Trip.com Group sets out to up meaningful experiences for tourists

Online travel service provider Trip.com Group is aiming to expand the travel experience by leading tourists to attractions they have yet to visit through strategic partnerships with two hospitality companies in the Philippines and Vietnam, it announced on Tuesday (May 28).

The collaboration with Filipino hotel operator, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, will focus on pricing and inventory management across its 13 properties with more than 8,500 room keys across the Philippines.

This includes enhancing visibility on Trip.com Group platforms and launching marketing campaigns to attract travellers, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts assistant head of distribution Pebbles S Caramat, explained.

“The goal of this collaboration is to create opportunities for the Philippines and create meaningful experiences for customers,” she said.

Trip.com Group’s collaboration with Vietnamese hospitality and leisure brand, Vinpearl, also aims to enhance the visibility and appeal of its properties and attractions to travellers worldwide.

“As global tourism is booming this year and next year, this collaboration will help elevate the travel experience and allow us to take the next step of tourism together,” said the brand’s deputy CEO Hana Ngo.

Boon Sian Chai, Trip.com Group managing director and vice president of international markets, said the company will support those hospitality companies with technologies and marketing tools to ensure that travellers can easily discover and book their ideal stay.

These include an artificial intelligence platform to analyse travellers’ preferences on travel, as well as live-streaming content created by influencers and key opinion leaders to build awareness among customers, he explained.

“With combined efforts and visions, this collaboration marks a milestone to further empower user experience and respond to the new chapter in the travel industry,” he said.

Founded in 1999, Trip.com Group helps travellers worldwide make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services. The group also enables its partners to connect their offerings with users through travel-related content and resources on a transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and customer service centres. Apart from Trip.com, the group also has Ctrip, Skyscanner and Qunar platforms.

These partnerships come on the back of healthy growth, with Philippines and Vietnam hotel bookings on Trip.com Group platforms rising exponentially in April this year.

Searches for Philippines and Vietnam hotels on the group’s platforms grew by 188 per cent and 84 per cent in the same period, respectively, it added.