Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, has released data showing strong demand for cross-border travel, and shared how it is co-operating with hotel partners to best enhance their presence throughout the travel recovery.
Chinese travelers are showing increasing interest in travel to Europe, with search volumes for European flights and hotels skyrocketing this summer, search data from its Ctrip platform showed, the company said.
Compared to 2021 pre-summer (January 1 – June 20) searches, Ctrip search volume for European flights grew by over 150 per cent in July, and continue to rise in August, peaking on August 12 over 320 per cent 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 per cent compared to the January – June average, with the highest search volume recorded on August 9 up almost 120 per cent on 2021 pre-summer levels.
Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun said: “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.”
“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.”
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 per cent year-on-year growth, and those made by Trip.com France and Germany users rose by 52 per cent and 64 per cent 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 per cent in each market year-on-year.
Through its umbrella of leading OTA brands, the 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.
