Topic: Trip.com Subject to Investigation by the State Administration for Market Regulation In mid-January 2026, a bombshell dropped in the online travel agency (OTA) industry. The State Administration for Market Regulation officially announced the launch of an antitrust investigation into Trip.com, citing persistent industry issues such as big data-based price discrimination and exclusive agreements. The news triggered an immediate drop in Hong Kong stocks, causing an uproar in the market. As a giant occupying half of China's OTA market, Trip.com once again found itself in the spotlight. For ordinary users, the most pressing concern is: is that familiar "booking assistant" truly using algorithms to "calculate" the contents of our wallets? Trip.com promptly responded: cooperating fully and implementing comprehensively. This statement not only reflects Trip.com's position but also epitomizes the entire platform economy's entry into the "deep waters of compliance" in 2026.
However, just as the regulatory storm began to swirl, a different narrative emerged on social media: "Regardless of anything else, Trip.com is truly generous to its employees." In the generally anxious climate of 2026 for young people, Trip.com's employee benefits appear somewhat "unconventional":
"Cash for having kids": Continuing the "Cheng 2nd Generation" fertility subsidy initiated in 2023, employees with three or more years of service receive a direct reward of 50,000 yuan for each child born. "Reproductive freedom": Offering female employees subsidies of 100,000 to 150,000 yuan for egg freezing and assisted reproduction, embedding "female-friendliness" directly into the company's financial reports. "3+2 hybrid work": The persistent hybrid work model, still in place, elicits envy from countless office workers trapped in "996" schedules.
This contrast, of being "deeply embroiled in an investigation while aggressively pampering employees," creates a unique brand tension for Trip.com. This goes beyond mere public relations; it represents a deep investment in "talent assets" by a corporation navigating an era of demographic aging.
If benefits represent warmth, then AI is Trip.com's fundamental weapon for countering risks in 2026. The recently launched "Intelligent Engine 3.0" shows that Trip.com is no longer content with being a simple intermediary platform. What can its current AI assistant accomplish?
Second-level planning: Input "5-day family trip from Shanghai," and it can combine your past consumption habits, real-time flight availability, and hundreds of millions of genuine reviews to generate a seamless itinerary—including flights, hotels, and even airport transfers—within 15 seconds. Service transparency: Addressing criticized pricing issues, Trip.com is using AI for real-time semantic monitoring, attempting to detect merchant violations before users even file complaints.
Can technology mitigate the negative impacts of monopoly? This is the answer Trip.com is proposing in 2026.
While external attention is fixed on domestic regulation, Trip.com's international business (Trip.com) is quietly impressing everyone. The 2025 financial report revealed that Trip.com's international business contribution has surpassed 14%, even outperforming international giant Booking Holdings in parts of Southeast Asia. From the "First Go China" inbound tourism project to covering 20 million points of travel interest globally, Trip.com is leveraging the efficiency of the Chinese internet to reshape the global travel order. When a brand begins to represent "Chinese service" on the world stage, the expectations and responsibilities it carries clearly extend far beyond mere "ticket booking" itself.
In 2026, Trip.com stands at a uniquely complex historical crossroads. It is a "behemoth" in the eyes of regulators, yet a "safe harbor" to its employees; it is a "calculus of pros and cons" under algorithms, yet a "standard-bearer of innovation" in the AI era. The antitrust investigation may be a necessary baptism for Trip.com as the "old king"; meanwhile, technological innovation and humanistic care are its only tickets to a "new era." The next time you book a trip, how will you view it?
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