
TAIPEI: Chinadotcom's portal hongkong.com has formed a
joint-venture with Taiwan's South East Travel Service (SET).
The new company, Travio Global, a business to business travel services
company, will tap the 3.5 million travellers who currently venture
between Taiwan and China each year.
Peter Yip, chief executive officer of chinadotcom, the majority
shareholder of hongkong.com, said travel is a "selected vertical market"
that his corporation is commited to.
"In a tough economic climate, we need to choose certain key growth areas
where we can truly excel," explained Yip.
Travio Global will seek to become a market leader in online travel
services by leveraging hongkong.com's technology and internet
capabilities against SET's network of 600 travel agents.
SET is Taiwan's largest travel wholesaler.
"We are excited about the potential of this joint-venture to achieve a
healthy market share of the fast-growing travel market in Greater
China," added Rudy Chan, chief executive officer of hongkong.com.