TripAdvisor Acquires VirtualTourist and OneTime

    NEWTON, Mass. and MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., July 1 /PRNewswire/ --
 TripAdvisor LLC, the world's largest travel community and an operating
 company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq:   EXPE), today announced it has acquired
 VirtualTourist.com, Inc., a leader in user-generated travel content since
 1999, and OneTime.com, Inc., a leader in travel booking comparison.
 Including VirtualTourist(TM) and OneTime(TM), the TripAdvisor(R) Media
 Network now attracts nearly 32 million unique monthly visitors.*
 
     "VirtualTourist pioneered the concept of an online travel community,
 and with the help of over a million enthusiastic members, has created a
 fantastic travel site," said Steve Kaufer, founder and CEO of TripAdvisor.
 "I'm thrilled to have such great companies join our media network, and I
 look forward to working with the teams to help grow the sites and the
 community."
 
     "With the addition of VirtualTourist and OneTime, TripAdvisor Media
 Network is now the undisputed leader in the travel media space and we are
 excited to be a part of it. By combining efforts we hope to accelerate
 growth and provide our members and users with an even better online
 experience," said J.R. Johnson, founder and chairman of VirtualTourist and
 OneTime. "We are incredibly proud of what we've built and how we've been
 able to serve travelers for nearly a decade. Now, with this new
 partnership, we can look forward to serving our travelers even better and
 ensuring ever greater success long into the future."
 
     VirtualTourist and OneTime, both based in Manhattan Beach, Calif.,
 generate revenue through online advertising and both operate profitably.
 Specific terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. There are no
 plans for integration of the businesses or the Web domains.
 
     VirtualTourist General Manager Giampiero Ambrosi and OneTime General
 Manager Dena Yahya will continue to run the businesses, respectively,
 reporting to Steve Kaufer. The employees of VirtualTourist and OneTime will
 remain based in Manhattan Beach.
 
     VirtualTourist
 
     VirtualTourist.com is one of the largest online travel communities in
 the world and a premier resource for travelers seeking an insider
 perspective on travel information, from Las Vegas hotels to New York City
 restaurants. At www.virtualtourist.com, real people share real advice on
 places they've traveled as well as their hometowns; they research and plan
 trips, and they interact with other avid travelers via forums and email;
 VirtualTourist boasts more than 1.6 million travel reviews and 3 million
 photos on more than 58,000 destinations worldwide. Unbiased, user-generated
 content on Hotels, Attractions, Local Customs, Tourist Traps and much more
 is posted entirely by VirtualTourist's more than 1 million registered
 members from over 220 countries and territories, and the site's Trip
 Planner feature allows users to create custom print-and-go travel guides.
 Among VirtualTourist's awards and accolades: "Sites that Changed Our
 World," The Guardian; "Favorite Website," Newsweek; "35 Best Travel Sites,"
 Travel & Leisure.
 
     OneTime
 
     OneTime, www.onetime.com, is a leading travel comparison website, where
 users compare prices from more than 60 popular travel websites, direct
 suppliers, and metasearch engines each month. Online since April of 2004,
 OneTime helps consumers save time and money when booking travel. For travel
 partners, OneTime is an effective marketing platform for reaching the
 online booking audience.
 
     About TripAdvisor Media Network
 
     TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts
 nearly 32 million monthly visitors* across 12 popular travel brands,
 TripAdvisor(R), airfarewatchdog.com(TM), bookingbuddy.com (TM),
 cruisecritic.com(TM), holidaywatchdog.com(TM), independenttraveler.com(TM),
 onetime.com(TM), seatguru.com(TM), smartertravel.com(TM),
 travel-library.com(TM), travelpod.com(TM) and virtualtourist.com(TM).
 TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the
 world, with 24 million monthly visitors*, six million registered members
 and 15 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real
 travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions
 and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com), the U.K.
 (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie), France
 (http://www.tripadvisor.fr), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de), Italy
 (http://www.tripadvisor.it), and Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es).
 TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical
 advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform.
 Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won
 hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide.
 TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are
 operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq:   EXPE).
 
     TripAdvisor, SeatGuru, Travel-Library, Holiday Watchdog and TravelPod
 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the
 U.S. and/or other countries. Airfarewatchdog, BookingBuddy and
 SmarterTravel are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Smarter
 Travel Media LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Cruise Critic and The
 Independent Traveler are either trademarks or registered trademarks of The
 Independent Traveler, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
 VirtualTourist and OneTime are trademarks of Other logos or product and
 company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective
 owners.
 
     *Source: comScore Media Metrix, May 2008
 
 
 

SOURCE TripAdvisor, Inc.