Travelgatex partners with Fliggy for global expansion
>> B2B accommodation digital marketplace TravelgateX has reached a deal with Chinese OTA Fliggy as the firm expands globally. The tie-up allows Alibaba-owned Fliggy access to TravelgateX’s worldwide hotel inventory using a real-time connection, providing the OTA’s users with accommodation options between the hotel portfolios of both companies.
H World introduces new app as part of digitalization drive
>> H World Group has introduced the new version of its H World mobile app as well as the new all-brands website as part of its digitalization drive. The hotel company shared that one key objective is to focus on offering a gamut of services via multiple touchpoints. Speaking during the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Jin Hui, CEO of H World, mentioned the team has focused on full digitalization of the guest experience.
Hong Kong’s Swire Hotels amplifies expansion plans with $12 billion fund
>> Hong Kong’s Swire Hotels has plans to expand its brand The House Collective to such destinations as Tokyo and Shenzhen Bay, China. Described as “a group of refined, highly individual properties that defy comparison,” The House Collective currently comprises four hotels in China’s mainland and Hong Kong. Swire Hotels' parent company Swire Properties has a fund valued at 100 billion Hong Kong dollars ($12.76 billion) to strategically develop hotels and invest in key cities in China over the next 10 years.
Tourism leaders bemoan a flawed travel recovery without Chinese tourists
>> Across the board, senior speakers at this year’s World Travel and Tourism Council Global Summit, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this week, noted that recovery wasn’t a recovery without the presence of citizens from China, the globe’s second-largest economy. Anthony Capuano, CEO of Marriott International, said, “we look at Greater China, the zero Covid policy has continued to dampen the recovery in a meaningful way.”
China’s air traffic is shrinking again
>> After rebounding to pre-pandemic levels last year, air traffic in China has sunk back down to 35% of what it was in 2019 as officials continue to impose restrictions on travel as part of their fraught battle with Covid.
Flight activity has dropped sharply in the past two months, coinciding with a rise in infections and as authorities turn to more targeted measures instead of broad steps like citywide lockdowns. Beijing is still urging residents not to leave, while Shanghai has imposed restrictions on people entering the city. Localized lockdowns have effectively shuttered places such as Chongqing and Zhengzhou.
China-Laos Railway boosts travel, promotes tourism in Laos
>> The China-Laos Railway has significantly bolstered passenger transportation, greatly facilitated travel, and helped promote tourism in Laos since its launch in December 2021. The China-Laos railway has shortened the traveling time between cities along the route, enabling people along the line to seek education, visit families, or receive medical attention a lot faster.
