Scottish tours firm Rabbie’s partners with Chinese travel giant CTrip

Scottish tours firm Rabbie’s partners with Chinese travel giant CTrip

Edinburgh-based Rabbie’s Small Group Tours has struck a deal with Chinese online travel giant CTrip in a bid to bring more Chinese tourists to Scotland. The partnership is expected to be worth £20 million over the next 10 years. The … Continue reading

Edinburgh-based Rabbie’s Small Group Tours has struck a deal with Chinese online travel giant CTrip in a bid to bring more Chinese tourists to Scotland.

The partnership is expected to be worth £20 million over the next 10 years.

The Chinese firm is valued at more than $2.8 billion and will sell Rabbie’s whole range of products out of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, London, and Dublin.

Rabbie’s has hired two Mandarin-speaking tour guides in the last year, and appointed two members of staff based in China as it increased its investment in the market.

CTrip acquired flight aggregator Skyscanner, which is also based in Edinburgh, in 2016.

Rabbie’s founder Robin Worsnop said: “This is an exciting development. I visited the CTrip headquarters and received such a warm and friendly welcome. I know our company can do the same for anyone who chooses to book our trips to the UK and Ireland through CTrip.”

The number of Chinese tourists to Scotland increased 192% between 2007 and 2016. A new direct flight between Beijing and Edinburgh is set to start in June.