Trip-com Group chairman and co-founder met Spain's Secretary of State for Tourism and president of Turespaña (Spanish Institute for Tourism) to discuss deepening ties between the leading travel service provider and top destination nation.

The meeting took place at the offices of the Secretary of State for Tourism in Madrid and focused on developing collaboration between the two parties to promote Spain as a destination for outbound Chinese and Asian tourists following the opening up of global travel.

Fernando Valdés Verelst, Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism (left), meets James Liang, chairman and co-founder of Trip.com Group (right), in Madrid

Throughout the pandemic, Trip.com Group has maintained and built cooperation with destinations in preparation for the restoration of global travel. With the easing of travel restrictions across Europe and as the global vaccination rollout continues, the Trip.com Group chairman and Spanish government officials explored opportunities for collaboration to promote travel to Spain following the control of the pandemic.

As the parent company of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner and Qunar, Trip.com Group is uniquely positioned to support destination partners in growing their audience reach, and enhancing destination partner marketing capabilities to build destination recognition.

"It was great to meet with Mr. Liang and explore working together with Trip.com Group to attract Chinese and Asian travellers to Spain. The Chinese market is fundamental to Spain. Today's meeting served to identify areas for mutual collaboration and I hope that we can achieve them in the future",  Fernando Valdés Verelst, Secretary of State for Tourism, commented on the meeting.

"Spain has long been a top destination for travellers around the world. It was a pleasure to sit down with Mr.  Verelst to discuss how Trip.com Group can work together with the Spanish government and Tourism Spain to develop their presence in the Chinese and broader Asian market," said James Liang, chairman and co-founder of Trip.com Group. "Trip.com Group leverages our platforms and audience to support and grow partner presence. We look forward to continuing our conversation and deepening our relationship with Spain."

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trip.com Group has continued to expand its global network of partners whilst seeking to develop cooperation and lay solid foundations for new growth drivers beyond COVID-19. Trip.com Group has sought to empower partners, including destination, accommodation and attraction partners, to capture pent-up travel demand by providing greater marketing capabilities and pivoting its platforms to become hubs for travel inspiration.