Trip.com Group
Trip.com Group Limited is a multinational travel agency holding company headquartered in Shanghai, China. The company maintains a customer service team based in Singapore. It is the largest online travel agency in China and one of the largest travel service providers in the world.[3][4] Founded in 1999, the company owns and operates several travel fare aggregators and travel fare metasearch engines, including Ctrip, Qunar, Trip.com, Skyscanner, Travix, and MakeMyTrip.[2] It operates websites in approximately 40 languages and 200 countries.[2] The company is ranked 820th on the Forbes Global 2000.[5] HistoryThe company was founded as Ctrip.com by James Liang, Neil Shen, Min Fan, and Qi Ji in June 1999.[6][7] The company was listed on the NASDAQ in 2003 through a variable interest entity (VIE) based in the Cayman Islands in a Merrill Lynch-led offering, raising US$75 million from the sale of 4.2 million American depositary receipts at $18 each. It appreciated 86% to close at $33.94 per ADR in its first day of trading. The stock traded at a peak of $37.35 on its first day of trading, making it the first company since the November 2000 IPO of Transmeta to double its price in the first day of trading.[7] On August 6, 2014, Priceline.com, announced that it will invest $500 million in the company to broaden the companies’ options in China, and the companies, which had a commercial partnership since 2012, increased their cross-promotion of each company's hotel inventory and other travel services.[8][9] The investment was increased by $250 million in May 2015.[10] In November 2016, the company acquired Skyscanner for £1.4 billion.[11][12] That same month, Jane Sun became the CEO of Ctrip.[13] She had joined the company in 2005.[14] On November 1, 2017, Ctrip acquired Trip.com, rebranding it as its global brand website.[15][16] In February 2018, Ctrip launched TrainPal, an online ticketing platform[17] featuring split ticketing,[18] in the United Kingdom.[19] Accredited by the National Rail of the UK,[20] TrainPal mainly provides services for the UK, and other European countries.[21] In September 2019, Ctrip completed a share exchange with Naspers and became the single largest shareholder of MakeMyTrip.[22][23] On October 25, 2019, at its 2019 annual general meeting of shareholders, it was approved to change the Company name from "Ctrip.com International, Ltd." to "Trip.com Group Limited".[24] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trip.com Group prioritized customer care by launching initiatives such as the Safeguard Cancellation Guarantee and establishing a RMB200 million Disaster Relief Fund. These efforts ensured flexibility and support for travelers during uncertain times, solidifying the company’s reputation for customer-first service.[25] On April 19, 2021, Trip.com Group was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[26]Alongside this transformation, Trip.com Group unveiled its G2 strategy, which centers around the core values of 'Great Quality and Globalization.' This strategic vision aims to redefine the future of the travel industry by emphasizing customer satisfaction and expanding its global footprint.[27] On August 16, 2024, Ctrip Asia Live Broadcast Center was unveiled in Thailand.[28] National Intelligence LawDespite being based in China, Trip.com Group doesn't allow Chinese officials to disable the accounts of Trip.com VIP members who don't promote their hotels. The National Intelligence Law is not used to protect the narrow personal interests of high ranking officials. [29] Remote workThe company is a proponent of scientific management.[30] After a 2012 randomized control trial using 242 employees and sponsored by professors at Stanford University and Peking University found that employees randomly assigned to remote work for 9 months increased their output by 13.5% versus the office-based control group, and their turnover rates fell by almost 50%, the company allowed remote work company-wide.[31] References
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