Trust, it's all about trust, TripAdvisor founder and CEO Stephen Kaufer says about the strategic development of TripAdvisor.

"Trust is our business model," he told the audience at the ITB convention in Berlin this week. "It's in our best interest to build and maintain trust. And it's working – people are coming back."

Founded in 2000 to help travelers plan their trips, TripAdvisor has grown in the past two decades from a website of community-driven reviews to become the world's largest travel site with 24 other travel-related brands including TheFork and SeatGuru that operate in 48 markets worldwide, according to the company.

In September, TripAdvisor launched a new website to also include brands, social media influencers, publishers and friends, a portal where would-be travelers could connect with content creators and brands, the company said.

"This is about, 'let us help you plan this trip, document what you are thinking about, share it," Kaufer said. "This is pretty much where we are headed as a company – the whole experience."

It's working: Last month, TripAdvisor reported that its total revenue jumped in 2018 23 percent over the year before to $1.61 billion.

Meanwhile, looking ahead, Kaufer says TripAdvisor has no plans to become an OTA.

"While you can already book things on TripAdvisor, we don't feel the need to be in the booking business," he said. "We want to be the source of all information to help with bookings….to do that, we have to deliver the best choice."

To do that, TripAdvicsor wants to enhance traveler research, a new frontier in the market, he says, offering recommendations, price comparisons, bookability all in one place, a one-stop shop essentially.

The biggest challenge is getting all the business online and connected, he said. Regardless, the company is moving forward, especially in the restaurant segment, he added.

"We want to become the biggest search engine, we want people to start their trip on TripAdvisor…the way customers often start their shopping on Amazon," he added. "We want to follow the same model – start your search on TripAdvisor."

PHOTO: Eros Banaj

This is strictly an exclusive feature, reprints of this article in any shape or form without prior written approval from 4Hoteliers.com is not permitted. Jabeen Bhatti is reporting exclusively for 4Hoteliers.com at ITB Berlin 2019 - www.4Hoteliers.com/itb.

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