27-05-2025
Experience as the New Destination: Trip.com Aims to Empower Global Partners in Attractions & Tours
SHANGHAI, May 26, 2025 /CNW/ -- a leading one-stop travel service provider, unveiled the latest industry and sector trends, evolving traveller patterns, and future plans at its Attractions & Tours Global Partners Forum. The event is part of Group's annual global partner conference, Envision.2025, and was held on 26 May at the Shanghai Museum East – a cutting-edge landmark and cultural exchange hub, known for its wave-inspired architecture and immersive technology.
Empowering Global Partners through Innovative Technology and Marketing
Setting the stage, Mr. Jim Ji, Vice President of Group, CEO of Attractions & Tours, shared that the travel industry has been recovering steadily, with international tourist arrivals expected to bounce back fully and exceed pre-pandemic levels this year based on industry forecasts. This is largely due to the relaxation of visa requirements and increasing flight capacity across the globe.
In his keynote speech titled 'Empowering Global Partners', Mr Ji emphasised how is meeting this demand growth by building a global tourism industry ecosystem consisting of a wide distribution network including:
22 international offices
2900+ affiliates & resellers, covering 150+ countries & regions, 300k+ products worldwide
170+ marketing resources
24 languages supported and 24/7 customer service
33 currency options
Sharing strategies that will empower partners to reach international travellers more directly and effectively, Mr Ji explained how ticket machines, onsite ticket operations and customisable online booking sites are helping partners to reduce manpower and improve operational efficiency. Measures to prevent fraudulent transactions as well as large-scale ticket bot activities have also been set up to enable partners to guard against such risks.
He further highlighted the importance of engaging travellers through innovative marketing with partners. For example, to provide a more comfortable waiting experience for travellers at the Sanur Harbour in Bali, Indonesia, Attractions & Tours worked with a local partner to build a VIP lounge. This attracted nearly 200,000 customers and increased ferry ticket sales significantly.
Creating Deeper Travel Experiences
A key trend spotlighted during the forum was how travellers are increasingly making decisions based on the type of experiences they can enjoy during their trip. Forum speakers noted that the growth rate for experience-related searches on is six times than that of destination or attraction-related searches. Keywords such as "food" and "spa" were among the top-searched keywords relating to experiences that international travellers were interested in.
"Travellers today are overwhelmed with options and increasingly seek experiences that resonate on a deeper level. Through collaboration with our global partners and the smart use of AI and consumer insights, we are curating personalised journeys that go beyond the expected and meet the evolving needs of international travellers," said Mr Ji.
One way is responding to this shift is through an in-app collection of curated travel rankings based on user reviews, bookings and AI algorithms, inspiring travel through its destination guides and best-ranking lists. Users can easily find the most popular travel attractions across the world with global "Best Things to Do" rankings, including theme parks, museums, experiential activities and more.
In recognition of the efforts by global partners to create a better experience for travellers, awards were also presented at the Envision forum to the best of the industry, such as top ranked attractions on as well as the Excellent Partner Awards and the Most Promising Partner Awards.
