Articles tagged “ctrip”

The Chinese are traveling, perhaps not as much as destinations would have liked them to, but the resurgence of Chinese travel brings optimism for travel businesses worldwide. It's a positive indication of recovery and a step towards normalcy in the tourism industry.

Online travel company Trip.com Group has joined hands with flag carrier Cambodia Angkor Air to position the new Angkor International Airport as a smart airport in the region.

The sure bet is that the major online travel agencies will use some cash to buy back shares in 2023 unless the economy tanks. Less sexy than acquisitions, but good for shareholders. Still, that leaves plenty of money for some possible headline-making deals.

China is seeing record surge in searches, but for those searches to convert to bookings, it needs airlines, airports and hotels to quickly ramp up capacity.

Booking Holdings shed its entire stake in China's Trip.com Group at a loss of $130 million in 2020. But Booking retains a substantial foothold in China outbound travel that it can ride to advantage in 2023.

If and when outbound Chinese travelers return, they will be a post-pandemic version of their former selves with altered likes and dislikes. Old-school marketing may fall flat.

Geographic diversification is paying off for China's Trip.com Group. Europe and the U.S. is still a fraction of its overall business, but they are now significant contributors.

Acquisitions can have unintended consequences. Trip.com Group likely didn't view the acquisitions of Skyscanner and Gogobot as hedges against the collapse of China travel.

Tripadvisor CEO Steve Kaufer told Skift that Tripadvisor Plus is "a super-high priority for the company." The program may find enthusiasts at the property level, but so far the largest hotel chains don't appear to be leaping on board.