Alibaba appoints new president for Fliggy travel unit
ChinaTravelNews learned that Fliggy, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's travel brand, has undertaken a series of major restructuring in senior management, including the appoint of Fliggy's new president. Ms. Angel Zhao is no longer acting as president of Fliggy, but she will still serve as president of Alibaba Global Business Group and senior vice president of Alibaba Group. Mr. Zhuoran Zhuang (nickname "Nantian"), vice president of Alibaba Group, is adding the responsibility as the new president of Fliggy. The Fliggy brand has had three presidents in the past four years.
Trip.com Group-invested travel firm buys back stake amid China-India tensions
Amidst ongoing tensions between China and India, Travstarz Global Group, an India-based B2B travel company, has initiated talks with Rezb2b, a Trip.com Group subsidiary, which holds a minority stake in Travstarz to buy back 100% of its shares, according to a report by local news media Travel Biz Monitor.
China Eastern partners with Trip.com Group to launch a new airline
China Eastern Airlines and several partners including Tripcom Group plan to launch a new airline in Hainan, as they eye growing air traffic to China’s southernmost island province amid Beijing’s plan to turn it into a free trade hub. China Eastern will own a majority 51% share in the new carrier, while 14% will be held by a unit of Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency.
Fosun-invested customized travel agency Shijiebang goes under
Shijiebang, a customized travel company once backed by Fosun International and Yahoo's co-founder Jerry Yang, has gone bust under the sustained impact of COVID-19, but the pandemic was just a catalyst for the closing of Shijiebang, as the global crisis exposed its internal problems.
Indonesia plans travel bubble with China, Japan, and Australia
The Indonesian government says it is currently drawing up plans for a so-called “travel bubble” with four Asia Pacific countries including China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, as part of efforts to revive the country’s tourism sector, despite the number of COVID-19 cases continuing to climb in the archipelago nation. Indonesian officials are also planning to offer packages for “in-city tourism” ladened with strict health protocols, as part of an effort to revive domestic tourism.
US expands flights from Chinese airlines to four per week
The U.S. government will allow Chinese airlines four flights a week into its airports, an expansion following China’s announcement it would permit the same number of operations by the Americans. The Transportation Department said it’s seeking a return to pre-pandemic flight levels and would grant additional flights to Chinese airlines if that nation relaxes restrictions on U.S. carriers. In early January, there had been approximately 325 weekly scheduled flights between the two countries. That fell to only 20 per week by four Chinese carriers by mid-February.
China reimposes restrictions in Beijing to contain fresh outbreak
Chinese authorities were reimposing some travel restrictions in the capital as they worked to contain a new coronavirus outbreak and prevent it from spreading more widely. China reported 40 more coronavirus infections on Tuesday, 27 of them in Beijing, bringing the city’s total to 106 since Friday.
Hundreds of Beijing flights canceled after virus flare-up
More than 1,200 flights in and out of Beijing were canceled Wednesday as the Chinese capital wrestles with a fresh coronavirus outbreak that’s infected at least 130 people. Beijing Capital International Airport’s flight departure page alone showed more than 80 cancellations for Wednesday morning, and about 50 inbound flights were canceled. The website of nine-month-old Daxing International Airport in the south of the city showed similar cuts.
China’s travel recovery gains steam: Families are planning summer vacations
McKinsey’s latest traveler survey shows a strong desire among Chinese families to resume their travel plans. Domestic destinations remain a top choice in May due to outbound travel restrictions, with 52% of respondents preferring this choice versus 55% in April. Guided group tours remain less attractive to travelers than self-guided and self-driven trips, compared with pre-COVID-19 traveler patterns.
China’s Big Three carriers see leap in May passenger numbers
China’s three largest carriers carried more passengers across their networks in May — the first month-on-month increase since the start of the year, when the coronavirus outbreak pummelled travel demand. For the month, Air China carried 4.07 million passengers across its network, a 53% increase compared to April. This was still about 57% lower year-on-year, however. China Southern carried 5.87 million passengers for the month — a 52% month-on-month increase, but a 44% decline compared to 2019.
Hotel giant Huazhu mulls second listing in Hong Kong
Following the recent listings of Netease and JD.com in Hong Kong, Chinese hotel chain Huazhu is also seeking a second listing on the city's stock exchange, according to local news reports. The company may be aiming to raise USD 500-1,000 million. In response to these reports, Huazhu said the company currently does not have relevant plans to announce.
DerbySoft expands metasearch coverage for hotel worldwide
DerbySoft, a digital marketing and distribution service for the hotel industry, announced the launch of DSCP, a new solution for hotels and agencies to reach missing or lost metasearch opportunities in regional markets. As a part of this new program, DerbySoft has already established partnerships with a number of regional metasearch channels including Wego, Hotelscan, StayMogul, Hotelvoy and Idealo with more partnerships coming on board weekly.
