Ctrip.com launches business travel service

Online travel service provider Ctrip.com International Ltd has launched a business travel service. The company shared that one reason for setting up a business travel unit is that demand from firms is high; companies have an increasing desire to cut down on costs as much as possible.

“We have been working on services for enterprises for two or three years, but now is a good time for us to launch it as a separate business unit for Ctrip,” Fan Min, chief executive officer of Ctrip, told media.

According to China Daily, Fan said revenue from business customers is already over 100 million yuan (US$12 million) a year, but he expected the new business will become a pillar for the firm within three to five years.

“There are lots of players in the business travel market, but very few have a significant share and an outstanding brand, so we have a great opportunity to become a leader,” Fan reportedly said.

“He estimated American Express might be one of the biggest firms in this area in China with its global network, brand and capital. However, he said Ctrip also has advantages: it offers an air ticket booking service in 45 cities and hotel booking in 270 cities, which are attractive to many big companies with regional branches. Ctrip also has one of the biggest call centres in China with more than 1,200 operators and its own online information management system, which can help companies monitor their travel expenses and therefore cut down on costs,” added the report.