Booking and Expedia now face slower growth, stiffer competition and increased pressure on profit margins. -Pranavi Agarwal. : Booking and Expedia now face slower growth, stiffer competition and increased pressure on profit margins. The period after the Great Financial Crisis in 2008-2009 until 2019 was a golden decade for online travel agencies. Booking and Expedia benefitted from the shift to online bookings, a consolidation of the online distribution landscape, and share gains from hotels. They become the most powerful duopoly in online travel. However, Booking and Expedia now face slower growth, stiffer competition and increased pressure on profit margins.