Trip.com Group holds first Global Partner Summit overseas

Event revealed AI innovation, travel content marketing, and sustainable practices were a focus

Leading travel service provider Trip.com Group held its Global Partner Summit this week in Singapore, which saw attendees from across the travel industry, including accommodation, airline and destination marketing partners, attend the in-person. 

More than 2,000 partners and media attended the event held at the Resorts World Singapore – Convention Centre, the city which is home to the group’s international headquarters.

Bo Sun, CMO of Trip.com Group said: “This is our first global partner summit held overseas, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Singapore Tourism Board and other stakeholders for their support and continued cooperation.

"Singapore is one of our top-ranked destinations among our customers and the International Headquarters of Trip.com. 

“Going forward, we aim to enhance our partnerships, and attract more travellers for a unique experience in this beautiful country, whether for business, leisure, or bleisure trips. 

“At the same time, we also look forward to welcoming Singaporean travellers to various destinations."

The Global Partner Summit is said to be a “significant step towards its Local Focus, Global Vision strategy”.

It signifies its outlook for the inbound and outbound tourism industry and reaffirms the company's commitment to enhancing global partner growth.

Bo Sun said: “Trip.com Group continues to deepen strategic cooperation with our partners in Singapore, leveraging our position as a leading travel service provider to unlock new opportunities and expanding partner reach to our international customers.

“With our global supply chain, advanced and innovative technology, and extensive reach, we are uniquely positioned to showcase regional and local destinations to travellers worldwide and help bring global travellers to Singapore.”

The event saw a number of Trip.com Group senior executive team deliver presentations including James Liang, co-founder and chairman, who said travel is unique.

He said: "Psychologically, it fulfils a high level of need which is not easily saturated. In economic terms, it is a long-term, high-growth industry. 

“At the social level, it promotes human understanding, enhances communication and brings peace and inclusiveness. 

“Philosophically, tourism helps promote human innovation, thus pursuing the long-term prosperity of human civilisation.

He added: “At Trip.com Group, we have made it our mission to provide the best travel experience possible. 

We will explore AI innovation, travel content marketing, and sustainable practices to enhance every aspect of the user experience while preserving our planet and community.”

Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, also delivered a keynote which highlighted the business’ recovery and future growth.

She said: “Guided by our strategy, multi-dimensional innovations in content marketing and AI-driven products, we have strengthened the Group’s business, accelerating our recovery and bringing forward new growth drivers.

“Our approach continues to pay dividends, with the number of Trip.com bookings doubling this year compared to 2019 and the number of flight reservations for our EU partners increasing sevenfold.”

Jane Sun revealed that hotel reservation volumes increased by an average of 60% among Trip.com Group partner hotels. 

The growth extended to global scenic attraction tickets and reservations on Trip.com. 

The domestic group tours sector also experienced an increase in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) with a 53.6% surge compared to the same period in 2019, highlighting the overall resurgence of the industry.

The Trip.com Group also announced results which saw its marketing strategies lead to a threefold increase in new customers and a 263% spike in product sales in the first three quarters of the year. 

It revealed 54-times increase in new customers for air tickets, while its diversifying of offerings, including multi-scenic attractions tickets, as well as concert tickets with hotel packages, generated 188-fold increase in hotel reservations in recent months.

The event also featured a focus on sustainability with the travel firm detailing the steps it has taken to incorporate sustainable travel products into its various business lines, including flights, car rental and corporate travel. 

Over 16 million people have chosen these sustainable travel options, favouring the company's low-carbon products.

As part of its “ongoing commitment to promote a sustainable travel industry”, Trip.com Group launched its Low-Carbon Hotel standard initiative, which aims to encourage eco-friendly practices, and facilitate a “shift towards a more sustainable travel ecosystem” by collaborating with hotel partners. 

It has engaged with nearly 1,000 hotel partners in achieve this project goal.