Trip.com Group has signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with the China International Culture Association to promote inbound tourism.

Mr James Liang, Co-founder and Chairman of Trip.com Group and Mr Bo Sun, Chief Marketing Officer of Trip.com Group, were present at the signing ceremony.

The Nihao! China campaign, launched by China International Culture Association, aims to foster and promote cultural exchanges and establish friendships between China and visitors from around the world.

China International Culture Association (CICA) and Trip.com Group have signed a strategic framework agreement to implement the "Nihao! China" program, which includes filming and producing global promotional videos and the "Nihao! China" digital communication campaign. Additionally, the framework will look to build a service platform for inbound travel and organise activities agreed upon by both sides at the China International Tourism Fair, the Sino-French Tourism Year, the China-US Tourism High-Level Dialogue, and the World Conference on Tourism Development, among other events.

Several measures to boost tourism were recently announced by the Chinese State Council on the 27th of September, including optimising visa and customs clearance policies, increasing international flight capacity and routes to key destinations, and improving inbound tourism products and information services for foreign visitors.

As the official partner, Trip.com Group and China International Culture Association will promote the Nihao! China campaign on its platforms across various markets. The Group will further curate engaging content to showcase specific offerings and services, and position China as a unique and welcoming destination rich in history and cultural heritage.

In addition, Trip.com Group will also collaborate with Chinese cultural centres, tourism boards and other organisations to promote and showcase the unique attractions, experiences, and beauty of China.

Over the next three years, Trip.com Group plans to invest in platform technology, marketing and promotion, and product integration to accelerate the development of inbound tourism in China.

Mr Liang said: “With the aim of boosting inbound tourism, Trip.com Group will leverage its technological expertise to enhance the ease of access for incoming visitors. Additionally, we will consolidate resources to foster tourism promotion, while highlighting the distinctive tourism attractions of China to draw in global visitors."

Following the opening of China's borders earlier this year, there has been a consistent increase in the number of China-related bookings made via Trip.com Group's platforms across various markets. For instance, the number of Malaysia-China flight bookings during the first 10 months of the year surged by more than 125 times compared to last year, representing an increase of 47.6% over 2019. Meanwhile, the overall number of Chinese tourism bookings made by Malaysia-based travellers jumped by 82.8% compared to 2019. Based on the Group's data, the top five cities among Malaysia-based travellers during the first 10 months of this year are Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Xiamen. These were also the five most popular cities for Malaysia-based travellers prior to the pandemic in 2019.

The top 10 most popular cities for inbound travellers to mainland China saw Shenzhen and Shanghai toppling the list alongside other destinations such as Guangzhou, Beijing, Zhuhai, Hangzhou, Foshan, Xiamen, Zhongshan, and Chengdu. Interestingly, seven out of 10 hotel bookings made by inbound tourists are for Shenzhen, while two Shanghai hotels rank second and third in the most booked hotel list.

Trip.com recently launched the "China Travel Guide", a comprehensive guide which includes travel-related information such as hotel reservations, travel advice, transport options, payment methods, insights into popular destinations, and more, enabling international visitors to better explore the beauty of China.

E-payment service providers have also, in recent months, implemented measures to simplify and enhance payment facilitation. Today, top e-payment providers allow international travellers to bind their credit cards to their e-payment systems used in China. Previously, access to the payment platforms would require travellers to have a local bank account or card. Trip.com Group will collaborate with peripheral industries to enhance the entire inbound tourism process and improve the experience for foreign visitors.