Description

Booking Holdings: $53.8 Billion In Gross Bookings But Middle East Cuts Q2 Growth To 2%!

Booking Holdings reported solid performance in the first quarter of 2026, marked by resilience amid geopolitical challenges, particularly the ongoing Middle East conflict that began in late February 2026. Despite this situation, the company achieved 6% year-over-year growth in room nights, amounting to 338 million, with an estimated 2 percentage point drag attributed to the conflict; excluding this impact, room nights would have grown approximately 8%. Gross bookings rose 15% year-over-year to $53.8 billion, revenue increased by 16% to $5.5 billion, adjusted EBITDA grew 19% to about $1.3 billion, and adjusted EPS rose 14% to $1.14 (reflecting a 25-for-1 stock split). The conflict’s impact manifested through elevated cancellations and dampened bookings, particularly in March, as well as travel disruptions beyond the region affecting transit corridors between Europe and Asia. The Middle East accounts for roughly 4% of booked room nights and about 7% when including inbound travel.