Tongcheng-Elong’s TravelGo.com partners with Rabbit-Line Pay in Thailand

By Edil Corneille

Tongcheng-Elong, an online travel agency in China, has signed an exclusive strategic partnership in Thailand with Rabbit-Line Pay. The latter is an integrated mobile payment platform embedded in LINE, which is a Japanese messaging app that is said to be popular in many countries throughout Asia.

Tongcheng-Elong’s online travel booking platform TravelGo.com, operated by eLong International Travel (Hong Kong) Limited (EITL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tongcheng-Elong, will provide exclusive online transportation and accommodation reservation services for LINE users in Thailand.

“Tongcheng-Elong is pleased to partner with Rabbit-Line Pay to share our success in mobile traffic management with our partner, as well as to provide local Thai residents with high-quality online travel services,” said Qiang Wang, Chief Operating Officer of Tongcheng-Elong. “We look forward to exploring opportunities in the mobile travel market in Thailand together with Rabbit-Line Pay.”

With a messaging system at its cornerstone, LINE’s ecosystem provides a wide range of services, including content, social networking, games, financial services, digital payments, etc. Rabbit-Line Pay is a joint venture between LINE, BTS Group, a Thailand-based holding company engaged in the mass transit system, and Advanced Info Service Public Co. Ltd. (AIS), Thailand’s telecommunications carrier.

“The cooperation with TravelGo.com signals a great starting point for both parties to provide high-quality mobile travel services to Thai people as well as enriching LINE user experiences,” said Victor Topoyosakul, CEO of Rabbit-Line Pay.

The strategic cooperation with Rabbit-Line Pay is expected to enable TravelGo.com to bring seamless online travel booking services to more than 46 million LINE users in Thailand. As the exclusive partner for the online travel services of Rabbit-Line Pay, TravelGo.com will allow local residents in Thailand to book flights, buses, and hotels through the LINE app.

Currently, LINE users in Thailand can access Rabbit-Line Pay by clicking ‘wallet’ in the LINE app, and then by directly clicking the ‘Flight’ and ‘Bus’ options respectively to book tickets. The service of hotel booking is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2021.