26 Jan Travel Tech Commends Senate Judiciary Committee For Passage of the American Innovation and Choice Online Act
Legislation Protects Transparency & Competition in Online Marketplace
Arlington, VA – The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech), the voice of the travel technology industry, applauds the Senate Judiciary Committee’s passage of the American Innovation and Online Choice Act. The legislation addresses unfair market practices and self-preferencing by leading search engines. If passed, consumers, especially travel consumers, will benefit from efficient and transparent searches to find the best travel options.
“If the current dominant search engines are left unchecked, consumers risk losing the benefits of the internet. Transparency and competition must be preserved,” said Steve Shur, President of Travel Tech. “Effective comparison shopping for flights, accommodations, tours, and virtually all other travel products, reliable reviews, price comparison tools, and access to real-time availability information is critical for travelers. The American Innovation and Choice Online Act is a strong first step toward addressing the harm resulting from dominant search engines controlling the options consumers find.”
During the mark-up Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) stated, “We know that Google puts its own restaurant reviews and travel services first in search results driving businesses to itself through its market power in search.”
“Travelers want true and transparent choice,” Shur continued. “Travelers deserve results based on relevance. Some consumers are purely price-driven, while others book based on ease or brand loyalty. Without this legislation, what consumers end up with is a much more limited set of options that benefits one dominant search engine, as searches divert away from relevant competing search results.”
The Travel Technology Association recently joined over forty technology companies such as Yelp, Quora, and Sonos in a letter to Senate leadership expressing its strong support for U.S. Senate Bill 2992.
“Travel Tech looks forward to working with Congress on protecting consumers’ ability to effectively and conveniently shop for their travel needs,” Shur added.
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About Travel Tech
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the voice of the travel technology industry, advocating for public policy that promotes transparency and competition in the marketplace to encourage innovation and preserve consumer choice. Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology, including global distribution systems, online travel agencies and metasearch companies, travel management companies, and short-term rental platforms.
To schedule an interview with a Travel Tech spokesperson, contact Dan Rene of kglobal at 202-329-8357 or daniel.rene@kglobal.com.
