Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Dida, a leading B2B travel distribution company, recently hosted its inaugural ‘Engage’ events in two key Chinese cities — Chengdu and Shenzhen — from May 13 to 15, 2025.

These pioneering events brought together over 50 representatives from prestigious hotel brands across Southeast Asia with more than 400 of China’s top travel agents.

The three-day gatherings fostered vibrant networking, market insights sharing, and introduced cutting-edge technology innovations, reinforcing Dida’s commitment to seamlessly integrating technology with human-centric service.

The timing of these events was strategic, coinciding with the resurgence of outbound Chinese tourism, highlighted by Dida’s impressive 103% year-on-year growth during China’s recent Labor Day holiday.

These gatherings were designed not only to capitalize on the outbound travel boom but also to strengthen cooperation between travel suppliers and buyers in the dynamic Chinese market.

China’s outbound tourism market has rapidly recovered following the easing of travel restrictions, with Chinese travelers increasingly seeking diverse international destinations in Asia and beyond. According to the , outbound tourism spending reached record highs during key holiday periods in 2025, reinforcing China’s role as one of the world’s most influential source markets.

Recognizing this trend, Dida curated the ‘Engage’ events to bring hotel suppliers from popular destinations favored by Chinese tourists—including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Vietnam—directly to Chinese travel agencies. This approach aims to bridge supply and demand efficiently, enabling hotel brands to raise awareness and drive bookings within China’s complex travel ecosystem.

The events featured participation from a mix of global and regional hospitality giants. Marriott International, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, and Las Vegas Sands Corporation represented the international portfolio, while notable Southeast Asian groups such as S Hotels & Resorts, ONYX Hospitality Group, Anantara Group, Millennium Hotels & Resorts, and Ormond Hotels showcased local and regional excellence.

This diverse participation underscored Dida’s strategy to cater to a wide spectrum of travel market segments, including Free Independent Travelers (FIT), group tours, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE), as well as family travel. By engaging these varied sectors, Dida helps ensure that hotels can connect with the most relevant agents and consumers to maximize their reach and revenues.

The events drew enthusiastic participation from over 400 top-tier travel agencies located in Chengdu and Shenzhen—two pivotal hubs for China’s outbound tourism. These agents interact daily with millions of Chinese travelers and influence decision-making regarding holiday destinations and accommodations.

According to reports from the , cities like Chengdu are experiencing rapid growth in outbound travel interest, with many affluent and younger travelers eager to explore international destinations. Shenzhen, as a leading tech and commercial center, represents a gateway to tech-savvy travelers who increasingly rely on online platforms for booking and travel inspiration.

The ‘Engage’ events created a dynamic forum where agents could directly interface with hotel representatives, understand new products, and explore tailored travel packages, promoting a more interactive and personalized marketing approach.

Underpinning the success of these events was Dida’s clear philosophy—“Driven by Tech, Powered by People.” The company demonstrated advanced AI-powered tools embedded within its online booking platform designed to enhance user experience, increase booking conversion rates, and deliver data-driven marketing insights to hoteliers.

Participants had the opportunity to experience generative AI marketing solutions that facilitate targeted campaigns across popular Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat and Douyin (TikTok). These technologies empower hotel brands to increase visibility among Chinese consumers, build brand loyalty, and track market trends in real time.

The integration of AI technology aligns with broader Chinese governmental goals to foster innovation within the tourism sector, as outlined in the .

Snow Xiao, Head of Hotel Contracting at Dida, reflected on the overwhelming success of the inaugural events:

“The Engage events in Chengdu and Shenzhen have surpassed all our expectations. Our hotel partners have expressed genuine appreciation for the platform, which extends their brand reach to high-quality Chinese travel agencies. This channel is instrumental in driving incremental bookings from markets that are otherwise difficult to penetrate.”

Dida plans to replicate this successful format in other major Asian cities and eventually expand globally, leveraging its technological infrastructure and network to connect hotel partners with emerging and established source markets worldwide.

Dida’s initiative represents a significant development in the post-pandemic recovery phase for Asian outbound tourism. With China’s lifting of travel restrictions and surging consumer confidence, demand for international travel is rapidly rebounding.

The company’s focus on human-centric service combined with AI tools is helping to modernize the travel distribution ecosystem in Asia, which traditionally faced challenges such as fragmented agent networks and limited data insights.

Industry analysts from the view such initiatives as vital for sustaining growth, especially in light of the growing complexity of Chinese traveler preferences and the increasing competition among global destinations.

By facilitating direct access between Chinese travel agents and hotel brands, the ‘Engage’ events improve the efficiency of destination marketing. Agents gain up-to-date product knowledge, which enables them to provide better recommendations and customized offers to their clients.

Hotel partners benefit from exposure to agents specialized in different travel segments, allowing them to diversify their customer base and optimize sales strategies.

This collaborative model is aligned with , which encourages the use of digital platforms and partnerships to enhance international tourism competitiveness.

Dida’s inaugural ‘Engage’ events mark a new chapter in the integration of technology and relationship-building within the Asian tourism market. By connecting over 50 top hotel brands from Southeast Asia with more than 400 influential Chinese travel agents, Dida is facilitating the post-pandemic resurgence of outbound Chinese travel while reinforcing its brand as a leader in innovative travel distribution.

With AI-driven marketing solutions and a strong commitment to personalized service, Dida is well-positioned to support its partners in capturing the opportunities presented by one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets.

As the company plans to extend its ‘Engage’ format to other key regions, it is poised to become a global catalyst for connecting supply and demand in tourism—intuitively, intelligently, and sustainably.