Galaxy Macau, the Cotai-flagship casino resort of Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, has announced a three-year “strategic partnership” with global online travel agency business Trip.com Group Ltd.
Trip.com Group stems from Chinese online travel agency Ctrip, which was founded on the mainland in 1999, and is still a brand of that group.
Echo He (pictured left), vice president at Trip.com Group, and Jeffrey Jiang (pictured right), executive vice president of entertainment services at Galaxy Entertainment, attended a ceremony at Galaxy Macau to mark the collaboration.
A Wednesday statement from the Galaxy brand said the partnership will make use of Trip.com Group’s “expansive global membership ecosystem alongside Galaxy Macau’s proven expertise in venue operations and large-scale event execution,” in order to “supercharge” a “global live event pipeline”. The update did not give specific examples.
It did mention the role of the circa 16,000-capacity Galaxy Arena – which last Saturday hosted a major event of the mixed martial arts franchise the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – in the tie up.
The statement said that Galaxy Macau and Trip.com Group would “deepen integration across event curation, execution and distribution, while unlocking new layers of value through cross-platform membership privileges”.
The aim is for a “more seamless, diversified and elevated experience for audiences – from ticket access and travel planning to on-ground entertainment delivery,” per the release.
The announcement added: “By combining digital reach with physical destination excellence, Galaxy Macau and Trip.com Group are positioned to explore a broader spectrum of co-branded initiatives, immersive event formats and destination-led campaigns that extend beyond conventional travel offerings.”
Trip.com Group is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and on Nasdaq in the United States, and describes itself as “a leading one-stop travel service provider” consisting of the brands Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar.
Per its corporate website, Trip.com Group covers 220 countries and regions, 640 airlines, and “560,000-plus attractions and tickets”.
Galaxy Entertainment’s Mr Jiang recently told GGRAsia in an interview that sports events offered significant upside for Macau tourism and the city’s gaming resorts.
