China’s Ctrip, hearing footsteps, dips into $500m marketing budget
Skift Take
With its perch threatened by foreign-backed and internal competitors in China, Ctrip is upping the ante with a substantial marketing campaign. It's all an unwitting advertisement for the ratcheted-up competitive travel market in China.
Chinese online travel service Ctrip (NASDAQ:CTRP) is setting aside a $500 million war chest for marketing and bargain promotions, anticipating – or perhaps stirring up – a travel e-commerce price war this summer. According to Chinese media, the market segment leader is starting its blitz this month, and is investing 10-times more than in previous years for the usual round of marketing mayhem.
Ctrip’s vice president of marketing, Tang Lan, told Netease Tech that the result of this biggest-ever price war will be seen in six months to a year’s time, and will cause the barriers of entry into the online travel segment to be raised.
Up Next
Business Travel
The State of Corporate Travel and Expense 2025
A new report explores how for travel and finance managers are targeting enhanced ROI, new opportunities, greater efficiencies, time and money savings, and better experiences for employees with innovative travel and expense management solutions.
Sponsored 
Tourism
We’ve Done Revenge Travel and Normalization. Here’s What to Expect in 2025
The traveler is our north star for navigating the complexities that 2025 will bring to travel. Thankfully, consumers tell us travel is a top priority, setting an upbeat tone for the year to come.
Short-Term Rentals
New Details After Casago-Vacasa Deal: Property Manager to Sell Some Local Operations
No company has been able to massively scale vacation rental property management despite rollup strategies that have often worked in other sectors. Will Casago-Vacasa be able to do it through a hotel-like franchising model or will that have its own pitfalls?
Hotels
Accor Bets on Luxury to Close Gap with Marriott and Hilton
Accor aims to expand its share of luxury hotels by debuting its Orient Express brand this year and fine-tuning its other brands, like Fairmont and Sofitel.
Hotels
Vail Resorts Looks to Tech Vendors For AI Transformation
Vail Resorts is seeking advanced AI, digital logistics, and enterprise software solutions to enhance guest experiences, expand ancillary offerings, and achieve substantial organizational efficiencies, based on AI's analysis of its latest earnings call transcript.