Expedia, Inc. will spin off TripAdvisor, which it acquired in 2004, as an independent, publicly traded company. The move was approved by Expedia stockholders at the company’s annual meeting on Tuesday. As part of the spinoff, first announced in April and expected to be completed by Dec. 20, Expedia will consolidate its shares with a 1-for-2 reverse stock split, with all of the new TripAdvisor shares to be held by current Expedia shareholders. This will benefit shareholders because TripAdvisor’s growth is outpacing the growth of the much-larger Expedia.

TripAdvisor’s sales grew 30 percent in the third quarter to $180.8 million, more than double the growth rate for Expedia, which recorded revenue of $1.14 billion.

TripAdvisor, which includes 19 travel and advertising brands, attracts about 50 million visitors per month from users who check the site for hotel reviews and other travel information.

Upon completion of the spin-off, Expedia will no longer have any ownership interest in TripAdvisor, which will be based in Newton, Mass.