(Yicai) Oct. 25 -- Trip.Com, China’s biggest online travel agency, said the company aims to enhance its global partnerships after the tourism industry recovered to the level of 2019.

“As the tourism industry gradually recovers and grows, Trip.Com has taken a significant step towards its 'Local Focus, Global Vision' strategy by holding its Global Partner Conference abroad for the first time,” it said at the event held in Singapore yesterday.

“This move signifies the ambitious outlook for the inbound and outbound tourism industry and reaffirms the company's commitment to enhancing global partner growth,” the firm said.

Trip.Com, a major player in the global travel industry, has forged partnerships with airlines, hotels, tour operators, and many other travel-related businesses to offer competitive deals to its customers. The Shanghai-based firm also has tie-ups with various international travel providers.

“Our approach continues to pay dividends, with the number of Trip.Com bookings doubling this year compared to 2019 and the number of flight reservations for our European Union partners increasing sevenfold,” it noted.

Various businesses achieved restorative growth, with domestic hotel reservations jumping 60 percent among Trip.Com partners, while the gross merchandise value of the domestic group tours sector surged 54 percent, highlighting the overall resurgence of the industry, it added.

“At Trip.Com, we have made it our mission to provide the best travel experience possible,” said co-founder and Chairman James Liang. “We will explore artificial intelligence innovation, travel content marketing, and sustainable practices to enhance every aspect of the user experience while preserving our planet and community.”

Chief Marketing Officer Sun Bo said: “Trip.Com continues to deepen strategic cooperation with our partners in Singapore, leveraging our position as a leading travel service provider to unlock new opportunities and expanding partner reach to our international customers.”

Travel-related products to Singapore have become popular in recent months, according to Trip.Com’s data. Unique visitor searches for Resort World Singapore Group soared 85 percent in the second quarter from the first and jumped another 33 percent last quarter. During the recent Golden Week holiday in China, bookings for hotels in Singapore skyrocketed 370 percent from a year ago.

Trip.Com's Global Partner Summit was attended by more than 2,000 partners and media representatives from across the tourism industry, including the accommodation, airline, and destination marketing sectors.

Editor: Martin Kadiev