With everything online nowadays, travellers planning business trips or holidays get to enjoy greater autonomy and a wider range of options with just a few clicks. While tourism operators have long played a crucial role in facilitating leisure and business travel, they are facing challenges when it comes to retaining loyal clients amid the digitalization trend.
Cinese International Group, a prominent player in the travel industry, is a long-established air ticket consolidator, travel business process management provider, as well as travel products and services provider. With more than 40 years of operating history in Canada since it was established in 1976, it focuses on serving travel agents and online ticket distribution platforms.
“While individual consumers may shift towards booking air tickets online, institutional clients remain unaffected by this digitalization trend,” said Chairman and CEO Dr. Mariana Kou.
The sustainability of tourism services also relies heavily on finding new destinations to satisfy wanderlust and keep clients returning for more.
In December 2020, China announced the Culture and Tourism Development Plan for the Greater Bay Area (GBA), setting out the direction for developing the region as a world-class tourism destination and a cultural exchange hub of the East and West. The Group began its new venture of providing company-operated cultural tours in the GBA after the Covid-19 pandemic and successfully generated new revenue.
Kou, who participated in the Chamber’s trip to Shenzhen in June last year, said: “It was an incredible experience to meet the local community in Shenzhen. I have learnt a lot about Shenzhen’s development plans as well as its synergies with Hong Kong and other GBA cities. The visit supported our positive outlook on the region, and we plan to expand our business operations in 2024 and beyond.”
The rising demand for air travel bounced back significantly in 2023. Airlines around the world began expanding their flight networks and offering more destinations to meet the growing needs of passengers.
“In the first quarter of 2023, the Group had already resumed package tour services,” Kou said. “The increasing numbers of bookings and passengers reveal a strong recovery of tourism services.”
Kou is optimistic about the growth of the travel industry in the coming years, as well as business opportunities. Leveraging on its expertise and experience, the Group plans to implement strategic measures to sustain its business by consolidating its presence in the GBA, and explore potential opportunities for travel-related services, such as travel consultancy, healthcare, hospitality and other service industries.
“We will continue to deploy business strategies with a view to sustaining our travel-related products, and work to explore suitable business opportunities from time to time in various industries, creating business synergy, enhancing earning capability, and bringing value to our shareholders,” Kou explained. “HKGCC’s large community and membership support are seen as valuable assets for our business expansion in the GBA. We are also interested in exploring collaboration opportunities with the Chamber for corporate social responsibility initiatives so that we can give back to society.”
Company：Cinese International Group Holdings Ltd
HKGCC Membership No.：HKC1394
Established：1976
Website：www.cighl.com