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Trip.com Group Accelerates Middle East Expansion with Strategic Partnerships and Thought Leadership at Arabian Travel Market 2025

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DUBAI, UAE, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Trip.com Group, a global leader in travel services, continues to build on its strong momentum in the Middle East with a series of strategic initiatives showcased at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025. Following the landmark partnership signed with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism at the Group’s global conference in December 2024, Trip.com Group is deepening its regional footprint through new collaborations and thought leadership at this year’s premier travel event.

Fostering Partnerships to Unlock Tourism Growth

Ms Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, highlighted the extensive collaborations between Trip.com Group and global destinations in her keynote speech, “Partnering for Progress: Unlocking Tourism Growth Through Innovative Collaborations.” She shared insights into how trends like entertainment travel, educational travel, and elderly travel are bringing fresh opportunities to the Middle East and how technological innovations in super apps and personalisation are transforming the way destinations engage with travellers.

“The Middle East presents tremendous growth opportunities and serves as a crucial node connecting Europe, Africa, and Asia. Convenient entry policies, increased direct flights, and robust investments in tourism have contributed to its rapid recovery,” said Ms Sun. “With our insights into new consumer trends and our dedication to business and technological innovation, we look forward to strengthening our collaboration with regional partners to attract global travellers and bring forth a more connected and prosperous future.”

Expanding Airline Partnerships to Enhance Regional Connectivity

 

The Group continues to strengthen its regional connectivity through strategic partnerships in the region. At ATM 2025, Trip.com announced a new alliance with Saudia, combining its digital expertise with Saudia’s exceptional service and extensive network. Saudia’s award-winning offerings will be provided to global travellers on Trip.com, including premium cabin experiences, curated inflight dining, exclusive amenity kits, etc.

Additionally, Trip.com unveiled a strategic partnership with Flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, to integrate Flynas’ flight offerings across Trip.com Group’s multi-brand platforms. This collaboration aims to broaden Flynas’ visibility and accessibility across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, supporting its growth aligned with Saudi Vision 2030. Together, these partnerships reinforce Trip.com’s commitment to seamless, tech-driven travel and support the Middle East’s emergence as a global travel hub.

New 3-Year Partnership MOU with Visit Oman to Boost Digital Tourism

In a significant development at ATM 2025, Trip.com Group signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Travel Operator – Visit Oman to bring a curated selection of Omani travel experiences from local providers and SMEs onto Trip.com Group’s global platform. This partnership will be supported by a joint global digital marketing campaign targeting Chinese and APAC markets—key sources of outbound travel—leveraging AI-driven personalisation and Trip.com Group’s extensive network to amplify Oman’s appeal to luxury, adventure, business, and digital nomad travellers. The collaboration aims to empower local tourism businesses and position Oman as a premier destination in the rapidly growing Middle Eastern tourism landscape.

Strategic MOU with BAAN Holding Hospitality to Promote Saudi Hospitality to Far East Market

Further expanding its regional alliances, Trip.com Group signed an MOU with BAAN Group, a leading Saudi hospitality group. This partnership will utilize Trip.com Group’s marketing expertise and global platform to elevate the visibility of BAAN’s Group, attracting diverse traveler segments from Far East Market and supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 tourism ambitions. The alliance underscores Trip.com Group’s commitment to fostering tech-driven tourism growth and seamless travel experiences across the Middle East.

Riding the Wave of Growing Global Travel to the Middle East

These initiatives come amid robust growth trends in Middle Eastern travel markets. According to the data from Trip.com Group, in Q1 2025, inbound travel bookings to the Middle East increased by 37.5% compared to Q4 2024, with Dubai emerging as the top destination in the region. Among all inbound travellers, millennials constitute close to 60%, reflecting the growing demand for experiential luxury, wellness, and culturally immersive journeys. The region’s expanding aviation infrastructure, new hotel developments, and mega events such as Expo 2030 Riyadh are further fuelling demand. Trip.com Group’s technology-driven approach, including AI personalisation and seamless multilingual booking capabilities, positions it to capture and enhance this rising global interest in Middle Eastern destinations.

Trip.com Group remains committed to driving innovation and connectivity in the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector. With these strategic partnerships and leadership engagements at ATM 2025, the company is well-positioned to support the region’s evolving travel landscape and contribute to its sustainable growth as a premier global destination.

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About Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission “to pursue the perfect trip for a better world”. Find out more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com.

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Crab2B Makes AsiaWorld-Expo Debut, Connecting Hong Kong’s Mobile Wholesalers with Global Buyers

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HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Crab2B, a pioneering B2B trading platform dedicated to mobile devices and digital products, will make its debut at the HKICEC Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion during the Global Sources Hong Kong Shows, opening at AsiaWorld-Expo on October 18, 2026.

Hong Kong has long been a major hub for electronics wholesale trade, but buyers still often rely on fragmented channels to identify suppliers. Crab2B was created to bridge this gap, bringing Hong Kong-based mobile and digital product wholesalers together on one dedicated B2B platform. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Crab2B combines the manufacturing strength of mainland China and the Greater Bay Area’s extensive supply chain capabilities with Hong Kong’s established global trading network. Together, these strengths enable Crab2B to simplify cross-border sourcing, connect buyers directly with suppliers and make international trade more accessible and efficient.

For its first appearance at a major industry trade show, Crab2B is bringing together more than 200 merchants already registered on the platform, marking a significant milestone in its development. The Crab2B booth is expected to attract electronics traders from Southeast Asia, Europe, the Middle East and beyond. Visitors will be able to discover the app’s capabilities through live demonstrations, register on the platform and connect directly with participating merchants to explore business opportunities.

A buyer who experienced the Crab2B app shared: “With Crab2B, we no longer have to search far and wide for reliable suppliers. The platform brings Hong Kong’s mobile phone wholesalers together in one place, giving us greater visibility into available products and sourcing opportunities. Whether I’m at my desk or on the move, I can find products and connect with suppliers whenever I need to. For businesses like ours that source across borders, that kind of access makes a real difference. It saves time, reduces transaction costs and helps us do business more efficiently.”

Crab2B CEO Luo Yaohong said, “We want to be pioneers in cross-border B2B trading for digital products, creating new opportunities for Hong Kong’s wholesale industry. As Hong Kong places greater emphasis on developing digital trade, we’re addressing a longstanding gap in the market with a dedicated digital platform that connects Hong Kong’s electronics suppliers directly with buyers around the world. Our ambition is to make cross-border trading easier, faster and more accessible, while helping Hong Kong businesses reach new markets.”

The platform’s trade show debut is also attracting attention from international merchants, with exhibitors expressing interest in joining Crab2B to expand their reach into overseas markets. Meanwhile, merchants already registered on the platform are looking forward to the launch of its planned online marketplace, which will create further opportunities for sustained collaboration and business growth.

Building on this debut, Crab2B will remain firmly rooted in Hong Kong while expanding its connections with businesses around the world. The company will continue to enhance its platform with smarter sourcing tools, more comprehensive trading capabilities and an increasingly connected network of suppliers and buyers. By making it easier to discover products, establish business relationships and conduct cross-border transactions, Crab2B aims to open new opportunities for merchants of all sizes and help shape the next chapter of Hong Kong’s digital trade industry.

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SOURCE Crab2B

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Canton Fair Buyers Alliance Launched as the 140th Edition Opens

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 15, the Canton Fair Buyers Alliance was officially launched at the Canton Fair Complex, marking a significant milestone as the fair celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding.

More than 140 overseas buyers attended the launch ceremony, highlighting the fair’s enduring role as a bridge connecting global commerce with China’s export sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Luís Vilariça, CEO of Joinco, Import & Export, Ltd., discussed his company’s long-standing relationship with the Canton Fair. Drawing on years of participation, he reflected on the growth opportunities created through cooperation with Chinese suppliers and highlighted the fair’s role in supporting international business development and global trade exchanges.

The ceremony also featured a joint declaration by alliance members. Representatives from five member companies read the statement in their respective native languages, underscoring the international character of the new organization. Additional members sent video congratulatory messages, joining the celebration and witnessing the official launch of the alliance.

The Canton Fair Buyers Alliance represents one of the fair’s key service innovations. Designed primarily for Fortune Global 500 companies, buyers from the world’s top 250 retailers and leading sourcing enterprises across a diverse range of markets, the alliance aims to offer members a platform for information sharing and resource coordination. The first cohort of alliance members includes 58 companies from 32 countries and regions across 5 continents. Through the alliance, members will gain access to a range of priority benefits spanning four major areas: services, events, resources and information.

 For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:

https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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Bioethanol from human hair – Indian start-up’s solution to rising prices of grains and sugar

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GUJARAT, India, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In what could be called the beginning of the 5G (fifth-generation) of bioethanol or non-cellulosic bioethanol or non-sugar-based biofuels, an Indian start-up, Techofest Global, based out of Gujarat, has developed its own, indigenous, and patented technology for the production of bioethanol from waste human hair. Such processes would significantly reduce the employment of sugars, grains, and agricultural residues, which form the classical first- and second-generation bioethanol feedstocks. As a result, the rising fuel-vs.-food/fodder debate is anticipated to reduce, and instead, ethanol produced from municipal/industrial waste, after trials, can supplement the current supply being used as blends with presently retailed fossil fuels (E20, E27, etc.). 

As stated by Dr. Ravi, the founder-CEO of Techofest Global, the strategic priority and the USP of the start-up is industrial symbiosis, which, typically, involves an ecosystem of up-cycling/valorising the effluents of an industry, thereby creating a value-chain for residues often lacking an end-of-life. With more than three decades of experience in designing customized nuclear fusion reactors for international programmes, such as ITER, JET/UKAEA and SST-1, Dr. Ravi, a seasoned mechanical engineer, spearheads the start-up’s patented technologies’ scale-up and commercialization.

Two biochemical engineers, Dr. Navnit – the former CTO, and Dr. Kabilan – the former CEO of Biomakerz, Chennai, are the brains behind the current technology/process portfolio of the joint-venture between Techofest Global and Biomakerz. They have been working on biorefineries’ process intensification for more than a decade. “Having foreseen the fuel-vs-fodder/food competition as early as the year 2015, we began developing techno-economically feasible and viable in-vitro metabolically-engineered bioprocesses for scaling-up ethanol production from municipal waste streams between 2019–2021”, says Navnit. After developing operational technologies for international biofuel organizations, serving process engineer roles with certain biorefineries-related OMC R&D’s of India, Dr. Navnit, presently works for a premier academic institution.

An on-going fermentation trial at the Techofest Global-Biomakerz JV’s R&D facility

Techofest Global has developed and tested, in its R&D JV’s pilot-facility of ~100-L, 3 innovative and cost-effective technologies, such as 5G ethanol production using human hair, used cooking oil (UCO), and enriched bio-methane production from disposed sanitary napkins.

“With massive CapEx and OpEx, 2G ethanol technology is facing a major commercialization bottleneck, owing to competition with food/livestock fodder, requirement of a cost-intensive pre-treatment procedure, and the requirement of cellulolytic cocktails, which have a poor recycle efficiency. The proprietary 5G SAFE process developed for the start-up circumvents the mentioned constraints, and instead, utilizes a single-stage saccharification followed by fermentation, and records over 85–90% biocatalyst recovery. Likewise, the proprietary SIM process for bio-methane production, exclusively developed for the start-up, is 2x faster with improved intermittent feeding cycles and continuous gas harvest”, says Navnit.

“With on-going pre-commercialization trials, the proprietary ethanol and bio-methane processes of ours are soon being commercialized”, says Ms. Bhumika, the co-founder and the corporate advisor of the start-up. Furthermore, Mr. Ronak pilots the organization’s global market entry and commercialization frontier.

Techofest Global’s veteran Principal Technology Advisors include: Dr VS Tripathi, former Joint Director, DRDE Gwalior, Dr B S Munjal, former Director, Structures and Thermal group, SAC/ISRO, Academician and Advisor CIKS-Dharohar, GTU, and Dr AV Santhanababu, former Scientist at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. With on-going R&D activities, Dr. Munjal says, “the start-up is striving to provide a unique solution along the lines of the Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat Vision 2047”.

Media Contact: www.techofestglobal.com; e-mail: info@techofestglobal.com; contact person: The PR team of Techofest Global.

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