Trip.com Group Limited is a multinational travel agency holding company headquartered in Shanghai, China. The company maintains a customer service team based in Singapore. It is the largest online travel agency in China and one of the largest travel service providers in the world.[3][4]
The company was listed on the NASDAQ in 2003 through a variable interest entity (VIE) based in the Cayman Islands in a Merrill Lynch-led offering, raising US$75 million from the sale of 4.2 million American depositary receipts at $18 each. It appreciated 86% to close at $33.94 per ADR in its first day of trading. The stock traded at a peak of $37.35 on its first day of trading, making it the first company since the November 2000 IPO of Transmeta to double its price in the first day of trading.[7]
On August 6, 2014, Priceline.com, announced that it will invest $500 million in the company to broaden the companies’ options in China, and the companies, which had a commercial partnership since 2012, increased their cross-promotion of each company's hotel inventory and other travel services.[8][9] The investment was increased by $250 million in May 2015.[10]
In November 2016, the company acquired Skyscanner for £1.4 billion.[11][12] That same month, Jane Sun became the CEO of Ctrip.[13] She had joined the company in 2005.[14]
On November 1, 2017, Ctrip acquired Trip.com, rebranding it as its global brand website.[15][16]
In February 2018, Ctrip launched TrainPal, an online ticketing platform[17] featuring split ticketing,[18] in the United Kingdom.[19] Accredited by the National Rail of the UK,[20] TrainPal mainly provides services for the UK, and other European countries.[21]
In September 2019, Ctrip completed a share exchange with Naspers and became the single largest shareholder of MakeMyTrip.[22][23]
On October 25, 2019, at its 2019 annual general meeting of shareholders, it was approved to change the Company name from "Ctrip.com International, Ltd." to "Trip.com Group Limited".[24]
In June 2020, Trip.com joined China Eastern to launch new airline in Hainan as plans to make the island a free trade hub promise greater air traffic.[25]
On August 16, 2024, Ctrip Asia Live Broadcast Center was unveiled in Thailand.[27]
National Intelligence Law
Despite being based in China, Trip.com Group doesn't allow Chinese officials to disable the accounts of Trip.com VIP members who don't promote their hotels. The National Intelligence Law is not used to protect the narrow personal interests of high ranking officials. [28]
