https://www.scmp.com/rss/523877/feed The latest news and top stories on Fliggy. A Hangzhou, China-based entity in the online travel platform sector, Fliggy specialises in flights, hotels, vacation packages and tourist attractions. It primarily targets Chinese consumers and is known for its "Buy Now, Plan Later" model and strategic partnerships. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Ultra-low-priced Hong Kong tour packages reliant on commissions and pushing mainland Chinese visitors to make additional purchases remain prevalent despite tighter government regulations, the South China Morning Post has found. The business model has come under renewed scrutiny after the Travel Industry Authority revoked the licences of a travel agency and its tour guide over four cases of suspected coerced shopping between January and March. The practice has also prompted concerns about the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352290/ultra-low-priced-tours-exploiting-mainland-chinese-visitors-survive-despite-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3352290/ultra-low-priced-tours-exploiting-mainland-chinese-visitors-survive-despite-crackdown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 03:00:09 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Canada plans to allow more flight connections to China, as it seeks to rebuild ties with Beijing and capitalise on rising demand for Canadian travel among Chinese tourists, but airlines may be reluctant to add new routes due to soaring jet fuel costs and a lack of access to Russian airspace. Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s transport minister, announced last week that Ottawa would permit an “incremental” increase in direct passenger combination flights to China and up to 20 cargo flights per week. The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351717/canadas-push-rebuild-ties-china-hits-snag-lack-direct-flights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351717/canadas-push-rebuild-ties-china-hits-snag-lack-direct-flights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China logged an overall increase in travel during the just-concluded Chinese New Year break compared with last year’s holiday period, but analysts said spending per capita stayed flat. The country saw 596 million domestic trips over the extended public holiday that ended on Monday, a year-on-year increase of 95 million, Xinhua reported. About 17.8 million cross-border trips were logged over the same period, it added. Chinese New Year is a crucial period for the travel sector as hundreds of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344699/china-sees-rise-chinese-new-year-travel-capita-spending-remains-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344699/china-sees-rise-chinese-new-year-travel-capita-spending-remains-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 06:08:27 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Thailand led the list of destinations for Chinese tourists travelling overseas during this year’s extended Lunar New Year holiday, as former favourite Japan saw arrivals plummet amid a political dispute with China over Taiwan. The Southeast Asian nation saw roughly 250,000 arrivals from China during the holiday, which ran from February 15 to 23, according to the travel marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk. This year’s Lunar New Year holiday was expected to be a key period for global... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344421/chinese-tourism-japan-plunges-50-over-lunar-new-year-thailand-cashes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344421/chinese-tourism-japan-plunges-50-over-lunar-new-year-thailand-cashes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 08:00:14 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese consumers placed over 120 million orders on Alibaba Cloud’s flagship artificial intelligence app Qwen within six days, signalling growing acceptance of AI-powered shopping as the company joined other mainland Chinese tech giants in a multibillion-yuan holiday campaign. Nearly half the orders came from residents in counties and hinterland areas, with around 1.56 million people aged 60 and above making their first online purchases through Qwen, according to a statement on Thursday from... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3343289/alibabas-qwen-tops-120-million-orders-6-days-amid-chinas-ai-shopping-battle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3343289/alibabas-qwen-tops-120-million-orders-6-days-amid-chinas-ai-shopping-battle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Feb 2026 09:02:39 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Alibaba’s ambition to turn its chatbot app into a powerful AI assistant that dramatically changes the way people interact with smart devices appears to be paying off, according to users and analysts. Instead of repeatedly swiping a screen to complete a task, a user can tell the Qwen app to conduct a range of tasks from ordering drinks to paying electricity bills after the Hangzhou-based technology giant links it to the group’s existing apps like shopping platform Taobao and payment interface... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3340150/alibabas-upgraded-qwen-chatbot-app-receives-warm-consumer-reception?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3340150/alibabas-upgraded-qwen-chatbot-app-receives-warm-consumer-reception?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 09:45:08 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu More Chinese travellers are pivoting from mass-market sightseeing to bespoke adventures to ring in the new year, fuelling a surge in demand for pet-friendly itineraries and winter excursions as service consumption defies a broader economic gloom. “Tailored travel is gaining traction,” online travel platform Fliggy said in a December 23 statement, citing a shift towards immersive “experiences that go beyond sightseeing”, favouring more memorable moments and personalisation. In particular,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338357/chinas-service-sector-shines-holidaymakers-embrace-pet-travel-and-bespoke-adventures?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338357/chinas-service-sector-shines-holidaymakers-embrace-pet-travel-and-bespoke-adventures?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:00:22 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Beijing’s decision to allow group travel to Canada to resume for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a surge in interest in visiting the country among Chinese consumers, with Chinese travel platforms recording a jump in related searches. China announced it was ending the group tour ban in early November, just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in South Korea and called for relations between the two countries to get “back onto the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331957/canada-travel-searches-spike-china-group-tours-resume-interest-surged?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3331957/canada-travel-searches-spike-china-group-tours-resume-interest-surged?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Visa-free travel abroad and free toll roads at home are expected to fuel a surge in travel by Chinese citizens during an extra-long holiday starting this week, in what analysts call a boon for the service economy. Total trips outside mainland China are forecast to reach between 8 million and 8.4 million – more than double the 3.8 million recorded for the holiday in 2024 – according to travel marketing and technology company China Trading Desk on Monday. Demand is “surging” for visa-free... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3327402/chinas-super-golden-week-forecast-spark-travel-boom-home-and-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3327402/chinas-super-golden-week-forecast-spark-travel-boom-home-and-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 01:30:15 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China is likely to see a bumper surge in travel bookings for the coming “golden week” holiday – one of the country’s most important travel periods of the year – providing a much-needed boost to consumer spending. Early data from Chinese travel operators shows strong demand for both domestic and international trips over the eight-day public holiday beginning on October 1, which combines the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. The figures indicate that rail, flight and car rental bookings could... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3325733/china-set-bumper-golden-week-travel-rush-boost-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3325733/china-set-bumper-golden-week-travel-rush-boost-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 02:00:19 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding has trimmed its partnership – a key corporate governance body for the e-commerce and artificial intelligence (AI) giant – as it embraces younger business leaders and strives to return to a start-up mindset. Nine executives and company veterans – including former CEO Daniel Zhang Yong, 53, and fellow co-founders Trudy Dai Shan, 48, and Lucy Peng Lei, 51, who started the company with Jack Ma in 1999 – have exited the partnership, according to Alibaba’s annual report released... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3316078/alibaba-trims-key-governance-body-it-embraces-ai-and-bets-younger-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3316078/alibaba-trims-key-governance-body-it-embraces-ai-and-bets-younger-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 07:30:08 +0000