Chinese OTA Tuniu to seek overseas partners to offer localized tourism services

BEIJING - Tuniu, a popular Chinese online travel agency, plans to seek a total of 30 local partners in overseas tourism destinations in the next three years to tap the country's growing outbound travel market.

The Global Partnership Plan aims to partner with leading local tour operators in international destinations, especially popular overseas markets such as Japan, Southeast Asia, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

The company plans to build a local tourism service network by partnering with local travel agencies, hotels, and other market players to enhance market competitiveness and customer experience.

For these partners, Tuniu will provide a range of services such as access to the company's supply chain resources, customer base, financial assistance, and technology support.

Currently, the company has successfully cooperated with three partners in Japan, Thailand, and the United States.

China has the world's largest outbound tourism market. Over 130 million overseas trips were made by Chinese tourists last year, up 7 percent year-on-year.