ONLINE travel agency Trip.com announced a new program meant to “reinvigorate travel” as some markets show signs of recovery from the pandemic, with Asia leading the rest of the world in restarting tourism, according to a company executive.

Called Travel On, the program will focus on giving discounts of up to 60% on flexible advance reservations in over 30,000 hotels in 180 countries and waiving cancellation fees to make for more flexible bookings.

These measures were part of the recovery plan they implemented in China, and proved effective.

“China was the first hit by the virus… and now China is already on a very positive trajectory for recovery,” Jane Sun, Trip.com Group CEO, told BusinessWorld in an interview on June 24.

Chinese tourism saw 104 million domestic trips during the first four days of a five-day holiday in May with Beijing’s tourist attractions receiving 1.89 million visitors, up 58.5% compared to a similar holiday in April, according to a May 5 Xinhua report.

“Rental car [businesses] and [similar] businesses [in China] have recovered anywhere between 50% to 80% which is remarkable considering how bad it is for the rest of the world,” Ms. Sun said, before adding that she hopes Trip.com’s revival plan can also help other markets on their way to recovery.

She predicted that if there is “no major outbreak,” China’s tourism will “have pretty much recovered to 80% to 90%” by the fourth quarter of the year.

In 2018, Chinese tourists made 149 million trips and tourism spending amounting to $130 billion, making it the largest tourist market in the world. The Philippines welcomed 1.74 million Chinese tourists in 2019 and spent more than $2.33 billion.

Other markets showing signs of recovery are South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In a June 23 report, the World Tourism Organization said that they have been seeing a “cautious restart” in tourism with Europe leading the way as 37 destinations in Europe have eased restrictions on travel, but Trip.com’s Ms. Sun said she thinks Asia will recover faster because “people listen to their governments more, are more disciplined, and have the habit of wearing masks.”

“So I hope Asia will showcase recovery for the rest of the world,” she said. Though she did add that they have seen traffic in Europe pick up by “about 35% last week.”

As for how the pandemic will change the way people travel, Ms. Sun said she sees people travelling in smaller groups with a focus on flexibility.

“And I think a lot of outbound travel — before borders open — will be converted into domestic travel,” she said. — Zsarlene B. Chua

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