Didi targets tourists with TripAdvisor deal

A Chinese mobile phone user uses the taxi-hailing and car-service app Didi Chuxing on his Apple iPhone smartphone in Jinan city, East China's Shandong province, Feb 22, 2015. [Photo/IC]

China's largest online car-hailing platform Didi Chuxing announced on Wednesday that it had signed a strategic partnership agreement with travel site TripAdvisor (China), to gear up its expansion in travel offerings.

The partnership targets visitors who want to enjoy convenient travel experiences, aiming at establishing a full service ecosystem covering travel information, scheduling and car-hailing services.

To implement the partnership, Didi and TripAdvisor will build offline Didi stations at up to 100 five-star hotels, mainly chosen by TripAdvisor. These stations will be located in destination cities with high demand for car-hailing services, directly connecting hotels with tourist attractions.

"Didi looks forward to integrating its smart transportation capabilities with robust high-demand travel scenarios to create a more seamless mobility experience for our users, especially when they travel in unfamiliar cities in China," said Yang Jun, vice president at Didi Chuxing.

Zhu Ming, vice president for Strategic Partnership and Account Management at TripAdvisor China, said: "As a world leading travel site, TripAdvisor has unparalleled access to information and reviews about everything a traveler would care about. We are delighted to work with DiDi to make it even easier for travelers to discover popular cities in China."

As a one-stop travel platform covering more than 400 cities in China, the Beijing-based Didi Chuxing offers services in different fields, including taxi hailing, private cars, enterprise solutions, hitch and test drive.

According to its official website, TripAdvisor has 350 million average monthly unique visitors, reaching 385 million reviews and opinions covering 6.6 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.

In the future, the two companies will jointly introduce more specific car-hailing products, catering to individuals' customized needs.