Ctrip and BeMyGuest link hands

China’s largest OTA Ctrip has teamed up with Singapore-based tours and activities platform BeMyGuest to offer Ctrip customers access to the site’s 10,000-strong inventory, spread over 600 destinations across Asia.

The partnership is achieved through integrating BeMyGuest’s API (Application Programme Interface), a software language that allows separate programmes to connect and communicate with each other.

On the shift in importance of tours and activities for Ctrip, Blanca Menchaca, BeMyGuest’s COO and chief marketing officer, said, “The Chinese travel industry definitely seems more committed to integrating activities and tours than its South-east Asian counterparts.”

BeMyGuest has the distinction of being the first Asian activities and tours API to be fully integrated into Ctrip’s website and mobile app, although the Chinese OTA already offers limited activities within China under its Things To Do (TTD) banner.

“The API integration is in line with Ctrip’s expansion into activities and tours. TTD has seen peaks of 10,000 bookings per day since its launch in mid-2014,” said Pan Fei, CEO of Integrated Business of Things To Do and Activities.

With numbers of Chinese tourists projected to soar, regional markets – particularly Japan, South Korea and South-east Asia – will reap the benefits of tourist spending.

According to Menchaca, shopping tours, cultural experiences and adventure activities in Singapore, Thailand, Japan and Korea top the list for Chinese travellers. However, repeat visitors tend to opt for ‘less mainstream’ activities. “BeMyGuest is a good fit for this segment,” she added.

China’s largest OTA Ctrip has teamed up with Singapore-based tours and activities platform BeMyGuest to offer Ctrip customers access to the site’s 10,000-strong inventory, spread over 600 destinations across Asia.

The partnership is achieved through integrating BeMyGuest’s API (Application Programme Interface), a software language that allows separate programmes to connect and communicate with each other.

On the shift in importance of tours and activities for Ctrip, Blanca Menchaca, BeMyGuest’s COO and chief marketing officer, said, “The Chinese travel industry definitely seems more committed to integrating activities and tours than its South-east Asian counterparts.”

BeMyGuest has the distinction of being the first Asian activities and tours API to be fully integrated into Ctrip’s website and mobile app, although the Chinese OTA already offers limited activities within China under its Things To Do (TTD) banner.

“The API integration is in line with Ctrip’s expansion into activities and tours. TTD has seen peaks of 10,000 bookings per day since its launch in mid-2014,” said Pan Fei, CEO of Integrated Business of Things To Do and Activities.

With numbers of Chinese tourists projected to soar, regional markets – particularly Japan, South Korea and South-east Asia – will reap the benefits of tourist spending.

According to Menchaca, shopping tours, cultural experiences and adventure activities in Singapore, Thailand, Japan and Korea top the list for Chinese travellers. However, repeat visitors tend to opt for ‘less mainstream’ activities. “BeMyGuest is a good fit for this segment,” she added.