It might seem to make perfect sense now, but many would admit to being surprised when TripAdvisor bought Viator for $200 million in July this year.
The move came just 10 weeks after TripAdvisor had bought LaFourchette, a highly strategic decision which was overshadowed to some degree by Priceline's acquisition of Opentable for $2.6 billion.
In the wider context of the constant jockeying for position in online travel, a battleground in recent years dominated by Priceline and Expedia, the former user review giant in the shape of TripAdvisor should now be considered a combatant.
This shift from being a (hopefully) helpful information service to a significant player in the industry has been evolving for a number of years.
But the purchase of Viator illustrates that TripAdvisor, as we have said before, is now living up to its name. A brand for the entire trip, not just for those curious as to the state of the bathroom at a particular hotel.
In terms of the consumer-facing tours and activities sector which Viator has arguably led for years, TripAdvisor's multi-million entry signalled a number of things.
Firstly, smaller players in the sector may find their chances of gaining traction have been squeezed just that little bit more as a result of the deal.
Yes, there possibly will be further exits, but extremely unlikely on this scale.
Viator had been ploughing away at it all for years, with a user base and product which clearly caught the eye of its new parent. TripAdvisor saw immediate opportunities for scale, in-house expertise and a brand.
The challenges many of the startups face in the tours and activities sector were put in the spotlight with this deal.
TripAdvisor could, let's face it, easily have bought a far cheaper rival to Viator (as it has throughout the past few years, snapping up small businesses for their talent and technology). But it didn't.
There will no doubt be more developments in the sector throughout 2015. But, those thinking Viator's exit would trigger a wave of acquisitions might be mistaken.
NB: Trip planning image via Shutterstock.