Meituan Dianping, backed by Booking Holdings and Tencent, filed for a Hong Kong listing on June 22 and as of December 31, 2017, the group-buying, restaurant-review and lifestyle service company had secured room supply from approximately 339,200 hotels in China.

Revenues from the company’s in-store, hotel & travel segment increased by 54.6% to RMB 10.9 billion, accounting for 32% of the company's total revenues in 2017. Kevin Guo, VP of Meituan, acknowledged that over 80% of new hotel bookers were converted from the food delivery and in-store dining businesses last year.

To compete with Meituan Dianping and Michelin, Ctrip Gourmet has issued its own restaurant evaluation list on June 22 in Bangkok, Thailand. This is the first Chinese eatery list published in a foreign country.

For its overseas travel-related services, Ctrip has also opened its first batch of foreign currency withdrawal service outlets in Shanghai with close to 30 different currencies on offer. Customers can make an appointment online or head directly to the outlets to pick up their currencies. The company will gradually expand the network to 30 locations nationwide covering 10 key cities by the end of the year.

Tongcheng Elong, a Chinese online travel company backed by Tencent and Ctrip, applied on June 21 for listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The average monthly active users of Tongcheng and eLong combined increased from 88.7 million in 2015 to 121.2 million in 2017, representing a compound annual growth rate of 16.9%.

Shanghai-based online travel operator Lvmama.com has been announced as the official Chinese travel partner of Inter Milan. The two sides will design and develop soccer itineraries for Chinese tourists and sports fans, including trips to San Siro to watch games of the club and visits to the stadium and training base of Inter Milan.

To differentiate itself from OTAs, Alibaba’s travel unit Fliggy is redefining its role as an Online Travel Marketplace (OTM). "Our platform isn't just about sales for travel brands, but also has a role to play in marketing and service," said Wells Zheng, Vice President, Strategic Development for Transportation Business of Fliggy.

"For this, brands can leverage brand account management and marketing services. These are integral parts of the Online Travel Marketplace, which marks the latest phase in the evolution of the tourism business model."

WeChat now allows for real-time tax rebates at 77 airports in Europe and Asia. The service, dubbed We Tax Refund, enables travelers to quickly apply for tax refunds in the app while abroad or once they have returned home. WeChat also claims that it will not impose any fees on the transactions.

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