What’s Next for Trip.com Group as Coronavirus Crisis Subsides in China?
Photo Credit: Trip.com CEO Jane Sun is seeing signs of recovery in China's domestic travel market as the coronavirus crisis subsides in the country. Trip.com
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For Trip.com Group’s top leader, the message is clear. Countries around the world should not squander any chances to control the virus, and neither should the travel industry let a serious crisis go to waste by not seeking out new opportunities.
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The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Skift: What’s the most difficult challenging issue during the coronavirus outbreak? Jane Sun: There are two stages. The first wave came when the virus was really severe in China. There were lots of cancellations, so we had to work day and night to handle a 20-times volume increase in cancellations from customers as well as changes and delays of trips. The second way is right now. The virus is well under control in China, so we need to boost the confidence of the consumer and come up with very creative products so that consumers can resume confidence in travel and boost the recovery of domestic business. Skift: The rest of the world now goes into lockdown even as China is opening up again, so how are you dealing with that? Does that mean that Chinese travelers can only travel within China for the time being? Sun: China is already taking the lead in these difficult situations, so the rest of the world has the data from China’s e