global travel service provider comprising Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner and Qunar. Its one-stop travel platform connects its users and its ecosystem partners. It offers accommodation reservations, transportation ticketing, packaged tours, and corporate travel management services and other travel-related services to meet the various booking and traveling needs of both leisure and business travelers through its travel platform. It helps travelers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources and an advanced transaction platform, including apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centers. Ctrip provides travel and related services in China. Qunar is an online travel agency in China. Trip.com is an online travel agency for global travelers. Skyscanner is a travel search company.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Class Action Filed: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC has announced a class action lawsuit against Trip.com Group, seeking damages for investors who purchased securities between April 30, 2024, and January 13, 2026, highlighting concerns over the company's regulatory risks.
- Allegations of Misrepresentation: The complaint alleges that Trip.com's executives failed to disclose regulatory risks stemming from monopolistic practices, rendering their statements about the company's business and prospects materially false and misleading throughout the class period.
- Investor Participation Encouraged: Affected investors are urged to apply to be lead plaintiffs by May 11, 2026, to potentially share in any recovery, reflecting the legal team's commitment to safeguarding investor rights and interests.
- Law Firm Credentials: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a nationally recognized firm specializing in securities fraud class actions, having recovered hundreds of millions for investors, underscoring its influence and expertise in the field.
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- Class Action Timeline: Rosen Law Firm reminds investors who purchased Trip.com (NASDAQ: TCOM) securities between April 30, 2024, and January 13, 2026, that they must apply to be lead plaintiff by May 11, 2026, or risk losing the opportunity to represent other investors in the class action.
- Lawsuit Background: The lawsuit alleges that Trip.com made false and misleading statements during the class period and failed to disclose regulatory risks due to its monopolistic practices, resulting in investor losses when the truth emerged, highlighting significant governance and transparency issues within the company.
- Law Firm Credentials: Rosen Law Firm specializes in securities class actions and has recovered over $438 million for investors in 2019 alone, while also achieving the largest securities class action settlement against a Chinese company in 2017, demonstrating its extensive experience and success in this field.
- Investor Action Recommendations: Investors can visit the Rosen Law Firm website or call the toll-free number for more information, ensuring they select qualified legal counsel to protect their rights in the class action and avoid inexperienced intermediary firms.
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- Lawsuit Overview: Several publicly traded companies, including monday.com, Camping World Holdings, Trip.com, and ODDITY Tech, are facing class action lawsuits for allegedly making misleading statements, with investors required to file lead plaintiff motions by May 11, 2026.
- monday.com Allegations: Between September 2025 and February 2026, monday.com is accused of failing to disclose decelerating customer growth and extended sales cycles, making its $1.8 billion target for 2027 increasingly unlikely, which negatively impacts investor confidence.
- Camping World Holdings Issues: During the period from April 2025 to February 2026, Camping World is alleged to have overstated its inventory management capabilities, leading to negative impacts on its gross profit and margins, thereby undermining investor trust in its financial health.
- Trip.com and ODDITY Tech Allegations: Trip.com is accused of underestimating regulatory risks, while ODDITY Tech faces challenges due to an algorithm change from its largest advertising partner that significantly increased customer acquisition costs, raising concerns about both companies' future prospects and requiring investors to proceed with caution.
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- Lawsuit Background: A securities class action lawsuit has been filed against Trip.com Group (NASDAQ:TCOM), representing investors who purchased securities between April 30, 2024, and January 13, 2026, highlighting investor anxiety regarding the company's future.
- Market Reaction: On January 14, 2026, Trip.com shares plummeted 17% due to an investigation by Chinese regulators, resulting in a loss of over $8 billion in market capitalization, reflecting strong market concerns about the company's compliance and future profitability.
- Regulatory Investigation: Trip.com is accused of monopolistic practices related to its AI pricing tool, with regulators revealing that the tool may have stripped pricing autonomy from partner hotels, exacerbating investor confidence issues.
- Executive Changes: Following the class action, Trip.com's co-founders abruptly resigned from the board on February 25, 2026, and the company announced the shutdown of its automated AI pricing tool on March 10, indicating urgency in addressing regulatory pressures and restoring market trust.
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- Class Action Reminder: The Schall Law Firm alerts investors of a class action lawsuit against Trip.com for violations of §§10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, concerning securities purchased between April 30, 2024, and January 13, 2026, with a deadline to contact the firm by May 11, 2026, for participation.
- False Statement Allegations: The complaint alleges that Trip.com made false and misleading statements during the class period, particularly downplaying regulatory risks associated with its monopolistic practices, resulting in investor losses when the truth emerged.
- Legal Representation Information: The Schall Law Firm offers free consultations and encourages affected investors to reach out to discuss their rights, highlighting its specialization in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation aimed at helping investors recover losses.
- Lawsuit Status Explanation: The class action has not yet been certified, meaning investors are not represented by an attorney until certification occurs, and those who choose not to act will remain absent class members, underscoring the importance of participation in the lawsuit.
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- Antitrust Investigation: China's State Administration for Market Regulation has accused Trip.com of violating merchant transaction and pricing rules since September 2025, leading to an antitrust investigation that could impact the company's market position and future profitability.
- Stock Price Plunge: Following a Bloomberg report on January 14, 2026, Trip.com's stock price fell by $12.90, or 17.05%, closing at $62.78, resulting in significant investor losses and reflecting market concerns about the company's outlook.
- Class Action Lawsuit Initiation: Investors are reminded to file a lead plaintiff motion by May 11, 2026, alleging that Trip.com failed to disclose significant risks associated with its monopolistic practices throughout the class period, potentially misleading investors about the company's prospects.
- Legal Consequences: This lawsuit could have long-term implications for Trip.com's reputation and financial health, as an unfavorable ruling may result in substantial damages and stricter regulatory measures against the company.
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