The Frommer’s buy is the latest in Google’s ongoing move to strengthen its travel and local search offerings. About a year ago, Google bought reviews behemoth Zagat for an undisclosed amount. Five days later, the company launched Google Flight Search.
Google declined to comment on the financial terms of the Frommer’s deal, but it offered a few hints about its plans for the Frommer’s team and assets.
“We can’t wait to start working with them on our goal to provide a review for every relevant place in the world,” a Google representative said, adding that the Frommer’s staff “will be a great addition to the Zagat team.”
The deal was bad news for other local and travel sites. Shares of local reviews site Yelp and travel reviews/planning site TripAdvisor were off nearly 6% immediately following the announcement.
Source: CNN