On Wednesday, investors were more than willing to buy the ticket and take the ride with travel specialist Tripadvisor (TRIP 12.50%). The company's stock rose like an ascending airliner, increasing more than 12% in price on the back of encouraging quarterly results. That performance well eclipsed that of the S&P 500 (^GSPC 0.43%), which could only inch up by 0.4% on the day.

A soaring bottom line

Tripadvisor's first-quarter figures were published before market open, and they revealed the company managed to increase its revenue by 1% year over year to $398 million. It did a better job improving profitability, as non-GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) adjusted net income surged 26% higher to $21 million, or $0.14 per share.

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Both headline figures easily topped the consensus analysts. On average, pundits tracking the stock were anticipating just under $389 million for revenue, and adjusted net income of merely $0.04 per share.

Tripadvisor managed to squeeze out a revenue gain despite an 8% drop in the take for its flagship and namesake brand; this brought in $219 million for the company. Softness in hotel bookings, plus drops in both media and advertising, as well as experiences and dining revenue, were the culprits in the overall decline.

On the flip side, the company's Viator and TheFork brands both grew at double-digit rates. The former's sales rose 10% to $156 million, while the latter's improved by 12% to draw $46 million.

Venturing into the hot months

Although growth in the overall travel and tourism industry has weakened recently, the sector is still enjoying relatively strong demand. We're also just in front of peak travel season, so a good trailing quarter from Tripadvisor is heartening to investors. They'll be hoping the company can continue its good momentum through the busy summer period.