One of China’s largest online travel agency, Ctrip, has signed an agreement with Chengdu Media Group that will see the two companies work together to promote tourism in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China’s Sichuan province.

The two sides confirmed the agreement at a tourism industry conference in Chengdu on April 7, part of the 2017 Chengdu International Tourism Life Week aiming to boost the city’s international profile.

Famous for its panda reserves, spicy cuisine and laid-back lifestyle, Chengdu welcomed 2.2 million visitors in 2015, an 82 percent increase on 2011.

Securing the support of Ctrip could help accelerate the development of the city’s tourism industry even further. The company processed bookings worth more than 430 billion yuan ($62.2 billion) in 2016, accounting for around 10 percent of China’s total tourism spend that year, according to government statistics.

Ctrip launched three new Chengdu products during the conference, namely a series of activities aimed at attracting visitors from Hong Kong, a study tour to Chengdu that the company will co-organize with the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban), as well as a tour package that includes visits to panda reserves and hotspots for sampling the city’s famous street food.

The company also plans to conduct an in-depth investigation of the Sichuan capital’s tourism market with a view to launch more targeted products, including plane tickets and hotel booking services.

“The cooperation with Chengdu Media Group is aimed at promoting resource sharing between two sides in order to launch more tourism products,” said a senior staff member from Ctrip.

The Chengdu International Tourism Life Week also saw the establishment of a new alliance of local travel companies designed to help the city promote “brand Chengdu”.

A conference themed around new ways of traveling opens in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on April 7.[Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Source from China Daily