Ctrip scores big with livestreaming sales event

Ctrip Chairman James Liang wore a traditional Chinese gown during an online broadcast that helped China’s largest tourism platform generate transactions valued at 26.9 million yuan (US$3.84 million) within an hour on Thursday night.

Liang’s livestreaming appearance attracted 1.15 million viewers and specifically promoted discounted tourism products in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province. Previous Ctrip livestreams featured tourism products in Sanya, in Hainan Province, and Xijiang, in Guizhou Province, which secured about 10 million yuan each in transactions.

A vice mayor of Huzhou also joined Thursday's broadcast to promote additional discounts from the city government to boost consumption, which can be used on Ctrip.

With China's coronavirus epidemic winding down, and demand for tourism picking up, Ctrip is moving to spur the hospitality industry's recovery. Still, the platform's revenue is expected to fall by 45 to 50 percent in the first quarter of 2020, mainly due to the pandemic, the company said previously.