Ctrip is a Chinese online travel platform, founded in 1999 and based in Shanghai, that books flights, train tickets, hotels, buses, ferries, attraction tickets and tours in one app. Expats and business travelers use it, or its international edition Trip.com, to plan trips in China; hotels, airlines and tour operators use it as a sales channel.
Ctrip belongs to Trip.com Group, which also runs Skyscanner in China, the Qunar travel search engine and Trip.com, the international edition of Ctrip for travelers who prefer English and foreign cards.
What can you book on Ctrip?
Trains, flights and hotels in one app
Ctrip covers air tickets, hotel reservations, train tickets, bus tickets and ferry tickets, for short domestic trips as well as international journeys. Hotels range from budget chains to luxury resorts. Attraction tickets and vacation packages complete the offer, so a traveler can plan a whole trip without switching between apps. For train tickets, Ctrip is an alternative to the official Railway 12306 platform.
Recommendations based on your trips
Ctrip suggests hotels, flights and destinations from the user’s searches, past bookings and saved preferences.
Travel guides written by travelers
The guides section gathers practical information on destinations (weather, transportation, food, culture) and itineraries shared by experienced travelers, with details such as opening hours of attractions and local events.
Who uses Ctrip?
Chinese travelers first, for domestic and outbound trips. Foreigners living in China use it too, alongside the other everyday apps listed in our guide to the best apps for Shanghai. Companies use its corporate travel service to manage business trips.
What can a travel business do on Ctrip?
Ctrip is a distribution channel for travel businesses, including foreign ones:
- Hotels and homestays: chain hotels, independent hotels, boutique homestays and serviced apartments list their rooms to reach Chinese travelers.
- Travel agencies and tour operators: package tours, independent travel and customized tours.
- Airlines and ticket agents: domestic and foreign airlines sell their seats through Ctrip.
- Attractions and theme parks: tickets for attractions, theme parks and hot spring resorts.
- Corporate travel providers: travel management and event companies connect to Ctrip’s corporate travel platform.
Hotels manage their listing in eBooking, Ctrip’s back office for partner hotels: hotel information, orders, inventory, promotions, data analysis, revenue and settlement. A hotel group or a travel brand that runs its own booking system usually connects it to the platform rather than updating it by hand: this is where e-commerce integrations in China come in. Ctrip also accepts payment with WeChat Pay, Alipay and, according to the PBOC, the digital yuan (e-CNY).
How QPSoftware can help
For a hotel, an airline or a travel brand, selling on Ctrip means keeping prices, inventory and orders in sync with your own systems. QPSoftware builds the APIs and connectors that link your website, WeChat Mini Program, ERP or booking engine to the platforms Chinese travelers use. See how we connect your store to Chinese platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ctrip available in English?
The Ctrip app and website are designed for Chinese users. Travelers who prefer English use Trip.com, the international edition run by the same group, which books the same kinds of products in China: trains, flights, hotels and attraction tickets. Trip.com also accepts foreign cards, which makes it the usual choice for visitors and newly arrived expats.
Can a foreign hotel or travel company sell on Ctrip?
Yes. Ctrip works with hotels, airlines, tour operators and attractions in China and abroad, and foreign airlines already sell tickets through it. Hotels manage rooms, prices and orders in Ctrip’s eBooking back office. Larger partners usually connect their own booking or inventory system to the platform, so that availability stays accurate without manual updates.
How does Ctrip differ from Fliggy?
Both book flights, hotels and trips. Ctrip is the older platform, strong in hotels, air tickets and corporate travel, and part of Trip.com Group. Fliggy belongs to Alibaba Group and works as a marketplace where travel merchants open stores, close to the model of Taobao and Tmall. Many Chinese travelers compare prices on both before booking.