Chinese travel giant Ctrip partners with Splyt to push into international ride-hailing, setting up Didi clash
The new ride-hailing feature offers greater convenience to Chinese tourists overseas and taps into the growing trend where a range of services can be offered within a single app
Ctrip, China’s largest online travel services provider, will allow users to book a ride on its app as they travel across the world through a partnership with London-based ride-hailing marketplace Splyt, a move that pits it against Chinese car-hailing giant Didi Chuxing in overseas markets.
Users of Shanghai-based Ctrip, which offers mobile applications for services such as hotel reservations, flight ticketing and package tours, will be to access local ride services in over 1,000 cities in 50 countries without the need to download a new app, and can pay on Ctrip using their local currency, according to a statement by Splyt last week.
Auto-translation will also be available to make communication between users and local drivers easier. Splyt does not operate its own ride-hailing service but integrates on-demand transport platforms in different destinations, such as Dubai-based Careem in the Middle East and Madrid’s Cabify in Europe and Latin America.
The new ride-hailing feature offers greater convenience to Chinese tourists travelling overseas and taps into the growing trend where a range of services can be offered to users within a single app, at the tap of a finger. Chinese travellers are forecast to make more than 200 million outbound trips annually by 2020, up from about 130 million outbound trips last year, according to estimates from the China National Tourism Administration.
“With this new partnership, [Ctrip users] will be able to access a comprehensive, tailored, and convenient ride-hailing marketplace without ever needing to leave our app,” Chris An, head of Ctrip's International Ground Transport Department, said in the statement.