The deal further accelerates the growing rivalry between Google and travel giant Expedia.
Thomas Cook is set to be relaunched as an OTA in June after hiring “a dozen” former Cook executives.
The company expects to double its staff in EMEA by the end of this year, to more than 250 people.
Global Blue’s network enables international tourists to purchase goods tax-free.
Mr. Liang acquired an aggregate of 1,099,600 ordinary shares with a nominal value of US$0.0005 each in the share capital of Tongcheng-Elong on market.
Travelzoo, which claims to have more than 30 million globally, operates a similar email-based subscription model sending its users a weekly Top 20 deals.
SiteMinder is poised to reach a $1 billion valuation ahead of other hotel tech contenders, such as Cendyn and RateGain.
Today, Emirates operates 35 flights a week to mainland China.