Alibaba, Marriott team up to tap Chinese tourism boom

Hong Kong

ALIBABA Group Holding Ltd is supercharging its fledgling travel service by partnering with Marriott International Inc, the world's largest hotel operator with some 6,000 properties.

The companies will set up a joint venture to feature Marriott's entire line-up, from the eponymous brand to the Ritz-Carlton, on Alibaba's Fliggy site. The two will also link their loyalty programmes and provide promotions for Chinese travellers.

China is now the world's largest source of outbound travellers, a still rapidly growing populace that spent more than US$100 billion in 2016 and is spurring changes across the global tourism industry. Their rising numbers have fuelled a deals spree and spawn…