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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Jane Sun, CEO of Ctrip.com and Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM, oversaw the signing of a strategic partnership agreement between Ctrip and KLM. Pieter Elbers, President and CEO of KLM, said, "With so many complementary areas across our businesses and supply chains, the partnership with Ctrip has the potential to help us realize significant innovations in areas including customer service, data operations, flight route development, and product marketing. This will help to solidify and grow The Netherlands’ position as the ‘Gateway to Europe’ for Chinese travelers and enterprises.” Ctrip’s international air ticketing business has maintained solid growth momentum, increasing 40% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018. Trip.com, Ctrip Group’s independent international travel brand, also recorded triple-digit growth in air ticket bookings for seven consecutive quarters. The direct booking business of Ctrip’s online travel search platform SkyScanner has seen rapid growth, with an approximately 600% increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2018 as synergies with Ctrip have become increasingly apparent. Ctrip’s new travel trend report shows that Europe is increasingly a popular destination for Chinese tourists. In 2017, the number of Chinese outbound tourists to Europe ranked second among all continents, increasing 26.3% compared with 2016. Average travel spending per person also increased by 36% year-on-year.
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