Today, Trip.com Group’s leading Chinese language platform Ctrip launched its 2023 Travel Revival A Plan to reunite destinations with Chinese travellers.
The platform’s four-pronged strategy engages destinations around the world in capturing pent-up travel demand from the vast Chinese travel market.
In 2020, Trip.com Group launched its pilot Travel Revival V Plan, investing RMB 1 billion in a recovery fund to help the industry battle pandemic pressures. On today’s new iteration of the initiative, Bo Sun, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Trip.com Group, commented: “The launch of our 2023 Travel Revival A Plan is built on three years of experience bucking negative trends to drive growth. Our focus on revival is to assist the industry to meet short-term difficulties, whilst strengthened revitalization efforts will look to reshape the post-pandemic industry by forging new opportunities for the industry and destinations.”
Reinventing brand value: working with destinations to create innovative “reunion” experiences
“For Chinese tourists, there has been a huge buildup of anticipation for their first outbound journey. For this reason, our Ctrip platform has been collaborating with destinations in preparation, using the platform’s high-quality, comprehensive supply chain resources to create a full range of ‘reunion’ experience products. Our offering spans Chinese travellers’ desire for scenic locations, entertainment and culinary experiences during their journey, including offering comprehensive coverage of cultural and historical activities.”
In July 2022, Ctrip independently produced the travel documentary “Hit the Road” that combined destination marketing and the platform’s unique new “Travel + Culture” content marketing model, with the show garnering over 120 million total views. In the future, this model will be extended to tourist destinations around the world as a solution to attracting Chinese travellers – providing a direct line to understanding Chinese tourists’ preferences after three years of travel restrictions. Furthermore, the Ctrip platform is home to thousands of travel influencers, guides and other personalized travel service providers who create personalized in-depth travel products and content for users.
Reviving consumer confidence: marketing matrix boosts travel consumption
As of December 2022, most countries have completely lifted pandemic-related travel restrictions, with travel once again at the top of the agenda. “Since 2022, dozens of global destinations have established Star Hub channel homepages on Ctrip to expand their reach to Chinese audiences. We have built out top destination lists, delivered hundreds of super destination promotions, destination-specific live streaming events, and facilitated the distribution of RMB 1 billion in travel consumption vouchers across 20 countries and regions to boost campaign destination orders. In 2023, we will continue to leverage the cultural travel economy to drive business,” said Mr. Sun on Trip.com Group’s expanded marketing offering.
Ahead of the upcoming outbound travel boom, Ctrip’s comprehensive marketing matrix is leading the way in connecting global destinations and Chinese travellers. The platform’s Ctrip Community and Star Hub channels enable destinations to engage with hundreds of millions of users every week. Partners can leverage this traffic together with promotions and cultural travel consumption vouchers to offer regular content and products through Ctrip Live, with over 200 million users on the platform. The product system will be updated through dynamic data to meet tourists’ needs.
Remodelling the industry ecosystem: building a global tourism data and resource sharing platform
Given the announcement of new policies and optimistic signals from the Chinese government, Trip.com Group is building a global tourism data and resource sharing platform, linking its brands, including Ctrip, in order to help global destinations to better welcome Chinese tourists again.
In regards to this new venture, Mr. Sun said: “We are opening up our airline ticketing and hotel resources to travel agencies around the world. In the short term, this will facilitate travel service providers to package and sell their products online, and help destinations to access the first cohorts of outbound Chinese tourists. Whilst in the long term, this platform will enable real time supply chain updates according to global traveller dynamics and product supply. As a tech-driven leading travel service provider, we believe we have the responsibility to drive industry progress through such developments and resource sharing.”
Reiterating corporate responsibility: promoting sustainable travel to hundreds of millions of users
In 2022, Trip.com Group released its first-ever Sustainable Travel Consumer Report, which found that sustainable travel is now a global trend at the forefront of travllers’ minds. Nearly 80% of respondents stated they attached great importance to sustainable environmental factors when travelling, and nearly 70% of respondents said they were willing to pay higher prices for more sustainable travel options.
In July this year, Trip.com Group launched its Green Tourism Goals. The ambitious plan includes launching more than 10,000 low-carbon travel products. Expanding on this, Mr. Sun introduced: “We have launched ‘green stays’ and ‘green car rentals’ on our Ctrip platform, and are currently working on launching ‘green flights’, ‘green corporate travel’ and ‘green trips’. We have a duty to develop sustainable travel for the future of the entire industry and to fulfil the tourism industry’s responsibility to the world.”
