Ctrip

What Ctrip does

Ctrip (携程旅行网), founded in 1999 and headquartered in Shanghai, is one of the largest online travel agencies (OTAs) in China and the core operating brand of NASDAQ-listed Trip.com Group (ticker TCOM). The platform aggregates hotel reservations (1.7M+ properties across 200+ countries and 90,000+ cities), flight tickets (nearly 2 million global routes), train, bus and ferry ticketing, vacation packages (group tours, private tours, custom travel, cruises), car rentals, attraction tickets, and visa and insurance services. It serves 400M+ booking users through the Chinese-language Ctrip site and app, the international Trip.com brand deployed across 39 countries in 24 languages, and dedicated portals for corporate travel (ct.ctrip.com) and hotel partners (eBooking, Hotel Partner Platform). Sub-brands include Ctrip Financial (携程金融), Corporate Travel (企业商旅), and the affiliated Qunar (去哪儿儿) platform; the company also owns flight metasearch operator Skyscanner, acquired in 2016 for approximately $1.7 billion.

The technology stack centers on an AI-driven personalization and recommendation layer, fronted by a conversational AI itinerary assistant (AI行程助手) that generates one-stop trip plans from natural-language input. A dual-sided marketplace is supported by an eBooking hotel management system, the Hotel Partner onboarding platform covering 1.7M+ merchants, and a Security Response Center (Ctrip CSRC) for vulnerability reporting; compliance credentials include first-in-industry ISO 27701 (Ctrip Air Tickets) and PCI DSS V4.0 certifications. Ctrip operates from more than ten Chinese cities (Shanghai HQ plus Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Sanya, Wuhan, Chongqing) and runs 24/7 multilingual service centers in Edinburgh, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Seoul.

Ctrip generates revenue primarily through commissions and transaction fees on completed bookings (the OTA market is concentrated with the top five players controlling ~54%), supplemented by corporate travel management fees (annual subscription model with B2B payment settlement), advertising and promotional placement for travel suppliers, and a growing set of financial and ancillary services. Go-to-market combines a self-serve PLG consumer funnel via app and web, enterprise field sales for corporate accounts (claimed up to 30% cost savings for clients), and partnership marketing with tourism boards (e.g., New Zealand, Korea, Hong Kong) to drive cross-border demand. Recent strategic activity has emphasized AI product launches, international brand expansion through Trip.com, and inbound tourism marketing partnerships, while the company has also faced 2026 regulatory scrutiny from Chinese market regulators over fair competition and data practices.

Name

Ctrip

Legal name

上海携程商务有限公司

Website

https://ctrip.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Ctrip (Trip.com Group, NASDAQ: TCOM) is a Shanghai-headquartered online travel agency platform offering hotel, flight, train, package, and corporate travel bookings to 400M+ users across 39 countries, monetizing via commissions, transaction fees, and corporate travel management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Travel Agency

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service OTAs (Flights/Hotels/Packages) (THAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accommodation-Focused OTAs (Hotels & Alternative Stays) (THAKAAAB), Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) & Meta-Search (BPAMAIAA), TMC & OBT Selection, Implementation & Optimization (THACAMAD), Rail/Bus/Multimodal Booking OTAs (THAKAAAI)

Keywords

• Online travel agency
• Hotel reservation platform
• Flight booking services
• Corporate travel management
• Vacation package booking

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commission Revenue: Ctrip earns commissions from hotels and travel service providers for bookings made through its platform. The OTA market is concentrated with top five players controlling approximately 54% of the market.
2. Transaction Fees: Platform charges transaction fees for various travel bookings including flights, hotels, vacation packages, train tickets, car rentals, and attractions
3. Corporate Travel Services: Enterprise travel management services including B2B payment settlement, expense management, and customized travel solutions for businesses
4. Advertising and Marketing Services: Promotional placement and marketing services for travel suppliers and destinations on the platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ctrip is a comprehensive online travel agency (OTA) platform providing hotel reservations, flight bookings, train tickets, vacation packages, car rentals, attraction tickets, and corporate travel management services. The platform aggregates travel supply from hotels, airlines, tour operators, and other providers, offering both consumer-facing self-serve booking and enterprise corporate travel management solutions with AI-driven personalization across 200+ countries.

Product overview

Ctrip is a comprehensive Online Travel Agency (OTA) platform offering a multi-module ecosystem for travel bookings and services. The core platform includes hotel booking (over 1.7 million properties globally), flight booking (nearly 2 million routes), train tickets, vacation packages (group tours, private tours, custom travel), car rentals, and corporate travel management. The platform operates through integrated modules including an AI-powered itinerary assistant for personalized trip planning, eBooking hotel management system for partners, corporate travel solutions, visa services, travel insurance, gift cards, and global shopping features. The architecture follows a platform-plus-modules model where the core booking engines (hotels, flights, trains, vacations) are complemented by value-added services (insurance, visa, forex, financial services) and partner-facing tools (eBooking, hotel加盟). The platform also features a dedicated AI行程助手 for AI-driven itinerary generation and personalized recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trip.com: International brand platform for global travel bookings, available in 39 countries and regions with support for 24 languages
• 携程金融
• 企业商旅
• 去哪儿
• 携程安全应急响应中心 (CSRC)

Products and services

• Hotel Booking (酒店预订) Comprehensive hotel reservation platform offering accommodations in over 200 countries and regions across more than 90,000 cities, covering over 1.7 million hotels including various accommodation types such as hotels, guesthouses, apartments, homestays, and villas.
• Flight Booking (机票预订) Flight ticket booking service covering nearly 2 million global flight routes with real-time pricing, flight status tracking, seat selection, check-in, and ticket refund/change capabilities.
• Train Tickets (火车票) Train ticket booking platform for domestic and international routes including China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan train services with transparent pricing and refund/change policies.
• Vacation Packages (旅游度假) Comprehensive travel package platform offering group tours, private tours, free travel, custom travel, cruise bookings, day trips, study tours, and theme-based travel experiences with 24/7 emergency rescue support.
• Corporate Travel (企业商旅) Enterprise travel management solution providing end-to-end corporate travel services with intelligent cost control, B2B payment settlement, 15-minute account activation, 30+20 day payment terms, and customized solutions for companies with 500+ employees claiming up to 30% cost savings.
• Car Rental & Transportation (用车服务) Transportation services including domestic car rental, international car rental, airport/station transfers, and chartered car services for travelers.
• Attractions & Activities (门票·活动) Ticketing platform for attractions, tours, and activities booking across global destinations.
• Bus & Ferry Tickets (汽车·船票) Bus and ferry ticket booking services for ground and water transportation.
• Visa Services (签证服务) Visa application and processing services for international travelers across multiple destinations.
• Travel Insurance (保险服务) Travel insurance products and services for domestic and international trips.
• eBooking Hotel Management System (eBooking酒店管理系统) Open and transparent hotel service platform providing revenue management, real-time inventory and pricing control, order processing, marketing activities, review management, and ancillary product sales for hotel partners.
• Hotel Partner Platform (酒店加盟平台) Hotel listing and partnership platform allowing accommodation providers to join and list their properties, covering hotels, apartments, homestays, villas, farm stays, and other accommodation types with 1.7 million+ merchants.
• AI Itinerary Assistant (AI行程助手) AI-powered travel planning assistant that generates personalized trip itineraries through natural language interaction, offering one-stop travel planning services and influencing 45-51% of travel booking decisions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ctrip's AI personalization influences 45-51% of travel booking decisions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Art Central / Hong Kong Tourism BoardcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Art Central 2026, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, launched digital Hong Kong Art Month Discovery Guide and travel packages exclusively available through Ctrip and Klook, covering accommodation, attractions, and transportation for 117 galleries and 500 artists.
• Korea Tourism OrganizationcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2026Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization hosted Korea-China Tourism Exchange Special Week in Shenzhen, promoting weekend travel packages, regional itineraries, and solo travel experiences through Ctrip's platform.
• RotoruaNZ / New Zealand TourismcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Partnership where RotoruaNZ received $2.5 million funding through New Zealand's Regional Tourism Boost initiative to target Australian and Asian markets (China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea) via Ctrip platform marketing campaigns scheduled to launch January 2026.
• China Southern AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChina Southern Airlines extended its Guangzhou-Perth route to year-round service, increasing inbound seats and economic benefits for Western Australia. Ctrip facilitates booking of these routes as part of broader China-Australia tourism partnerships.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Booking Holdings: Parent of Booking.com, Priceline, Agoda, and KAYAK — the closest global full-service OTA peer across hotels, flights, and packages, competing head-to-head with Ctrip/Trip.com in international markets.
• Expedia Group: Operates Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo, and trivago — a direct full-service OTA peer overlapping with Ctrip in hotels, flights, vacation packages, and corporate travel (Egencia).
• Tripadvisor: Operates Tripadvisor, Viator (attractions), and TheFork (dining) — directly comparable to Ctrip's attractions/activities, vacation packages, and travel-guides/community modules.
• Airbnb: Global alternative-accommodation marketplace competing with Ctrip for lodging bookings, particularly in cross-border travel where both platforms aggregate hosts and hotels on one funnel.
• Trivago: Hotel metasearch platform owned by Expedia — directly comparable to Skyscanner, Ctrip's wholly-owned metasearch subsidiary, in price-comparison and redirect-driven hotel demand.
• Klook: Asia-Pacific-focused activities, attractions, and in-destination services platform — overlapping with Ctrip's tickets/activities module, and already partnering with Ctrip for Hong Kong art-event packages.
• MakeMyTrip: India's largest online travel agency covering flights, hotels, and packages — comparable to Ctrip as a regional full-service OTA, and Ctrip's own Trip.com group is an investor in MakeMyTrip, reinforcing direct competitive overlap in long-haul itineraries.

Regional players

• Traveloka: Southeast Asia's leading OTA across flights, hotels, and experiences — comparable full-stack OTA business model and similar supplier-commission revenue mix to Ctrip, though primarily focused on Indonesia/SEA rather than China.

Emerging players

• Hopper: AI-driven travel app specializing in flights, hotels, and fintech-led price-frozen bookings — overlapping with Ctrip's AI Itinerary Assistant and mobile-first personalization strategy, but narrower in geography and category breadth.

Broad incumbents

• Google Travel (Alphabet): Search, metasearch, and increasingly hotel/flight booking surfaces embedded in Google products — competes for travel intent upstream of Ctrip and exerts pricing power on demand-generation costs across the OTA category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments7 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ctrip