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Korean Air forms strategic partnership with Chinese tourism giant Ctrip

Published: 07 Aug. 2025, 12:09 Updated: 07 Aug. 2025, 14:34

A Korean Air plane takes off from from an airport. [KOREAN AIR]

Korean Air, Korea's leading air carrier, said Thursday it has forged a strategic partnership with Ctrip, China's largest online tourism agency, to strengthen its presence in the country's travel market.

Under the partnership, the two companies will jointly explore opportunities in China's outbound travel market and provide a range of tailored services for customers.

The partnership includes the operation of an official Korean Air store on Ctrip's platform, development of exclusive travel packages featuring Korean Air flights and targeted promotions for business travelers.

Korean Air said it expects the partnership to help attract more travelers from the Greater China region and contribute to cultural exchanges between the countries.

Ctrip is a subsidiary of global travel service provider Trip.com Group and offers booking services for flights, hotels and trains within mainland China, and has more than 300 million users.

According to the Korea Tourism Organization, Chinese travelers ranked first among all foreign visitors to Korea last year, with arrivals from the country recorded at around 4.6 million.

In the first half of 2025, travelers from China rose 13.8 percent on-year to 2.52 million.

The upcoming temporary visa waiver by the Korean government for Chinese group tourists, set to begin late September, is expected to further boost travel demand from the country.

Yonhap