With its spinoff from Expedia complete, TripAdvisor will be able to forge better relationships with other online travel agencies and suppliers, the company's CEO said late last month.
"From a customer perspective, we expect that we can establish even closer relationships with many of our major clients because we are no longer a subsidiary of one of their competitors," Trip-Advisor CEO Steve Kaufer said on Dec. 21, the day TripAdvisor began trading as an independent public company on the Nasdaq exchange.
To mark the occasion, Kaufer visited Nasdaq's headquarters in New York, where he rang the exchange's opening bell. The company is trading under the ticker symbol TRIP.
For consumers, however, it will be business as usual at TripAdvisor, Kaufer said.
"The spinoff will have no direct impact on the site or the user experience," he said. "Travelers can continue to turn to TripAdvisor to help them plan and have the perfect trip.
"We'll be a truly independent business, but that is not any different than how we've generally operated in past," he said, adding that its Nasdaq presence will allow the already-strong TripAdvisor brand to "generate even more brand awareness."
Founded in 2000, TripAdvisor draws more than 50 million unique monthly visitors and has 20 million members.
Kaufer noted that after its spinoff, TripAdvisor was included in the S&P 500 index as one of the leading companies in leading industries.
He said the company's management team will remain in place, and he believes TripAdvisor will be an even more attractive employer as an independent company.
"We will be able to recruit brilliant talent to join the mother ship itself," he said.
As of last week, TripAdvisor shares were trading between $25 and $26, just under Wall Street's expectations.
Analysts with Lazard Capital Markets advised that the fair value for shares was $28 to $31, based on the company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of $360 million.
Regarding share price, Kaufer said, "We're not concentrating on the day-to-day status but rather focused on the long-term success of the company."
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