No wonder travel companies find it hard to compete with the Priceline Group – the company splashed out a record USD 3.5 billion on marketing last year.

Google was most likely the primary recipient of the company’s eyewatering ad spend, confirmed in its filing this week to coincide with its full-year financial results.

The Priceline Group, covering Priceline, Kayak, Agoda, Rentalcars and Opentable brands, increased its outlay on performance advertising by 27% between 2015 and 2016.

Brand advertising across the portfolio climbed to a modest USD 296 million from USD 274 million.

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