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TripAdvisor, Inc. (TRIP) FY 2024 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from TripAdvisor, Inc.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2024. Filing date: 2025-02-20. Report date: 2024-12-31. Accession: 0000950170-25-023736.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high.

Company profile: TRIP · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2023 · Next year: FY 2025

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis provides information concerning our results of operations and financial condition. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our accompanying consolidated financial statements including the notes in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the Section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results may differ from the results discussed in any forward looking statements, which may be due to factors discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

The Tripadvisor group operates as a family of brands with a purpose of connecting people to experiences worth sharing. Our vision is to be the world’s most trusted source for travel and experiences. The Company operates across three business segments: Brand Tripadvisor, Viator, and TheFork. We leverage our brands, technology platforms, and capabilities to connect our large, global audience with partners by offering rich content, travel guidance products and services, and two-sided marketplaces for experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and other travel categories.

Brand Tripadvisor’s purpose is to empower everyone to be a better traveler by serving as the world’s most trusted and essential travel guidance platform. Since Tripadvisor’s founding in 2000, the Tripadvisor brand has developed a relationship of trust and community with travelers and experience seekers by providing an online global platform for travelers to discover, generate, and share authentic user-generated content (“UGC”) in the form of reviews and opinions for destinations, points-of-interest (“POIs”), experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and cruises in over 40 countries and in more than 20 languages across the world. Tripadvisor offers more than 1 billion user-generated reviews and opinions on over 9 million experiences, accommodations, restaurants, airlines, and cruises. Tripadvisor’s online platform attracts one of the world’s largest travel audiences, with hundreds of millions of visitors annually.

Viator’s purpose is to bring extraordinary, unexpected, and forever memorable experiences to more people, more often, wherever they are traveling. In doing so, Viator elevates tens of thousands of businesses, large and small. Viator delivers on its purpose by enabling travelers to discover and book iconic, unique and memorable experiences from experience operators around the globe. Our online marketplace is comprehensive and easy-to-use, connecting millions of travelers to the world’s largest supply of bookable tours, activities and attractions—nearly 400,000 experiences from more than 65,000 operators. Viator is a pure-play experiences online travel agency (“OTA”) singularly focused on the needs of both travelers and operators with the largest supply of bookable experiences available to travelers.

TheFork’s purpose is to deliver happiness through amazing dining experiences as the leading online restaurant booking platform in Europe. At the forefront of championing restaurant culture, TheFork harnesses technology to promote real life connections between diners and restaurateurs. With a network of approximately 55,000 partner restaurants across 11 countries, nearly 40 million app downloads and more than 20 million reviews, TheFork is a go-to platform for all food lovers to enjoy unforgettable restaurant experiences. Through TheFork, users can easily find restaurants according to their preferences, check real-time availability, instantly book online 24/7, benefit from special offers and pay directly to the restaurants. For restaurateurs, TheFork's technology enables them to optimize reservation management and occupancy rates, increase bookings and visibility, limit the impacts of no-shows, manage payments and streamline operations, all while accessing the broadest community of loyal diners.

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Trends

The online travel industry in which we operate is large, highly dynamic and competitive. We describe below current trends affecting our overall business and segments, including uncertainties that may impact our ability to execute on our objectives and strategies. Public health-related events, such as a pandemic; political instability, geopolitical conflicts, including the evolving events in the Middle East and between Ukraine and Russia; acts of terrorism; fluctuations in currency values’ and changes in global economic conditions, are examples of other events that could have a negative impact on the travel industry and, as a result, our financial results in the future.

We generate a significant amount of direct traffic from search engines, including Google, through strong search engine optimization (“SEO”) performance across all segments. We believe our SEO traffic acquisition performance has been negatively impacted, and may be impacted in the future, by search engines (primarily Google) changing their search result placement and underlying algorithms to increase the prominence of their own products in search results across our business. This has most notably impacted our hotel meta offering within our Brand Tripadvisor segment.

In response to the large underpenetrated market for experiences, Viator continues to invest in product, supply, and marketing to drive bookings and grow market share. Over the long-term, we are focused on driving a greater percentage of our bookings from direct channels. We are doing this by continuing to focus on increasing our brand loyalty and improving the user experience across products on our website and mobile app, providing high-quality customer service, and offering leading customer choice for online bookable experiences supply. In addition, we are evolving and growing our partnerships with leading global and e-commerce brands and general OTAs to increase demand for experiences and drive positive unit economics.

The global experiences market is large, growing, and highly fragmented, with the vast majority of bookings still occurring through traditional offline sources. We expect to benefit from ongoing market tailwinds as consumers increasingly book experiences online and consumer behavior continues to allocate discretionary spending more to travel and experiences and away from physical goods. Likewise, the global restaurants category is also benefiting from increased online adoption by both consumers and restaurant partners, particularly in Europe. Given the competitive positioning of our businesses relative to the attractive growth prospects in the experiences and restaurant categories, we expect to continue to invest in these categories across Tripadvisor group and, in particular, within the Viator and TheFork segments, to continue growing revenue, operating scale, and market share gains for the long-term.

For information regarding our business strategy and business models, see the discussion set forth in Part I, Item 1. “Business,” of this Form 10-K under the captions “Our Business Strategy,” and “Our Business Models.”

Recent Developments

Tripadvisor and Liberty TripAdvisor Planned Merger

On December 18, 2024, the Company and LTRIP entered into an agreement and plan of merger (the "Merger Agreement") whereby Tripadvisor will acquire Liberty TripAdvisor (the "Merger"). In connection with the Merger, (i) the shares of LTRIP Series A Common Stock and Series B Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will be converted into the right to receive $0.2567 per share in cash (without interest), totaling approximately $20 million in the aggregate; (ii) all of the shares of LTRIP's 8% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger will be converted into the right to receive, in the aggregate, approximately $42 million in cash, without interest, and 3,037,959 validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of the Company's common stock; and (iii) LTRIP's 0.50% Exchangeable Senior Debentures of approximately $330 million will be repaid in accordance with their terms. Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, the Company will provide a loan facility (the “TRIP Loan Facility”) to LTRIP of approximately $330 million, to repay LTRIP debentures prior to the closing of the Merger. The TRIP Loan Facility will be repaid on the earlier of (i) the closing of the Merger, and (ii) 15 business days after the valid termination of the Merger Agreement or (b) such later date as jointly agreed to by LTRIP and the Company.

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The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025, and based on 10-day volume-weighted average share price (“VWAP”) of $13.98 at December 17, 2024, the expected aggregate transaction value to be paid by the Company is approximately $435 million (which includes approximately $392 million of cash consideration and 3,037,959 validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of the Company's common stock based on 10-day VWAP of $13.98 at December 17, 2024). The implied share price for the acquisition of such shares of the Company's common stock from LTRIP is $16.21 (which reflects a premium of approximately 16% based on the 10-day VWAP as of December 17, 2024). Refer to “Note 1: Organization and Business Description” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

Restructuring and Related Reorganization Actions

During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company approved and subsequently initiated a set of actions across its businesses in order to reduce its cost structure, improve operational efficiencies, and realign its workforce with its strategic initiatives. As a result, the Company incurred pre-tax restructuring and other related reorganization costs totaling $21 million, which consisted of a one-time contract termination fee to a third-party professional services firm and employee severance and related benefits. Refer to “Note 7: Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities” and “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information regarding restructuring and other related reorganization costs incurred for each reportable segment.

As a result of subsequent actions, the Company expects to incur additional pre-tax restructuring and other related reorganization costs in an estimated range of $9 million to $11 million during the first quarter of 2025, consisting of employee severance and related benefits, primarily in the Brand Tripadvisor segment. We expect these cost reduction measures to be completed by the Company during the first quarter of 2025.

Term Loan B Facility

On July 8, 2024, under the Amended Credit Agreement, the Company issued a $500 million Term Loan B Facility maturing July 8, 2031, with an interest rate based on secured overnight financing rate ("SOFR") plus 2.75%. On July 15, 2024, the Company used these borrowed funds to fully redeem the outstanding $500 million, 2025 Senior Notes. The Term Loan B Facility was offered at 99.75% of par and is required to be paid down at 1.00% of the aggregate principal amount per year, repayable in quarterly installments on the last day of each calendar quarter, commencing December 31, 2024, equal to 0.25% of the original principal amount with the balance due on the maturity date. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

Income Taxes

As previously disclosed, in August 2023, we received a Notices of Proposed Adjustments (“NOPA”) from the IRS for the 2014 through 2016 tax years relating to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries. In response, we requested competent authority assistance under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (“MAP”) for the 2014 through 2016 tax years. In January 2024, we received notification of a MAP resolution agreement for the 2014 through 2016 tax years, which we accepted in February 2024. In connection with this IRS audit settlement: (i) during the second quarter of 2024, we made a payment to the IRS of $141 million, inclusive of estimated interest, (ii) during the second half of 2024, we made various state tax payments totaling $26 million, inclusive of estimated interest, and (iii) during the fourth quarter of 2024, we received a competent authority refund of $42 million, inclusive of net interest income, from a foreign jurisdiction. This IRS audit settlement resulted in total net operating cash outflow during 2024 of $105 million, which includes federal tax benefits from these payments of $20 million. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the “Contingencies” discussion below for further information regarding potential material contingencies related to ongoing audits regarding income taxes.

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Critical Accounting Estimates

We prepare our consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes in accordance with GAAP. Preparation of the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes requires that management make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the consolidated financial statements as well as revenue and expenses during the periods reported. Management bases its estimates on historical experience, when applicable and other assumptions that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

There are certain critical estimates that we believe require that management use significant judgment and estimates in applying those policies in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. We consider an accounting estimate to be critical if:


It requires us to make an assumption because information was not available at the time or it included matters that were highly uncertain at the time we were making the estimate; and/or


Changes in the estimate or different estimates that we could have selected may have had a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.

Refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for an overview of our significant accounting policies and any new accounting pronouncements that we have adopted or that we plan to adopt that have had or may have an impact on our financial statements.

A discussion of information about the nature and rationale for our critical accounting estimates is below:

Income Taxes

We record income taxes under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect our estimation of the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for book and tax purposes. We determine deferred income taxes based on the differences in accounting methods and timing between financial statement and income tax reporting. Accordingly, we determine the deferred tax asset or liability for each temporary difference based on the enacted income tax rates expected to be in effect when we realize the underlying items of income and expense. We consider all relevant factors when assessing the likelihood of future realization of our deferred tax assets, including our recent earnings experience by jurisdiction, expectations of future taxable income and the carryforward periods available to us for tax reporting purposes, as well as assessing available tax planning strategies. We may establish a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount we believe is more likely than not to be realized. As of December 31, 2024, we had a valuation allowance of approximately $106 million related to certain NOL carryforwards and other foreign deferred tax assets for which it is more likely than not, the tax benefit will not be realized. We classify deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on our consolidated balance sheet. Due to inherent complexities arising from the nature of our businesses, future changes in income tax law, tax sharing agreements or variances between our actual and anticipated operating results, we make certain judgments and estimates. Therefore, actual income taxes could materially vary from these estimates.

We record liabilities to address uncertain tax positions we have taken in previously filed tax returns or that we expect to take in a future tax return. The determination for required liabilities is based upon an analysis of each individual tax position, taking into consideration whether it is more likely than not that our tax position, based on technical merits, will be sustained upon examination. For those positions for which we conclude it is more likely than not it will be sustained, we recognize the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the taxing authority. The difference between the amount recognized and the total tax position is recorded as a liability. The ultimate resolution of these tax positions may be greater or less than the liabilities recorded.

Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the “Contingencies” discussion below for further information, including certain uncertainties, critical estimates, and potential contingencies related to ongoing audits regarding income taxes.

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Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

For information on our related party transactions, refer to “Note 17: Related Party Transactions” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Consolidated Results of Operations

Revised Operating Expense Presentation

During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company revised its operating expense captions on its consolidated statement of operations to better align the Company’s financial presentation with how management assesses performance and makes strategic decisions in its business operations, and to provide additional clarity and understanding of our operating expenses for investors. Prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. The revised presentation did not result in any changes to previously reported revenues, total costs and expenses, operating income (loss), income (loss) before income taxes, or net income (loss). For further information, refer to “Note 2: Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

A discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal year 2024 compared to fiscal year 2023 is presented below. A discussion regarding our financial condition and results of operations for fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022 can be found in Part II, Item 7. "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 16, 2024, except for the discussion related to consolidated operating expenses which are presented below. We have included a discussion of certain operating expense captions for fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022, given the changes made to those same operating expenses captions, as noted above.

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Results of Operations

Selected Financial Data

(in millions, except percentages)

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
Revenue$1,835$1,788$1,4923%20%
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales1311197810%53%
Marketing7297055763%22%
Personnel (including stock-based compensation of $120, $96, and $88)5955705034%13%
Technology91806314%27%
General and administrative91797415%7%
Depreciation and amortization858797(2)%(10)%
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs2122(5)%n.m.
Total costs and expenses:1,7431,6621,3915%19%
Operating income (loss)92126101(27)%25%
Other income (expense):
Interest expense(46)(44)(44)5%0%
Interest income4847152%213%
Other income (expense), net(7)(4)(5)75%(20)%
Total other income (expense), net(5)(1)(34)400%(97)%
Income (loss) before income taxes8712567(30)%87%
(Provision) benefit for income taxes(82)(115)(47)(29)%145%
Net income (loss)$5$10$20(50)%(50)%
Other financial data:
Adjusted EBITDA (1)$339$334$2951%13%
n.m. = not meaningful

(1)
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is considered a non-GAAP measure as defined by the SEC. Please refer to the “Adjusted EBITDA” discussion below for more information, including tabular reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

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Revenue and Segment Information

Brand Tripadvisor Segment

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Revenue (1)$949$1,031$966(8)%7%
Less: (2)
Cost of sales3331206%55%
Marketing251279260(10)%7%
Personnel (exclusive of stock-based compensation)266273249(3)%10%
Technology5450428%19%
General and administrative445050(12)%0%
Total Adjusted EBITDA$301$348$345(14)%1%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment (3)32%34%36%

(1)
Brand Tripadvisor segment revenue figures are shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) revenue, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of intersegment revenue and expenses for all periods presented.

(2)
Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for expense information needed in order to reconcile to the consolidated operating expense captions on the consolidated statements of operations.

(3)
“Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment” is defined as Adjusted EBITDA by segment divided by revenue by segment.

Brand Tripadvisor revenue decreased by $82 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a decrease in hotel meta revenue and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in hotel B2B revenue.

Adjusted EBITDA in our Brand Tripadvisor segment decreased $47 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, while adjusted EBITDA margin decreased by 2 percentage points during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to a decrease in revenue, as noted above, partially offset by a decrease in the segment's operating expenses during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023 of $35 million, primarily related to a decrease in marketing expenses, primarily paid online traffic acquisition costs, and to a lesser extent a decrease in personnel costs. The decrease in adjusted EBITDA margin during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, was largely due to an increase in personnel costs as a percent of revenue.

The following is a detailed discussion of the revenue sources within our Brand Tripadvisor segment:

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
Brand Tripadvisor:(in millions, except percentages)
Tripadvisor-branded hotels$585$659$650(11%)1%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*62%64%67%
Media and advertising1501451303%12%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*16%14%13%
Tripadvisor experiences and dining (1)169176134(4%)31%
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*18%17%14%
Other455152(12%)(2%)
% of Brand Tripadvisor revenue*5%5%5%
Total Brand Tripadvisor Revenue$949$1,031$966(8%)7%

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*Percentages may not total to 100% due to rounding

(1)
Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue within the Brand Tripadvisor segment is shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) revenue, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of intersegment revenue for all periods presented.

Tripadvisor-branded Hotels Revenue

Tripadvisor-branded hotels revenue decreased $74 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a decrease in hotel meta revenue and, to a lesser extent, a decrease in hotel B2B revenue as the Company transitioned from a sales-led model to a self-service model during 2024. The decrease in hotel meta revenue during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023 was driven by declines in U.S. hotel meta revenue and, to a lesser extent, European hotel meta revenue, primarily due to weaker demand related to increased competition in paid online marketing channels and continued headwinds impacting direct channels, including SEO traffic, contributing to a decrease in click volumes, and to a lesser extent, a deceleration in cost-per-click (“CPC”) rates, particularly in the U.S.

Media and Advertising Revenue

Media and advertising revenue consists of revenue from display-based advertising (or “media advertising”) across our platform and increased $5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to an increase in overall advertising campaigns and pricing. Advertising through creative offerings and programmatic advertising, more than offset declines in traditional display advertising that correlates more closely with traffic volume, as well as the broader display advertising market, which is growing slower than other advertising formats.

Tripadvisor Experiences and Dining Revenue

Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue includes intercompany (intersegment) revenue consisting of affiliate marketing commissions earned primarily from experience bookings, and to a lesser extent, restaurant reservation bookings on Tripadvisor-branded websites and mobile apps, fulfilled by Viator and TheFork, respectively, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis, in addition to revenue earned from Brand Tripadvisor’s restaurant offerings. Tripadvisor experiences and dining revenue decreased $7 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, due to a decline in dining revenue as the Company transitioned from a sales-led model to a self-service model during 2024.

Other Revenue

Other revenue, which includes vacation rentals revenue, in addition to primarily click-based advertising and display-based advertising revenue from cruise, flights, and rental cars offerings on Tripadvisor websites and mobile apps, decreased by $6 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a decline in vacation rentals revenue as this offering continues to be strategically de-emphasized.

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Viator Segment

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Revenue$840$737$49314%49%
Less: (1)
Cost of sales8079511%55%
Marketing (2)5625193518%48%
Personnel (exclusive of stock-based compensation)1261108115%36%
Technology2518939%100%
General and administrative14111227%(8)%
Total Adjusted EBITDA$33$$(11)n.m.n.m.
Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment (3)4%0%(2%)

n.m. = not meaningful

(1)
Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for expense information needed in order to reconcile to the consolidated operating expense captions on the consolidated statements of operations.

(2)
Viator segment marketing expenses are shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) expenses, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of intersegment revenue and expenses for all periods presented.

(3)
“Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment” is defined as Adjusted EBITDA by segment divided by revenue by segment.

Viator segment revenue increased by $103 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily driven by growth in booking volume across all points of sale in all major geographies and, to a lesser extent, an increase in pricing.

Adjusted EBITDA in the Viator segment improved by $33 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, and adjusted EBITDA margin improved by 4 percentage points during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily due to differences in marketing channel mix driving increased spend efficiency. These improvements were partially offset by increased personnel costs to support growth, and to a lesser extent, increased licensing costs, as well as revenue generation costs resulting from credit card payments in direct correlation with the increase in revenue, all negatively impacted adjusted EBITDA.

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TheFork Segment

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Revenue$181$154$12618%22%
Less: (1)
Cost of sales159767%29%
Marketing (2)51415824%(29)%
Personnel (exclusive of stock-based compensation)839185(9)%7%
Technology1212120%0%
General and administrative151530%400%
Total Adjusted EBITDA$5$(14)$(39)n.m.(64)%
Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment (3)3%(9%)(31%)

n.m. = not meaningful

(1)
Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for expense information needed in order to reconcile to the consolidated operating expense captions on the consolidated statements of operations.

(2)
TheFork segment marketing expenses are shown gross of intersegment (intercompany) expenses, which is eliminated on a consolidated basis. Refer to “Note 18: Segment and Geographic Information” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a discussion of intersegment revenue and expenses for all periods presented.

(3)
“Adjusted EBITDA Margin by Segment” is defined as Adjusted EBITDA by segment divided by revenue by segment.

TheFork segment revenue increased by $27 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, driven primarily by increased booking volumes largely in direct channels and, to a lesser extent, an increase in pricing.

Adjusted EBITDA in TheFork segment improved by $19 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, and adjusted EBITDA margin improved by 12 percentage points during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA was primarily due to an increase in revenue as noted above, and lower personnel costs, partially offset by an increase in paid online traffic acquisition costs and other costs to support revenue growth. The improvement in adjusted EBITDA margin was primarily due to lower personnel costs as a percent of revenue.

Consolidated Expenses

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales consists of expenses that are directly related or closely correlated to revenue generation, including direct costs, such as credit card and other booking transaction payment fees, media production costs, ad serving fees, and other revenue generating costs. In addition, cost of sales includes operating costs such as bad debt expense and non-income taxes, including sales, use, digital services, and other non-income related taxes.

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Cost of sales$131$119$7810%53%
% of revenue7.1%6.7%5.2%

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2024 vs. 2023

Cost of sales increased $12 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to increased direct costs from credit card payment processing fees and other revenue-related transaction costs of $7 million in the Viator segment in direct correlation with the increase in revenue, as Viator serves as the merchant of record for the significant majority of its experience booking transactions, and to a lesser extent, increased direct revenue generation costs related to media production costs in the Brand Tripadvisor segment, as well as other costs to support revenue growth in TheFork segment. These increased costs were partially offset by a decrease in non-income related taxes of $4 million in our Viator segment.

2023 vs. 2022

Cost of sales increased $41 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to increased direct costs from credit card payment processing fees and other revenue-related transaction costs of $20 million in the Viator segment in direct correlation with the increase in revenue, and to a lesser extent, increased direct revenue generation costs related to media production costs in the Brand Tripadvisor segment and incremental digital service taxes of $9 million, primarily in the Viator segment, for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Marketing

Marketing expenses consist of direct costs, including traffic generation costs from paid online traffic acquisition costs (including SEM and other online traffic acquisition costs), syndication costs and affiliate marketing commissions, social media costs, brand advertising (including connected television, traditional television and other offline advertising), promotions and public relations.

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Marketing - Brand Tripadvisor$251$279$260(10%)7%
Marketing - Viator5625193518%48%
Marketing - TheFork51415824%(29%)
Intersegment (intercompany) marketing expenses(135)(134)(93)1%44%
Total Marketing$729$705$5763%22%
% of revenue39.7%39.4%38.6%

2024 vs. 2023

Marketing costs increased $24 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily driven by an increase in overall marketing costs in the Viator and TheFork segments of $53 million, in order to capture consumer demand, including increased investment within the Viator segment focused on growing market share, acquiring new customers, and driving brand awareness, partially offset by a decrease in overall marketing costs in the Brand Tripadvisor segment of $28 million.

2023 vs. 2022

Marketing costs increased $129 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022. This incremental expense was primarily driven by an increase of $147 million in overall marketing costs, the substantial majority of which was incurred within the Viator segment of $128 million, net of intersegment (intercompany) marketing expenses of $40 million, and to a lesser extent, the Brand Tripadvisor segment of $19 million, in order to capture consumer demand, including increased investment within these segments in order to grow market share, slightly offset by a decrease in overall marketing costs in TheFork segment of $17 million.

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Personnel

Personnel expenses consist primarily of salaries, payroll taxes, bonuses, employee health and other benefits, and stock-based compensation. In addition, personnel expenses include costs associated with contingent staff, bonuses and commissions for sales, sales support, customer support and marketing employees.

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Personnel (exclusive of stock-based compensation)$475$474$4150%14%
Stock-based compensation120968825%9%
Total Personnel$595$570$5034%13%
% of revenue32.4%31.9%33.7%

2024 vs. 2023

Personnel costs increased $1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily driven by costs to support business growth in the Viator segment, partially offset by a reduction in headcount related to our cost-reduction measures taken during 2023 in the Brand Tripadvisor and TheFork segments. Stock-based compensation increased $24 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a modification during the first quarter of 2020 related to the Company wide annual grant which reduced the original grant-date vesting period from four years to two years.

2023 vs. 2022

Personnel costs increased $59 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to additional headcount and contingent staff to support business growth, primarily in the Brand Tripadvisor and Viator segments. The impact of our cost reduction measures in July 2023, did not materially impact our personnel costs during 2023. Stock-based compensation increased $8 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation granted to support business growth during 2023.

Technology

Technology expenses consist primarily of licensing, data center costs including cloud-based solutions, maintenance, computer supplies, telecom, and content translation and localization costs.

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
Technology$91$80$6314%27%
% of revenue5.0%4.5%4.2%

2024 vs. 2023

Technology costs increased $11 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to increased licensing costs in the Viator segment, and to a lesser extent, increased data center costs in the Brand Tripadvisor segment.

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2023 vs. 2022

Technology costs increased $17 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to increased licensing costs, and to a lesser extent, increased data center costs in both the Brand Tripadvisor and Viator segments.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses consist primarily of professional service fees and other fees including audit, legal, tax and accounting, and other operating costs including real estate and office expenses, and non-compensation related personnel expenses such as travel, relocation, recruiting, and training expenses.

Year ended December 31,% Change
2024202320222024 vs. 20232023 vs. 2022
(in millions)
General and administrative$91$79$7415%7%
% of revenue5.0%4.4%5.0%

2024 vs. 2023

General and administrative costs increased $12 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to an estimated accrual for the potential settlement of a regulatory related matter of $10 million during 2024 in the Brand Tripadvisor segment.

2023 vs. 2022

General and administrative costs increased $5 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 when compared to the same period in 2022, primarily due to non-income tax related government assistance benefits related to COVID-19 relief of $11 million received by the Company during 2022 in TheFork segment, which did not reoccur in 2023, as well as, and to a lesser extent, a non-recurring cost of $3 million related to transaction costs during 2023. These increases were partially offset by an approximate $8 million loss incurred during the fourth quarter of 2022 as the result of a fraud scheme resulting in payments to an external party in the Brand Tripadvisor segment, as previously disclosed, which did not reoccur in 2023.

Depreciation and amortization

Depreciation expense consists of depreciation on computer equipment, leasehold improvements, furniture, office equipment and other assets, and amortization of capitalized website development costs and right-of-use (“ROU”) assets related to our finance lease. Amortization consists of the amortization of definite-lived intangibles purchased in business acquisitions.

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Depreciation$79$78$84
Amortization of intangible assets6913
Total depreciation and amortization$85$87$97
% of revenue4.6%4.9%6.5%

Depreciation and amortization decreased $2 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to the completion of amortization related to intangible assets purchased in business acquisitions from previous years.

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Restructuring and other related reorganization costs

Restructuring and other related reorganization costs consist primarily of employee severance and related benefits and other related reorganization costs.

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Restructuring and other related reorganization costs$21$22$
% of revenue1.1%1.2%0.0%

The Company incurred pre-tax restructuring and other related reorganization costs of $21 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, as discussed above. Refer to “Note 7: Accrued Expenses and Other Current Liabilities” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information regarding restructuring and other related reorganization costs.

Interest Expense

Interest expense primarily consists of interest incurred, commitment fees, and debt issuance cost amortization related to the Credit Facility, the Term Loan B Facility, the 2025 Senior Notes, the 2026 Senior Notes, as well as imputed interest on finance leases.

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Interest expense$(46)$(44)$(44)

Interest expense increased $2 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to the issuance of our Term Loan B Facility in July 2024, which increased our cost of capital. The significant majority of interest expense incurred during the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily related to the Term Loan B Facility and 2026 Senior Notes. Refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

Interest Income

Interest income primarily consists of interest earned from available on demand bank deposits, term deposits, money market funds, and marketable securities, including amortization of discounts and premiums on our marketable securities.

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Interest income$48$47$15

Interest income increased $1 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to an increase in the average amount of cash invested.

Other Income (Expense), Net

Other income (expense), net generally consists of net foreign exchange gains and losses, forward contract gains and losses, earnings/(losses) from equity method investments, gain/(loss) and impairments on non-marketable investments, gain/(loss) on sale/disposal of businesses, and other assets, gain/(loss) on extinguishment of debt, and other non-operating income (expenses).

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Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Other income (expense), net$(7)$(4)$(5)

Other expense, net increased $3 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a loss on disposal of certain assets and aforementioned loss on extinguishment of debt of $2 million, partially offset by net foreign exchange gains incurred as a result of foreign currency movements. Refer to “Note 16: Other Income (Expense), Net” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information.

(Provision) Benefit for Income Taxes

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
(Provision) benefit for income taxes$(82)$(115)$(47)
Effective tax rate94.3%92.0%70.1%

Our effective tax rate differed from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21% during the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily related to an IRS audit settlement reached during the first quarter of 2024.

We recorded a total income tax provision of $82 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The change in our income taxes and our effective tax rate during the year ended December 31, 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023, was primarily the result of an IRS audit settlement, which we recorded an income tax expense of $42 million, inclusive of interest, primarily during the first quarter of 2024, related to this settlement on our consolidated statement of operations. In addition, we reviewed the impact of the acceptance of this settlement position against our existing transfer pricing income tax reserves for the subsequent open tax years during the first quarter of 2024, which resulted in an income tax benefit, inclusive of estimated interest, of $4 million. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a net income tax expense of $55 million related to another IRS audit settlement and related adjustment to existing transfer pricing income tax reserves for subsequent tax years. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

Net income (loss)

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Net income (loss)$5$10$20
Net income (loss) margin0.3%0.6%1.3%

Net income decreased $5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. The decrease in net income was largely driven by a decrease in revenue and adjusted EBITDA in the Brand Tripadvisor segment and partially offset by an increase in revenue and adjusted EBITDA in the Viator and TheFork segments. In addition, an increase in stock-based compensation expense and an estimated accrual for the potential settlement of a regulatory related matter of $10 million during the first quarter of 2024, contributed to the decrease in net income during the year ended December 31, 2024. These cost increases were largely offset by increased revenue, as described in more detail above under “Revenue and Segment Information”, and a decrease in income tax expense of $33 million, as described in more detail above under “(Provision) Benefit for Income Taxes”.

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All drivers discussed above are described in more detail above under “Revenue and Segment Information” and “Consolidated Expenses.”

Adjusted EBITDA

To provide investors with additional information regarding our financial results, we also disclose consolidated Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure. A “non-GAAP financial measure” refers to a numerical measure of a company’s historical or future financial performance, financial position, or cash flows that excludes (or includes) amounts that are included in (or excluded from) the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP in such company’s financial statements.

Adjusted EBITDA is also our reported measure of segment profit and a key measure used by our CODM, management and Board of Directors to understand and evaluate the operating performance of our business as a whole and our individual operating segments, and on which internal budgets and forecasts are based and approved. In particular, the exclusion of certain expenses in calculating Adjusted EBITDA can provide a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons and better enables management and investors to compare financial results between periods as these costs may vary independent of ongoing core business performance. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our operating results in the same manner as our CODM, management and Board of Directors. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income (loss) plus: (1) provision (benefit) for income taxes; (2) other expense (income), net; (3) depreciation and amortization; (4) stock-based compensation; (5) goodwill, long-lived asset, and intangible assets impairments; (6) legal reserves, settlements and other (including indirect tax reserves related to audit settlements and the impact of one-time changes resulting from enacted indirect tax legislation); (7) restructuring and other related reorganization costs; (8) transaction related expenses; and (9) non-recurring expenses and income unusual in nature or infrequently occurring.

Our use of Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results reported in accordance with GAAP. Because of these limitations, you should consider Adjusted EBITDA alongside other financial performance measures, including net income (loss) and our other GAAP results.

Some of these limitations are:


Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;


Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;


Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the interest expense, or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt;


Adjusted EBITDA does not consider the potentially dilutive impact of stock-based compensation;


although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized may have to be replaced in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect cash capital expenditure requirements for such replacements or for new capital expenditure requirements;


Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect certain income and expenses not directly tied to the ongoing core operations of our business, such as legal reserves, settlements and other, restructuring and other related reorganization costs, and transaction related expenses;


Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect tax payments that may represent a reduction in cash available to us;


Adjusted EBITDA is unaudited and does not conform to SEC Regulation S-X, and as a result such information may be presented differently in our future filings with the SEC; and


other companies, including companies in our own industry, may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

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The following table presents a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to Net Income (Loss), the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP, for the periods presented:

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Net income (loss)$5$10$20
Add: Provision (benefit) for income taxes8211547
Add: Other expense (income), net5134
Add: Restructuring and other related reorganization costs2122
Add: Legal reserves, settlements and other (1)181
Add: Transaction related expenses (2)33
Add: Other non-recurring expenses (income) (3)8
Add: Stock-based compensation1209688
Add: Depreciation and amortization858797
Adjusted EBITDA$339$334$295

(1)
This amount primarily includes an estimated accrual for the potential settlement of a regulatory related matter of $10 million, expensed during 2024. Refer to "Note 11: Commitments and Contingencies" for further information. This cost is reflected in general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statement of operations. In addition, this amount includes a one-time charge of $3 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, resulting from enacted tax legislation in Canada during June 2024 related to digital service taxes, which requires retrospective application back to January 1, 2022. This amount represents the one-time retrospective liability for the periods prior to April 1, 2024, while all prospective periods are and will be included within adjusted EBITDA, respectively. This cost is reflected in cost of sales on our consolidated statement of operations.

(2)
The Company expensed certain transaction related costs of $3 million during both the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, to general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statements of operations.

(3)
The Company incurred a loss of approximately $8 million during the fourth quarter of 2022, as the result of external fraud. This loss was recorded to general and administrative expenses on the consolidated statement of operations during 2022. The Company considers such costs to be non-recurring in nature.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal source of liquidity is cash flow generated from operations and our existing cash and cash equivalents balance. Our liquidity needs can also be met through drawdowns under the Credit Facility. As of both December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had approximately $1.1 billion of cash and cash equivalents, and $497 million of available borrowing capacity under our Credit Facility as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, approximately $227 million of our cash and cash equivalents were held by our international subsidiaries outside of the U.S., of which approximately 44% was held in the U.K. As of December 31, 2024, the significant majority of our cash was denominated in U.S. dollars.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $582 million of cumulative undistributed earnings in foreign subsidiaries which were no longer considered to be indefinitely reinvested. As of December 31, 2024, we maintained a deferred income tax liability on our consolidated balance sheet, which was not material, for the U.S. federal and state income tax and foreign withholding tax liabilities on the cumulative undistributed foreign earnings that we no longer consider indefinitely reinvested. Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

As of December 31, 2024, we are party to a credit agreement (“Amended Credit Agreement”), which, among other things, provides for a $500 million revolving credit facility (“Credit Facility”) with a maturity date of June 29, 2028 (unless, on any date that is 91 days prior to the final scheduled maturity date in respect of any indebtedness outstanding under certain “specified debt,” the aggregate outstanding principal amount of such specified debt is $200 million or more, then the maturity date will be such business day). As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility. The Company may borrow from the Credit Facility in U.S. dollars, Euros and Sterling. For information regarding interest rates on potential borrowings under the Credit Facility refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We are required to pay a quarterly commitment fee, at an applicable rate ranging from 0.25% to 0.40%, on the

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daily unused portion of the Credit Facility for each fiscal quarter and in connection with the issuance of letters of credit. As of December 31, 2024, our unused revolver capacity was subject to a commitment fee of 0.25%, given the Company’s total net leverage ratio. The Credit Facility, among other things, requires us to maintain a maximum total net leverage ratio and contains certain customary affirmative and negative covenants and events of default, including for a change of control. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we were in compliance with our covenant requirements in effect under the Credit Facility. While there can be no assurance that we will be able to meet the total net leverage ratio covenant in the future, based on our current projections, we do not believe there is a material risk that we will not remain in compliance throughout the next twelve months.

As of December 31, 2024, the Company had an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $5 million and $831 million in short-term and long-term debt, respectively, on our consolidated balance sheet pertaining to the 2026 Senior Notes and Term Loan B Facility, both of which are discussed below.

In March 2021, the Company completed the sale of $345 million of the 2026 Senior Notes. The 2026 Senior Notes provide, among other things, that interest at a rate of 0.25% per annum, is payable on April 1 and October 1 of each year, until their maturity on April 1, 2026. The 2026 Senior Notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company, although unconditionally guaranteed on a joint and several basis, by certain of the Company’s domestic subsidiaries.

On July 8, 2024, under the Amended Credit Agreement, the Company issued a $500 million Term Loan B Facility maturing July 8, 2031, with an interest rate based on secured overnight financing rate (“SOFR”) plus 2.75%, payable monthly. On July 15, 2024, the Company used these funds to fully redeem its outstanding $500 million, 2025 Senior Notes. The Term Loan B Facility was offered at 99.75% of par and is required to be paid down at 1.00% of the aggregate principal amount per year, repayable in quarterly installments on the last day of each calendar quarter, commencing December 31, 2024, equal to 0.25% of the original principal amount with the balance due on the maturity date. Principal payments of $1 million were made during the year ended December 31, 2024.

The 2026 Senior Notes are not registered securities and there are currently no plans to register these notes as securities in the future. We may from time to time repurchase the 2026 Senior Notes and Term Loan B Facility through tender offers, open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Such repurchases, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. For further information on the Amended Credit Agreement, the Credit Facility, the Term Loan B Facility, 2025 Senior Notes and 2026 Senior Notes, refer to “Note 8: Debt” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Significant uses of capital and other liquidity matters

On November 1, 2019, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of an additional $100 million in shares of our common stock under our existing share repurchase program, which increased the amount available to the Company under this share repurchase program to $250 million. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we repurchased 4,724,729 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average price of $15.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $75 million in the aggregate, which completed this share repurchase program.

On September 7, 2023, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of $250 million in shares of our common stock under a new share repurchase program. This share repurchase program, which has a term of two years, does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular number of shares and may be modified, suspended or discontinued at any time. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we repurchased 1,324,524 shares of our outstanding common stock at an average price of $18.85 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $25 million, under our share repurchase program. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company repurchased 1,366,385 shares of its common stock at an average price of $18.28 per share, exclusive of fees, commissions, and excise taxes, or $25 million in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2024, there was $200 million remaining available to repurchase shares of its common stock under this share repurchase program.

Our business typically experiences seasonal fluctuations that affect the timing of our annual cash flows during the year related to working capital. As a result of our experience bookings, we generally receive cash from travelers

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at the time of booking or prior to the occurrence of an experience, and we record these amounts, net of commissions, on our consolidated balance sheet as deferred merchant payables. We pay the experience operator, or the supplier, after the travelers’ use. Therefore, we generally receive cash from the traveler prior to paying the experience operator and this operating cycle represents a source or use of cash to us. During the first half of the year, experiences bookings typically exceed completed experiences, resulting in higher cash flow related to working capital, while during the second half of the year, particularly in the third quarter, this pattern reverses and cash flows from these transactions are typically negative. Other factors may also impact typical seasonal fluctuations, such as significant shifts in our business mix, adverse economic conditions, public health-related events, as well as other factors that could result in future seasonal patterns that are different from historical trends. In addition, new or different payment options offered to our customers could impact the timing of cash flows, such as our “Reserve Now, Pay Later” payment option, which allows travelers the option to reserve certain experiences and defer payment until a date no later than two days before the experience date. Usage of this payment option may continue to increase, though it is still not used in a majority of bookings to date, and affect the timing of our future cash flows and working capital.

As discussed in “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we received a final notice regarding a MAP resolution agreement for the 2014 through 2016 tax years in January 2024, which we subsequently accepted in February 2024. In connection with this IRS audit settlement: (i) during the second quarter of 2024, we made a payment to the IRS of $141 million, inclusive of estimated interest, (ii) during the second half of 2024, we made various state tax payments totaling $26 million, inclusive of estimated interest, related to this audit settlement; and (iii) during the fourth quarter of 2024, we received a competent authority refund of $42 million, inclusive of net interest income, from a foreign jurisdiction. This audit settlement resulted in total net operating cash outflow during 2024 of $105 million, which includes federal tax benefits from these payments of $20 million.

Additionally, as discussed in “Note 10: Income Taxes” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we received a final notice regarding a MAP settlement for the 2009 through 2011 tax years in January 2023, which the Company subsequently accepted in February 2023. During the three months ended June 30, 2023, we made a U.S. federal tax payment of $113 million, inclusive of interest, to Expedia related to this IRS audit settlement, pursuant to the Tax Sharing Agreement with Expedia. During the three months ended September 30, 2023, we received a competent authority refund of $49 million, inclusive of interest income, related to this IRS audit settlement.

In addition, in January 2021, we received an issue closure notice from HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) in the U.K. relating to adjustments for the 2012 through 2016 tax years. These proposed adjustments are related to certain transfer pricing arrangements with our foreign subsidiaries and would result in an increase to income tax expense in an estimated range of $25 million to $35 million, exclusive of interest expense, at the close of the audit if HMRC prevails. We are also currently subject to audit by HMRC in tax years 2017 through 2022. If HMRC were to seek adjustments of a similar nature through a closure notice for transactions in these years, we could be subject to significant additional tax liabilities. Although the ultimate timing for resolution of this matter is uncertain, any future payments required would negatively impact our operating cash flows.

On December 18, 2024, as noted above, the Company and LTRIP entered into the Merger Agreement. This transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2025. The expected aggregate transaction value to be paid by the Company is approximately $435 million (which includes approximately $392 million of cash consideration and 3,037,959 validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable shares of the Company's common stock based on 10-day VWAP of $13.98 at December 17, 2024). Refer to “Note 1: Organization and Business Description” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

We believe that our available cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our foreseeable working capital requirements, capital expenditures, existing business growth initiatives, debt and interest obligations, lease commitments, obligations under the Merger Agreement, and other financial commitments through at least the next twelve months. Our future capital requirements may also include capital needs for acquisitions and/or other expenditures in support of our business strategy, which may potentially reduce our cash balance and/or require us to borrow under the Credit Facility or to seek other financing alternatives.

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Our cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities, as reflected in our consolidated statements of cash flows, are summarized in the following table:

Year ended December 31,
202420232022
(in millions)
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$144$235$400
Investing activities(73)(63)(52)
Financing activities(63)(127)(27)

During the year ended December 31, 2024, our primary source of cash was from operations, while our primary use of cash was from financing activities (including repurchases of our outstanding common stock at an aggregate cost of $25 million under our existing share repurchase program, payment of withholding taxes on net share settlements of our equity awards of $21 million, and financing costs related to the issuance of our Term Loan B Facility of $7 million) and investing activities (including capital expenditures of $74 million incurred during the year ended December 31, 2024). This use of cash was funded with cash and cash equivalents and operating cash flows during the period.

Net cash provided by operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2024, decreased by $91 million when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a decrease in working capital of $121 million, and to a lesser extent, a decrease in net income of $5 million, partially offset by an increase in non-cash items of $35 million, primarily due to an increase in stock-based compensation expense. The decrease in working capital was partially driven by an increase in income tax payments of $30 million, net of refunds, largely impacted by the IRS audit settlements, discussed above, combined with a decrease of $33 million in our income tax provision during 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023. Also contributing to the decrease in working capital was a decrease in deferred merchant payables, reflecting the timing of when cash is received from travelers and then remitted to experiences operators. In addition, changes in working capital related to accounts receivable and accounts payable were primarily due to the timing of customer payments and vendor payments, respectively, which contributed to the fluctuation in working capital.

Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $10 million when compared to the same period in 2023, due to an increase in capital expenditures across the business.

Net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 decreased by $64 million when compared to the same period in 2023, primarily due to a decrease in net cash used to purchase shares of our common stock under share repurchase programs of $75 million, partially offset by financing costs related to the issuance of our Term Loan B Facility of $7 million during 2024.

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The following table summarizes our current and long-term material cash requirements, both accrued and off-balance sheet, as of December 31, 2024:

By Period
TotalLess than 1 year1 to 3 years3 to 5 yearsMore than 5 years
(in millions)
Term Loan B Facility (1)$499$5$10$10$474
Expected interest payments on Term Loan B Facility (2)21935686749
2026 Senior Notes (3)345345
Expected interest payments on 2026 Senior Notes (4)11
Finance lease obligations (5)571020189
Operating lease obligations (6)207634
Expected commitment fee payments on Credit Facility (7)4121
Purchase obligations and other (8)106355417
Total (9)(10)(11)$1,251$94$505$116$536

(1)
Represents outstanding principal on our Term Loan B Facility due July 2031 and assumes that existing debt is repaid at maturity.

(2)
Expected interest payments on our Term Loan B Facility are based on the effective interest rate as of December 31, 2024, however, this effective interest rate is variable and could change significantly in the future. Amount assumes that our existing debt is repaid at maturity.

(3)
Represents outstanding principal on our 2026 Senior Notes due April 2026 and assumes that existing debt is repaid at maturity.

(4)
Expected interest payments on our 2026 Senior Notes are based on a fixed interest rate of 0.25% as of December 31, 2024, and assumes that existing debt is repaid at maturity.

(5)
Estimated future lease payments for our corporate headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts. These amounts exclude expected rental income under non-cancelable subleases.

(6)
Estimated future lease payments for our operating leases, primarily for office space, with non-cancelable lease terms. These amounts exclude expected rental income under non-cancelable subleases.

(7)
Expected commitment fee payments are based on the daily unused portion of the Credit Facility, issued letters of credit, and the effective commitment fee rate as of December 31, 2024; however, these variables could change significantly in the future.

(8)
Estimated purchase obligations that are fixed and determinable, primarily related to telecommunication and licensing contracts, with various expiration dates through June 2029. These contracts have non-cancelable terms or are cancelable only upon payment of significant penalty. Timing of payments and actual amounts paid may be different depending on the time of receipt of goods or services or changes to agreed-upon amounts for some obligations.

(9)
Excluded from the table is $78 million of unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, which is included in other long-term liabilities on our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024, for which we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the amount and period of payment.

(10)
Excluded from the table is $3 million of undrawn standby letters of credit, primarily as security deposits for certain property leases as of December 31, 2024.

(11)
Excluded from the table is the TRIP Loan Facility of approximately $330 million, related to the Merger with LTRIP anticipated to be completed during the second quarter of 2025. Refer to “Note 1: Organization and Business Description” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information on the Merger.

As of December 31, 2024, other than the items discussed above, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, that have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Office Lease Commitments

As of December 31, 2024, we leased approximately 280,000 square feet of office space for our corporate headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts, which has an expiration date of December 2030 and an option to extend the lease term for two consecutive terms of five years each. We account for this lease as a finance lease as of December 31, 2024.

In addition to our corporate headquarters lease, we have contractual obligations in the form of operating leases for office space, in which we lease an aggregate of approximately 165,000 square feet, at nearly 25 other locations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, in cities such as New York, London, Singapore, Barcelona and

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Paris, primarily used for sales offices, subsidiary headquarters, and international management teams, pursuant to leases with various expiration dates, with the latest expiring in March 2034.

Contingencies

In the ordinary course of business, we are party to legal, regulatory and administrative matters, including threats thereof, arising out of or in connection with our operations. These matters may involve claims involving patent and other intellectual property rights (including privacy, alleged infringement of third-party intellectual property rights), tax matters (including value-added, excise, transient occupancy and accommodation taxes), regulatory compliance (including competition, consumer matters and data privacy), contractual disputes (including breach of a covenant or disagreements as to interpretation), defamation and reputational claims. Periodically, we review the status of all significant outstanding matters to assess any potential financial exposure. When (i) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred; and (ii) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated and is material, we record the estimated loss in our consolidated statements of operations. We provide disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for loss contingencies that do not meet both of these conditions if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred that would be material to the consolidated financial statements. We base accruals on the best information available at the time which can be highly subjective. Although occasional adverse decisions or settlements may occur, we do not believe that the final disposition of any of these matters will have a material adverse effect on our business, except for certain known income tax matters discussed below. However, the final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from our estimates. Finally, there may be claims or actions pending or threatened against us of which we are currently not aware and the ultimate disposition of which could have a material adverse effect on us.

We are under audit by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities with regards to income tax and non-income tax matters. We have reserved for potential adjustments to our provision for income taxes that may result from examinations by, or any negotiated agreements with, these tax authorities. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final determination of audits could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of an audit could have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows in the period for which that determination is made.

Refer to “Note 10: Income Taxes” and “Note 11: Commitments and Contingencies” in the notes to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on other potential contingencies, including ongoing audits by the IRS and various other domestic and foreign tax authorities, and other tax and legal matters.

Over recent years, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) through its “Inclusive Framework” has been working on a “two-pillar” global tax consensus project that, if implemented, would result in certain changes to the current global tax regulatory framework. The OECD’s “Pillar One” initiative proposes to reallocate certain profits from the largest and most profitable multinational businesses to countries where the customers of those businesses are located, and the “Pillar Two” initiative proposes a global minimum income tax rate on corporations of 15%. In response to these proposals, certain jurisdictions have enacted legislation to implement a global minimum income tax of 15%, which currently has no impact on our financial results, as well as legislation to impose new forms of gross receipts taxes, such as digital services taxes imposed on digital advertising and online marketplace platforms/services.

If consensus is reached on Pillar One, unilateral digital services taxes should be repealed, however until such time we continue to be subject to these taxes. We are currently subject to unilateral digital services taxes, and during the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, we recorded $18 million, $18 million and $9 million, respectively, of digital service taxes to cost of sales on our consolidated statements of operations. While the future of the global tax regulatory landscape remains uncertain, we continue to monitor the OECD’s and members ongoing discussions to determine the current and potential impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Due to the one-time transition tax on the deemed repatriation of undistributed foreign subsidiary earnings and profits in 2017, as a result of the 2017 Tax Act, the majority of previously unremitted earnings have been subjected to U.S. federal income tax. To the extent future distributions from these subsidiaries will be taxable, a deferred

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income tax liability has been accrued on our consolidated balance sheet, which was not material as of December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, $582 million of our cumulative undistributed foreign earnings were no longer considered to be indefinitely reinvested.

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