TripAdvisor has acquired The Independent Traveler, Inc., publisher of Cruise Critic, the leading cruise community and IndependentTraveler.com.

Published: 23 May 2007

TripAdvisor has acquired The Independent Traveler, Inc., publisher of Cruise Critic, the leading cruise community and IndependentTraveler.com.

The Independent Traveler, based in Pennington, New Jersey, generates the majority of its revenue through online advertising and content licensing.

“Terms of the acquisition are undisclosed but the company operates profitably. There are no near-term plans for extensive integration of the business or the Web domains and no staffing changes are expected,” stated a release.

Stephen Kaufer, founder and CEO of TripAdvisor, said the acquisition “is a great addition to our portfolio of leading travel communities and content sites and gives us a strong foothold in the $32 billion cruise market.”

With approximately five million visitors per year, Cruise Critic is an established interactive community comprised of avid and first-time cruisers who enjoy the fun of planning, researching and sharing their passion for cruising.

“TripAdvisor’s model of acquiring best-of-breed travel media companies and allowing them to continue to operate independently is ideal for us,” said Kathleen Tucker, Founder and President, The Independent Traveler, Inc. “By joining the TripAdvisor family, we will have more resources to continue to build our business, expand internationally and strengthen our lead in the cruise space.”

TripAdvisor also recently announced the acquisition of smartertravel.com, bookingbuddy.com; SeatGuru.com; TravelPod.com; and Travel-Library.com.