Expedia has announced intentions to acquire Venere Net, an Italian travel agency.
Venere Net's Venere.com boasts relationships with 29,000 hotels and bed-and-breakfast in the US and Europe. Expedia expects to gain 10,000 additional hotels in the Middle East, Europe and Africa to its own online travel planning directory.
Financial terms were not disclosed; approval of the purchase awaits regulatory approval in Germany.
A recent comScore survey found travel sites are among the fastest-growing in the United Kingdom. Expedia could use the boost; earlier this month it lost a lucrative relationship with MSN Travel to rival Orbitz.
