Yandex has become the main contender for the acquisition of "Ostrovok", one of Russia's largest online hotel booking services. According to "Kommersant", citing sources, negotiations are in the final stage, and "Avito" and "Sutochno.ru" have withdrawn from the race.
The owners of the service want to receive 20 billion rubles, but Yandex is willing to pay no more than 15 billion – half of the initial price tag of 27 billion, which sellers set in November 2025.
The deal will change the market structure. Currently, Yandex Travel, together with its controlled Acase.ru, occupies 34.9% of the booking market through online travel agencies. Ostrovok accounts for another 24.8%. Thus, after the acquisition, Yandex's share will exceed 59%, which is comparable to Booking.com's position before its departure from Russia in 2022.
The deal will only include Russian assets – the brand and contracts with hoteliers, while the software part will remain with Emerging Travel Group for international operations. At the same time, Ostrovok's business profitability is currently negative, and the total revenue of the service's three operating companies in 2025 amounted to 10.86 billion rubles.
The reason for market consolidation, according to "Kommersant" sources, is a decline in the tourism industry: the total volume of bookings for the summer decreased by 12% due to the absence of popular Middle Eastern destinations.
Experts warn that the deal faces a difficult approval process with the FAS: if the regulator recognizes the company's dominant position, Yandex may be obliged not to increase commissions for hoteliers for several years. However, if the Ostrovok brand maintains formal independence, obtaining approval from the service will likely be possible.