Trip.com Group search data from its Ctrip platform reveals Chinese travellers are showing increasing interest in travel to Europe, with search volumes for European flights and hotels skyrocketing this summer. Compared to 2021 pre-summer (1st Jan. – 20th June) searches, Ctrip search volume for European flights grew by over 150% in July, and continue to rise in August, peaking on 12th August over 320% higher than the pre-summer volume. Similarly, Ctrip user searches for European hotels have risen sharply too. In August alone, searches for European hotels rose by an average of 80% compared to the Jan. – June average, with the highest search volume recorded on 9th August up almost 120% on 2021 pre-summer levels.
In Europe, cross-border travel is increasingly possible under the EU Digital COVID Certificate Travel Passport scheme and the UK’s traffic light system. Search and booking volumes on Trip.com, the travel Group’s global OTA platform, have grown in line with the opening up of travel. Hotel bookings made by Trip.com UK users in the second quarter of 2021 saw 173% year-on-year growth, and those made by Trip.com France and Germany users rose by 52% and 64% respectively. The UK, France and Germany ranked among the top ten hotel destinations by Trip.com global booking volume during the same period, and flight bookings made by Trip.com UK, France and Germany users in June rose by over 200% in each market year-on-year.
“The global travel recovery is underway and we are strengthening our partnerships in local markets to ensure we are best positioned to support their business’s recovery and growth along with the return of domestic and international travel flows,” said Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group. “We are eager to share our global expertise through our local teams to deliver the best support for partners, as well as provide our users with the most appealing product offering.”
Trip.com Group data shows a clear trend of pent-up travel demand, and the travel Group is positioned to support hotel partners through the stages of global opening up. Trip.com Group and The Londoner, the world’s first super boutique 5 Star hotel in the heart of London, UK, recently agreed to a future-looking agreement that sees the travel Group list the hotel on its Trip.com platform, whilst utilising its strengths in China and APAC to carry out marketing activities ahead of travel opening. Also in the UK, Trip.com Group has partnered with top global hotelier, Millennium Hotels and Resorts, boutique stay provider, Edyn Group, and European aparthotel provider, Staycity, who have each seen over 350% recovery this year, to cooperate on expanding coverage and traffic for partners in the rapidly recovering market.
In the French market, Trip.com Group is working with Yield and Travel, and the Machefert Hotel Group to collaborate on expanding market presence through listing on Trip.com as well as looking ahead to future opportunities as the travel recovery progresses. Both Yield and Travel and the Machefert Hotel Collection have experienced robust recoveries themselves with business this year up 175%, almost double 2019 levels, and are partnering with Trip.com Group to continue their growth as more travellers are able to travel globally. Maritim Hotels in Germany has seen solid growth of over 200% this year too, and has partnered with Trip.com Group to cooperate on developing their business in the German market as cross-border travel recovers.
Through its umbrella of leading OTA brands and expertise as a global travel Group, Trip.com Group has extended its “Local Focus, Global Vision” to hotel partners in Europe in preparation for global travel recovery. A key element Trip.com Group’s hotel partner support in Europe is its marketing investment in flash sales, creating synergy with flight and hotel products. Product promotion development has been made possible by Trip.com Group’s commitment to the European market and strong partner relationships built over years. Market and region-specific travel opening has driven this investment and created valuable opportunities for partners. Supporting this, Trip.com Group Hotel Hub provides hotel partners will the latest in industry insights and Trip.com Group-supported campaigns to increase traffic and drive business.
About Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services, and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centers. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world”. Find out more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com
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SOURCE Trip.com Group