Claiming to be the first and only partner in China set to optimize travel experience for outbound tourists, the mega-travel service provider Ctrip has announced that it is teaming up with Big Bus Tours in what they're calling a "strategic partnership agreement."
Ctrip will now be able to provide more than 300 million users with the ability to directly book through Big Bus Tours. Big Bus, for its part, runs in 19 cities spanning across 4 continents. They've been able to help their Chinese clientele book tours in the likes of Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul and Sydney.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
As part of their effort to provide their customers with a one-stop booking experience, Ctrip and Big Bus's new partnership is getting positive feedback from Chinese executives.
"As an exclusive partner of Big Bus Tours, Ctrip allow users to be in better control of transportation services that are reliable and economical," says Zhang Xiaori, Director of Ctrip's Overseas Things To Do (TTD) Department.
"Ctrip will continue to seek partnerships to ensure our user base are able to gain more access to top-quality products and personalized services," adds Yu Xiaojiang, Ctrip's Overseas Things To Do (TTD) CEO.
Subscribe to our newsletter below
But Chinese travelers will soon have another option, besides Ctrip, in which to book their preferred excursion: GetYourGuide.
The venerable OTA has just announced that, in addition to releasing their website in Chinese, it will be released in Russian, Spanish (Mexican dialect), and Japanese beginning on Thursday, November 30th.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of the announcement that they've just completed their Series D funding, in which they raised $75 million. Sunstone, Spark, NGP, and Battery Ventures were all involved in this latest round of funding. This funding also resulted in GetYourGuide opening local offices in Hong Kong and Bangkok.
“In recent years, we’ve expanded beyond our stronghold in Europe to become the global market leader in the tours and attractions space,” said Tao Tao, Chief Operating Officer at GetYourGuide. “Seamless communication is a crucial aspect of turning our customers’ trips into amazing experiences, and with the addition of these new languages, we can now speak with even more of our customers in their native tongues.”