Collinson has been present in China since 2004
British travel services firm Collinson has announced a new joint venture with China’s Joyful Journey Group, to add airport lounges and a Mandarin-speaking customer service.
According to a press statement issued by Collinson, which offers diverse services to travellers, notably around loyalty programmes, its Joyful Journey Priority Pass venture will see Collinson expand its inventory in mainland China, with the addition of nearly 90 airport lounges for domestic travellers.
“A sub-set of which will be made available to international travellers,” says Collinson, without providing additional information.
The statement adds that the joint venture will also provide customers with 24/7 Mandarin-speaking customer service, and a market-specific, agile technology, including seamless API integration to client apps.
According to the statement, Collinson has had a presence in mainland China since 2004, while Beijing-based Joyful Journey Group was established in 2012 as an air and rail digital travel experiences provider.
The statement adds that in 2021 Priority Pass announced a new strategic partnership with China Southern Airlines, giving members access to over 40 new lounges across China.
“It is great to be able to share the news of this strategic joint venture with our partners at Joyful Journey Group, a collaboration designed to enable our clients to drive increased customer engagement and value, through our joint expertise and expanded breadth of solutions. As the travel market in mainland China is forecasted to recover at pace this year, it presents an incredible opportunity for growth and innovation; and as such, this alliance is forged at an opportune time for all parties,’’ says Todd Handcock, Global Chief Commercial Officer and Asia Pacific President of Collinson.
“Innovation has always been part of our DNA and we continue to evolve our solutions to empower our clients and partners to remain market-leading in this agile and competitive market. We strongly believe this partnership brings multiple benefits and we’re looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Joyful Journey Group to help elevate every journey into something special,” Handcock adds.
