Despite continued travel and tourism challenges, global hotel wholesaler DidaTravel has seen B2B hotel sales rebound to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2021 while expanding its clientele and contracted hotel network.
According to the Shenzhen-headquartered company, sales from non-China markets have surpassed 2019 levels and half of overall business now hails from Europe, the US and the Middle East.
Its collection of contracted hotels has also expanded to 37,000, up 23 per cent, while its travel trade clientele now numbers some 23,000 including new signings from Europe and North America. The company has acquired over 700 API clients, of which around 200 are based in China.
Commenting on the company’s 2021 performance, DidaTravel’s founder & CEO Rikin Wu said in a press statement: “Throughout the pandemic, we continued investing in our business, strengthening our technology and continuing our long-term strategy of growing our presence in Europe and North America.
“So, when the market slowly began recovering in Europe and North America, we were well placed to capture demand quickly. By the end of the year (2021), with the exception of the Omicron impact, we were close to 2019 figures – surpassing them even in the non-China source markets.”
Wu remained “cautiously confident about 2022”, and indicated further expansion announcements to come.
DidaTravel’s geographical diversification of sales presence has seen office openings in Bangkok and London last year, with plans for a US office in the near future. There are presently eight offices worldwide.
Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Airlines (GBA) has signed an agreement with Amadeus to make its schedules and fares available to travel agencies worldwide via the Amadeus Travel Platform in 1Q2022, to coincide with the expected commencement of flights.
Amadeus-connected travel sellers will be able to search, book and service reservations on GBA. Through the Amadeus Travel Platform, they will gain access to the airline’s flight schedules, load changes, seat maps, ancillary services and fare families as well as real-time flight updates.
These options will empower travel sellers to tailor offerings to their customers’ specific requirements, generating more value for both customer and airline.
GBA has applied for the rights to operate in 104 destinations across the region, including mainland China, as well as North and South-east Asia. The carrier has already leased three Boeing 737-800 aircraft and plans to grow its fleet to 30 aircraft over the next five years.