(Yicai Global) Aug. 24 -- Shares in Tongcheng-Elong surged 6.64 percent today after the leading Chinese online travel agency reported that its profit in the second quarter had doubled due to close collaborations with instant messaging app WeChat, handset makers and short-video platforms.

Tongcheng-Elong’s share price [HKG:0780] finished the day at HKD16.38 (USD1.97).

Toncheng-Elong raked in net profit of CNY398.3 million (USD61.3 million) in the three months ended June 30, according to its latest earnings report released yesterday. Revenue was up 78.1 percent to CNY2.14 billion (USD330 million).

The firm’s partnership with internet giant Tencent Holdings, which it renewed last month, has been paying dividends. Just over 78 percent of the e-travel agent’s monthly active users in the second quarter were channeled through its mini-program on the Tencent app WeChat.

Third-quarter earnings are likely to be between CNY1.9 billion and CNY2 billion, the Suzhou, eastern Jiangsu province-based firm said.

Revenue from accommodation grew by 93.3 percent to CNY740 million (USD114.2 million) and that from transportation jumped 70.1 percent to CNY1.23 billion, according to the earnings report. All of its core businesses performed better than during the pre-pandemic period.

The platform’s monthly active users surged 58.3 percent to reach 280 million in the second quarter, a record high. Some 86.6 percent of new users were not in the major cities and 60 percent of subscribers also came from smaller municipalities.

Editor: Kim Taylor