CLAIM #10950 · Booking Holdings Inc (BKNG) · 2026Q1 earnings call · Apr 28, 2026 · due Dec 31, 2026
“Our planning assumption is that the direct and indirect impact from the conflict in the Middle East continues through the end of June, followed by a recovery in bookings in the second half of the year, reflecting the assumption that the direct and indirect impacts from the situation in the Middle East continues for 4 months or 1/3 of the year and this is followed by a recovery period, we're lowering our guidance ranges at the midpoint.”
Ewout Steenbergen · CFO
How to check this claim
Look at: Booking Holdings second-half 2026 bookings growth trend (H2 vs H1 room night/gross bookings growth rates)
It came true if: H2 2026 gross bookings and room night growth rate higher than H1 2026 growth rate, consistent with a recovery in the second half
Where: Company quarterly earnings releases/call commentary (Q2, Q3, Q4 2026)
In context
“r guidance for the second quarter assumes recent FX rates for the remainder of the quarter, including the euro-U.S. dollar exchange rate at $1.16. We estimate changes in FX will positively impact our second quarter reported U.S. dollar growth rates by about 2 percentage points. We expect the impact of the situation in the Middle East will be higher in the second quarter than it was in the first quarter as the conflict spans the full quarter, though this is partially offset by our expectation that March had the highest concentration of cancellations, which drove the first quarter marketing deleverage. We currently expect second quarter room night growth to be between 2% and 4% and for gross bookings, revenue and adjusted EBITDA to each grow between 4% and 6%. Turning to the full year 2026. Our planning assumption is that the direct and indirect impact from the conflict in the Middle East continues through the end of June, followed by a recovery in bookings in the second half of the year, reflecting the assumption that the direct and indirect impacts from the situation in the Middle East continues for 4 months or 1/3 of the year and this is followed by a recovery period, we're lowering our guidance ranges at the midpoint. The high end of the ranges for gross bookings and adjusted EPS remains in line with our prior expectations. Despite the variability of the current environment, our full year guidance reflects the resilience of our business model. On a reported basis, our expectation for the full year is as follows: gross bookings to be up high single digits to low double digits, revenue to be up high single digits, adjusted EBITDA to grow slightly faster than revenue and adjusted EBITDA margins to expand between 0 and 25 basis points year-over-year. Adjusted EPS to be up low to mid-teens. To support these targets, we aim to grow revenue faster than both marketing and adjusted fixed operating expenses, while maintaining sales and other expenses as a flat percentage of gross bookings year-over-year. Assumin”
Verify independently
SEC filings for BKNG ↗ · Claim quote is verbatim from the 2026Q1 earnings call.