Hotelbeds Group confirms increased commitment to China at MarketHub Asia event

Palma de Mallorca – Hotelbeds Group, the leading bedbank worldwide and business-to-business provider of services to the travel industry, last week confirmed its increased commitment to the Chinese travel market during its MarketHub Asia event held in Bangkok, Thailand.

 

China is Hotelbeds Group’s fastest growing source market country and has now become the fifth biggest source market globally for the Group, up from 22nd place only five years ago. Additionally it is also the number one source market for the Group in the Asia Pacific region, having overtaken India two years ago.

 

In addition China is also a fast growing destination of choice for users of Hotelbeds Group’s two Bedbank platforms: Hotelbeds, which focuses on the online travel agency (OTA) and tour operator sectors, and Bedsonline, which works exclusively with travel agents. As a response to this increased demand the Group’s Bedbank division is looking to significantly increase the amount of hotels it has in China and is currently increasing contraction.

 

Currently there are around 200 employees across China working for Hotelbeds Group across its various brands, including both Hotelbeds and Bedsonline, but also its destination management brands such as Pacific World and Destination Services. This figure is expected to grow in line with Hotelbeds Group/s growth plans for the country.

 

Speaking with clients at the MarketHub Asia event in Bangkok, Global Sales Director at Hotelbeds Group Sam Turner commented:

 

“China is our fastest growing source market and a top priority for growth over the next few years – the potential is huge, by many measures the Chinese are already the number one traveller globally and yet only 6% of them hold a passport.”

 

“We have responded to this rapid growth in demand over the last five years by sourcing and contracting accommodation that matches the needs and desires of Chinese travellers, including gaining exclusive rates and the best pricing.”

 

“We’ve been here for ten years now and immediately found out it was about much more than just obvious things like language or food options. There are whole range of factors you need to take into account such as visa issues, expectations of different room features, and now we are seeing a general shift away from group bookings towards individual trips. Even the payment solutions need to be localised, with many now expecting to use social media platforms such as WeChat for payment.”

 

“Additionally we have focused hard on offering technology solutions appropriate for a market that in many respects is one of the most advanced technologically around the world. For example our APItude Cloud solution is in part a response to the high level of mobile bookings we were seeing the from the region.”

 

“But it is no longer just outbound international bookings, we are seeing increasing demand internationally for China as a destination and therefore we are looking to significantly increase our hotel offering in the country over the next 12 months.”

 

MarketHub events have a proven track record, with more than eight previous events in the Americas and four in Europe.

 

The MarketHub Asia event was attended by around 300 senior travel professionals – with around 100 delegates from China – from tour operator and OTA clients of Hotelbeds from across Asia Pacific. It took place in the AVANI Riverside Bangkok, a five star hotel located in Bangkok with 251 guest rooms and a fantastic river views.

 

The theme of the event was Powered by data, driven by people. Focusing on how travel companies can use data to drive growth in their businesses, it included insights into how the landscape of travel data will evolve over the coming years.

 

During the event there were numerous guest speaker presentations, including from Google, McKinsey and Accenture, as well as many speakers from both the travel provider partners and travel seller clients of Hotelbeds.