Ctrip CEO Jane Sun first invited to BRICS Business Forum

As the simplest and oldest people-to-people diplomatic tool, tourism has served as the bridge between China and other members of BRICS, as well as the rest of the world, to foster harmonious ties between peoples around the world. Despite the profound changes facing the global economy, tourism is still creating jobs all over the world, said Ms. Sun at the meeting, whose company Ctrip is the only Online Travel Agency invited.

Ctrip creates over 100 million tourism-related jobs globally

In China, 20% jobs are directly related to tourism. Tourism has a value chain that contributes to 30 to 40 sectors which includes catering, hospitality, transportation, culture and creative industries. Through an ongoing effort to penetrate China's third- and fourth-tiered cities, Ctrip has further bridged the wealth gap across regions and brought opportunities to millions of households without harming the environment.

According to Ms. Sun at the meeting, every year Ctrip serves 15 million outbound visits from China. Ctrip creates, directly and indirectly, over 100 million jobs around the world. The past decade has witnessed an explosive growth in China's overseas travel. Considering that only less than 10% of Chinese hold a passport, overseas travel is likely to maintain its growth momentum for a long time.

Ctrip, ambassador of tourism among BRICS countries

Chinese tourists have become the largest global consumer group. This parallels the rise of China's soft power and playing the role of peaceful diplomats on a grass-roots level. As the global economy recovers, the large Chinese tourists group with strong consumption capabilities has become a key target for foreign countries.

As BRICS states become growingly interconnected with favorable exchange rates, easy visa policies and more airlines routes. This all stimulates global tourism. At this forum, Ms. Sun shared the progress on the in-depth tourism cooperation with other members of BRICS.

During the 2016 Brazil Olympics, Ctrip helped send a large group of Chinese visitors there. This year even more Chinese tourists have visited Brazil and boosted its economy. A growing number of Chinese people are making trips to South America.

The number of visits between China and Russia continues to rising and has reached historical highs. In 2016, the Chinese made 1.2 million visits to Russia, becoming the country's largest source of international tourists. The Russian World Cup event coming up next year should further drive this trend.

China and India jointly hosted Tourism Year in 2015 and 2016 to boost each respective countries' tourism.

China is emerging as an important tourism opportunity for South Africa. Its tourism bureau with the support of Ctrip, has run publicity campaigns throughout China to promote South Africa tourism.

"Tourism brings peace. We are facilitating the two-way visits between China and other BRICS states," said Ms. Sun. By attending this business forum, Ms. Sun presented Ctrip's growth opportunities in China and Asia Pacific regions. Ctrip is playing an increasingly significant role as a "tourism development ambassador" on the global arena.

Ctrip: Setting the benchmark for global tourism

Ctrip is leading the global online travel market in terms of product coverage, price competitiveness and service quality. The company has built an one-stop travel service platform that reaches every corner of the five continents to link China and the rest of world.

Tourism is inherently a globalized industry. In the era of digitization, the pricing and communication between customers and suppliers will become increasingly transparent, and travelers will ask for better, more customized, services. As an established travel service platform in China, Ctrip leads the world in its ability to respond to any emergency travelers may encounter.

Ctrip boasts one of the largest customer bases amongst global OTAs. It provides almost half of the world population with a range of services, including 7x24 customer service center, "Wei-LingDui" (real-time travel consultation offered through Wechat APP), and "SOS service for global travel", are some examples.

"We serve not only Chinese customers, but also those in BRICS countries and beyond. Their needs have long been our focus. From 'Made in China' to 'Wisdom in China' to 'Created in China', our company aims to be a name card for "China Services" and a standard setter for global tourism", quotes from Ms. Sun's words.

SOURCE Ctrip.com International Ltd.