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ALIBABA GROUP and Marriott International will be teaming up to a digital partnership intended to transform the face of travel for Chinese tourists by leveraging on the power of Alibaba’s vast e-commerce consumer base and Marriott’s hotel network.
According to China Business Review, the country’s outbound market is expected to triple the size of Japan’s by 2020, signalling a huge opportunity for hoteliers and travel industry players.
The partnership will focus on bringing Alibaba’s technological know-how to Marriott’s hotel services. Alibaba’s massive consumer base will provide Marriott with in-depth knowledge about customers’ habits and preferences, allowing them to create highly personalized experiences from within the Marriott brand.
According to a statement published on Alibaba’s news site, Alizila, the venture will produce customizable trip-planning services, VIP travel experiences and exclusive benefits for preferred customers. Marriott hotels will also begin accepting Alipay as a central form of payment.
Alibaba, Marriott team up to deliver digital travel experience for Chinese tourists https://t.co/tikaV2nzx2 pic.twitter.com/d6ULylZNyA
“Together, we are elevating and redefining the travel experience for Chinese consumers to be more seamless and personalized as they embark on adventures to discover the world,” said Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group, in a statement.
Alibaba’s travel service, Fliggy, will manage Marriott’s digital presence on its platform, as well as the hotel’s Chinese-language digital channels, including Marriott.com and Starwoodhotels.com, and their mobile apps, Mobile Marriott and SPG. Alibaba will be responsible for handling content production, programming and promotions targeted at Chinese travelers.
Alibaba’s movement into the travel space is just the latest in a long history of diversification that the e-commerce giant has displayed. Their portfolio of investments today includes ride-hailing services, grocery delivery services, autonomous cars, artificial intelligence, fintech, luxury commerce, and the list goes on.
The move into the tourism industry could be a calculated one for the technology titan, as it’s largely still a nascent market, and a complicated one for foreigners to understand.
China’s many technology titans have been rapidly expanding out into various industries in a bid to keep their customer bases locked into their respective ecosystems. Online travel is merely the latest industry that China’s mega-corporations are fighting over. Alibaba’s Fliggy is in a battle with Tencent-backed Meituan Dianping, and both companies are still struggling under the industry dominance of Ctrip.
Marriott will benefit from Alibaba’s deep insight into the Chinese demographics it is currently lusting after. Young Chinese travelers make up the bulk of China’s outbound industry, and they’re a sector of the population that is only getting richer.
According to Alizila’s blog post, young Chinese travelers are increasingly looking for more sophisticated travel experiences rather than quick shopping trips, which means that Alibaba’s move is well-placed to succeed in today’s environment.
“With the growing number of Chinese consumers exploring new destinations, this venture will introduce our hotels worldwide to this new and growing traveling class,” Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson said in a statement.
Marriott’s partnership with Alibaba will gift them with deep insights gleaned from Alibaba’s 500 million strong mobile consumer base who use their many e-commerce platforms and the popular payments platform, Alipay.
Through the integration of both companies’ services and big data operations, Alibaba and Marriott will be able to more effectively create packages and programs that will appeal to their customers. It’s the ultimate step in building great user experience through next-generation loyalty programs, and private events and perks for members of each companies’ clubs.
The travel industry in China is complex, unregulated and daunting. By embarking on it together, both Marriott and Alibaba are laying the groundwork for other travel industry players begin leveraging the power of technology.
The post Marriott joins forces with Alibaba to tap into Chinese market appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com