Skyscanner buys Chinese metasearch firm Youbibi

Youbibi will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Skyscanner

Travel search provider Skyscanner has expanded its business in China by acquiring Chinese metasearch company Youbibi for an undisclosed sum.

The move comes two years after the Edinburgh-based firm announced a partnership with one of China's top search engines, Baidu.

Founded in 2010, Youbibi specialises in comparing flights, hotels and package holidays in China.

Youbibi will continue to operate as a subsidiary of Skyscanner.

Youbibi's team of specialist engineers will continue to be based in Shenzhen, while Skyscanner's commercial and marketing hub for China will remain in Beijing.

Skyscanner, which operates under the Tianxun brand in China, generates one million hits a month in the country, about 10 times more than Youbibi's current rate.

Chief executive Gareth Williams said: "Since we established our China team in 2012, the number of visitors to our site and apps across the country has grown tenfold, yet we're still only at the start of the growth opportunity we see here.

"This acquisition brings the best of both worlds with Skyscanner's international coverage and Youbibi's domestic travel search and intimate knowledge of the Chinese traveller.

"The acquisition takes us from being a strong international travel specialist in China to a truly global travel service provider for Chinese nationals, domestically and internationally."