Meiqing Xie, Tingting Cao
(Panzhihua University)
Abstract：
With the rapid development of information technology and the widespread popularity of the Internet, tourism e-commerce has become an important part of the global tourism industry. It not only greatly enriched the supply of tourism products and services, but also profoundly changed people's travel methods and consumption habits. As a leader in the field of tourism e-commerce, online travel agents (OTAs) have attracted a large number of tourists with their rich tourism resources, convenient booking processes, efficient customer service, and strong brand influence, becoming a key force in promoting the digital transformation of the tourism industry. However, with the increasing segmentation of the tourism market and the diversification of consumer demands, OTA is facing competition pressure and challenges from various aspects. On the one hand, the ongoing price war has led to a continuous compression of profit margins; On the other hand, the homogenization of user experience is becoming increasingly prominent, making it difficult to meet the growing personalized and differentiated needs of consumers. At the same time, the rise of emerging tourism service models, such as shared accommodation and customized travel, also poses challenges to the traditional OTA model. In this context, exploring the complementary development path between OTA and other tourism service platforms has become an important issue in enhancing the competitiveness of the entire tourism e-commerce industry. The OTA platform has a huge user base, powerful data analysis capabilities, and a complete supply chain system, which provide a solid foundation for its cooperation with other platforms. By opening API interfaces, sharing user data, and optimizing supply chain collaboration, OTA can provide customer support, accurate data analysis services, and efficient product distribution channels for other platforms, helping them quickly expand their market size and improve service quality. At the same time, other tourism service platforms, such as those focused on tourism socialization, destination management systems, homestay booking platforms, etc., effectively compensate for the shortcomings of OTA in content innovation, community interaction, and localized services by providing unique tourism experiences, in-depth cultural exchanges, personalized accommodation choices, and location-based personalized services. These platforms are often closer to consumers and can capture more delicate and diverse market demands, bringing new growth points to OTA. This study deeply analyzes the current development status and existing problems of OTA platforms, and explores the complementary development mechanism between OTA platforms and other tourism e-commerce platforms. Through case analysis, market research, and model construction, this study reveals the importance of complementary development in promoting the healthy and sustainable development of OTA platforms. Specifically, this complementarity not only helps OTA platforms expand their business scope and enhance market competitiveness, but also promotes the prosperity of the entire tourism ecosystem, providing consumers with richer, more convenient, and personalized tourism service experiences.
Key Words：
tourism e-commerce; OTA； other platforms
