Nov 7 - Online travel platform Expedia ( EXPE ) on

Thursday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly profit, helped

by strong international travel demand, and said CFO Julie Whalen

will step down likely before the mid of February, 2025.

The announcement comes months after Peter Kern stepped down

as CEO and was succeeded by Ariane Gorin.

Shares of Expedia ( EXPE ) were up 7% after the bell.

Last month, Uber ( UBER ) was reported to be exploring the

acquisition of the online travel agency, a deal that would

significantly impact the travel industry.

The Seattle-based company reported a profit of $6.13 per

share for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with

analysts' estimates of $6.04 per share, according to LSEG

compiled data.

Travel demand for international destinations was healthy

during the reported quarter, especially in Asia-Pacific, where

demand was driven by cross-border travel from wealthy Chinese

consumers.

Total gross bookings for the third quarter came in at $27.5

billion, up 7% from last year. It posted quarterly booked room

nights of 97.4 million, 9% higher than last year.

Expedia ( EXPE ) also raised its 2024 gross bookings growth forecast

to 5% from 4% previously.

Total quarterly revenue rose 3% from a year ago to $4.06

billion, compared with estimates of $4.11 billion.