Trip.com launches campaign to promote inbound tourism

Shanghai-based Trip.com launched an inbound tourism revitalization campaign on Tuesday with a plethora of steps to stimulate the development of China's inbound travel business.

The online travel giant will improve payment management, language selection and hotel services, trying to offer foreign traveler-friendly products together with its partners, according to the strategy presented during its annual Global Partner Summit held in Singapore.

According to the China Tourism Academy, inbound tourism revenue accounted for 0.5 percent of China's GDP in 2019, and it will generate 1.3 trillion yuan (US$177.6 billion) if the figure reaches the international medium level of 1.5 percent, reflecting the enormous potential of China's inbound tourism market, Trip.com revealed.

Visa, payment, foreign language assistance, and a lack of hotels catering to foreign guests have all hampered the development of China's inbound tourism business, said Trip.com Group CEO Jane Sun.

Brand creation, marketing, destination promotion, and product development will all be included in the program.

Trip.com said that it will work with its partners in hotel, travel agency, and tourist attraction to improve the language environment, while it has already launched multi-lingual tour guides in China aimed at foreign visitors.

It will boost marketing activities by screening promotional videos at a variety of worldwide venues to showcase Chinese tourism resources and Chinese culture.

According to Sun, the company will also produce a number of tailor-made and diversified products aimed at foreign travelers in order to ignite their interest in Chinese travel products.

China's inbound tourism market has returned to 49 percent of its pre-pandemic level in the first half of this year.

"The robust recovery momentum of the global tourism market is estimated to continue in 2024, and China's tourism industry will witness new development opportunities if improvements are made in visas, languages, and products for foreign travelers," Sun said.

Trip.com's globalization plan will also improve the payment settlement services, boost overseas hotel and car payments, and improve global business tourism supply chain resources.

According to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, Shanghai has proven to be an appealing destination for inbound tourists, with 1.58 million visits between January and July, up 410.8 percent from the same time last year and topping the nation.

Fang Shizhong, director general of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, said the city's inbound tourism sector has shown good momentum for recovery.

He said Shanghai will continue to improve its inbound tourism environment and attract more foreign travelers through great festive events such as the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the China Shanghai Foreign Arts Festival, and the Shanghai International Artwork Trade Week.

The goal is for the city to be the first destination for inbound tourists to China.