On September 15, 2009, the UAE was granted an Approved Destination Status (ADS) from the Chinese government, relaxing visa restrictions and allowing Chinese travel agencies to send tours groups to the UAE
Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts has signed a Global Direct Connectivity Partnership Agreement with China’s leading travel service Ctrip.com International Ltd, in Shanghai.
The Dubai-based operator said in a statement that the deal reflected its commitment to the China market as it will allow Chinese travellers to directly book Jumeirah hotels via Ctrip.com’s platform.
“Jumeirah has confidence that the Chinese travel and tourism market will continue its rapid growth,” Jumeirah Group COO Nicholas Clayton. “I am pleased to see Jumeirah signing the direct connect with China’s largest travel services enterprise, Ctrip.com. It indeed strengthens our China development and enables us to engage more closely with our Chinese high-end customers.”
| Advertisement |
Ctrip.com CEO Fan Min said it was the first time Ctrip.com had signed this kind of agreement with a global luxury hotel from the Middle East.
Direct connectivity between Ctrip and Jumeirah will allow Ctrip customers’ reservations to be delivered automatically and within seconds to Jumeirah hotels. According to Jumeirah Group and Ctrip.com, once the direct connect technology is in place, special offers and a consumer contest to celebrate this agreement will be launched.
Jumeirah expects a growth of 14% from the Chinese market to its worldwide portfolio in 2013 and the numbers of visitors to the Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, are expected to increase as well.
China now ranks as the sixth most important source market for Jumeirah hotels internationally, with the most popular destinations in the Jumeirah portfolio for Chinese visitors being Dubai and the Maldives, as well the company’s first hotel in mainland China Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel, Shanghai.
The Group has five future hotel projects in development in China, including Jumeirah Guangzhou (opening in late 2014), Jumeirah Macau, Jumeirah Clearwater Bay Resort in Sanya, Jumeirah Hangzhou and Jumeirah Thousand Island Lake Resort, Qiandaohu.
Jumeirah also claims to be one of the first hospitality companies to make its website available in Mandarin, and has become actively engaged in the local social media.
Early this year, Jumeirah appointed seasoned Asia professional Graham Kiy to the position of general manager of Jumeirah Guangzhou. In addition, the Group expanded its sales presence in Asia by partnering with Heavens Portfolio as sales and marketing representative in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and appointed business development manager Selena Xu, based in Beijing.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
