AVIAREPS, an international representation, marketing and communications company for the travel industry, has teamed up with the Shanghai Municipal Government, to launch SmoothTravel, Shanghai’s official online B2B travel platform.
SmoothTravel serves as the official gateway for the global travel industry to connect with both inbound and outbound Chinese travel agencies, tour wholesalers, online travel agencies (OTAs), and MICE agents in the East China market.
Overseas members will be able to use the platform to identify new inbound or outbound China travel trade partners, and make use of SmoothTravel’s Member Matching Manager to meet with qualified Chinese travel trade partners based on their requirements.
For international travel businesses, SmoothTravel will provide a unique payment guarantee system to minimise risks associated with new China travel industry partners.
A comprehensive travel insurance programme is also offered for Chinese members to ensure risk reduction for both outbound and inbound sectors. In addition, a bilingual mediation system to resolve any disputes is provided at no cost to members.
Moreover, by leveraging extensive China government and industry resources, SmoothTravel will be able to share the latest research on China’s outbound travel market, industry trends, and consumer preferences. This includes surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, workshops, and on-site visits.
The platform will also offer two-way training for both overseas and Chinese members. Members will also be able commission SmoothTravel for custom-tailored tourism market research to optimise their market strategies.
Zhu Yihong, director of the Shanghai government’s Tourism Market Quality Center, stated in a press release that the platform “will allow the Chinese travel trade to offer higher quality and safer overseas travel products”, and “play a key role in promoting Chinese consumers’ awareness of cross-border travel insurance”.
