SHANGHAI, 29 July 2019 — Trip.com Group, Asia's largest and the world's second largest online travel agency is further expanding its international presence with the launch on its Japanese site of its overseas car rental service through its Trip.com brand.
Analytics demonstrate that, regardless of destination, Trip.com's primary customer base for overseas car rentals is comprised of users from Europe, the US, Australia, Japan and Korea. The new addition will complement Trip.com's car rental offerings on its Traditional Chinese, English and Korean websites, providing seamless access to more users in Trip.com's main markets.
Popular service aims to win the hearts of Japanese consumers
Beginning in August 2018, Trip.com has successively launched overseas car rentals on its English, Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong) and Korean sites. To date, users have reached a total of 200,000 days of accumulative vehicle utilisation, making overseas car rentals one of the most popular services among Trip.com users, beyond its core offerings of flight tickets, train tickets and hotels. The launch of car rentals on Trip.com's Japanese site will see further growth for the young but increasingly popular product.
Trip.com currently offers overseas car rental bookings through over 130,000 shopfronts in over 6,000 cities in over 200 countries. Through its major global rental suppliers, Trip.com has over 7 million vehicles in operation, catering to almost all use-cases with various offerings, including 5-11 seat minivans, SUV, MPV, and even pickup trucks.
Statistics from the first half of 2019 indicate that among the ten major markets for overseas car rental users, 80% of users originated from the UK, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and the US. Among destinations, over 50% of rentals were used in the US, Australia, Thailand and the UK, while Japan, Korea and Europe were also popular destinations.
Trip.com Group Car Rentals CEO Peng Ting commented, "The Japanese market has high expectations for meticulous services. As Trip.com launches this service on its Japanese website, our rental services will reach more Japanese users. I am confident of our product, and confident that it will stand the test of this strict market."
Overseas car rentals made easier
Peng Ting added that Trip.com's service streamlines overseas car rentals by simplifying returns, identification and payment.
In select major cities, in addition to shopfront return points, Trip.com offers a door-to-door return pick-up service, making returns easier for users in foreign cities.
For outbound Chinese drivers, Trip.com Group provides authentication services for driving license translations for use in over 200 countries. Along with their original license, users need only display this authenticated translation to legally drive abroad. For China-bound overseas tourists, Trip.com Group also provides multi-lingual guides for license acquisition and car rentals in China.
To streamline user experience, Trip.com accepts eight third-party payment services, all international credit cards, and direct payments in 22 currencies.
At present, Trip.com Group's international presence is comprised of its Skyscanner and Trip.com brands. Overseas users of these platforms are able to access information and customer support services in 19 languages via three support centres based in Edinburgh, Seoul and Tokyo.
As one of Trip.com's major markets, the recent launch of car rentals in Japanese promises to bring growth to the increasingly popular service. In addition to car rentals, Trip.com globally offers flight, train and hotel bookings, as well as airport drop-off and pick-up services, and entry tickets for tourist sites, and continues to expand its offerings internationally.